Mario Cristobal on blocking out distractions during CFP push

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is keeping distractions away from players by constantly embracing a unique mindset. By holding players accountable to the idea that every day and every week is a playoff moment, the Ducks hope to avoid lulls down the stretch.

After coming in at No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, Oregon holds its own destiny. Mario Cristobal talked about mindset and distractions heading into the regular season’s final stretch.

“I think there’s always going to be attention with the media – there’s gonna be hype – projections out there non-stop,” Cristobal told reporters during his Monday press conference. “I think what you do is take a step back and you make sure you acknowledge that the players will come across that, they’ll acknowledge that. And then you make it as simple as ‘if you don’t take care of your business on a day-by-day basis – and then a week-by-week basis – what does it matter?’ There will be no significance for anybody that doesn’t focus on what they’re supposed to take care of.”

He continued: “In college football every single week is a playoff week, it is. And I think that mentality and being focused on the main thing one step at a time has to be the course. That’s the course that works for us, that’s what we’ll continue to do. If we ever feel that there’s something in the way interfering with that, we’ll snap ourselves back into it.”

Oregon vs Ohio State debate

When Ohio State and Oregon scheduled a 2021 meeting, it became must-watch television. When the teams brought their squads to the field, it became clear the game would have CFP implications.

The Ohio State offense and Oregon defense squared off in a 35-28 thriller. The Ducks came out with a road win and an upper hand. However, a slip-up against Stanford and several key injuries jeopardized Oregon’s season.

Meanwhile, Ohio State grew up. The young offense started clicking and brought back the high-powered numbers many anticipated.

“The (selection) committee – everyone has their own opinions – but as you go through with the 13 members, head-to-head is certainly talked about when you talk about Oregon and Ohio State,” said CFP Selection Committee Chairman Gay Barta. “Oregon has had some nice wins, they played very good football. They’ve been through a lot of challenges losing their starting running back and some others – Thibodeaux being their best player – early on. But they beat Ohio State at Ohio State and that was really important to the committee.”

It became clear very early – as ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit pointed out – that the committee valued these head-to-head meetings, setting the tone for the top four. While Ohio State sits on the outside looking in, there is hope for the Buckeyes down the stretch.

Not only can Ohio State jump the field with an unexpected loss from Alabama or Oregon, it holds its own destiny against Michigan State.

“Ohio State is playing great football, since that time they’re on a roll,” said Barta. “They’re explosive offensively. At the end of the day, that’s why they’re one slot behind Oregon, because of the head-to-head. But right up there near the top because of how terrific they’ve been playing.”