Polls Aside: “Win the Day”
Today the polls came out again and the Ducks were dropped to 13th in the AP and 14th in the Coach’s. It could be seen as a slap in the face, but it is certainly not the end of the world. As a fan I would have loved to see a better game last Saturday as I’m sure the athletes and coaching staff would have. That is one of the reasons I love college football. “Win the Day” is the motto that is used – it’s one step at a time because anything can happen.
The pollsters may be sending a message as Ted Miller suggests over at the Pac-12 Blog, but playing these big games up front should be standard if you ask me. It gives a clear indication to any team where they are falling short and where they are excelling. There is the potential for a knock in the rankings, but what should the focus be – building a stronger program or just getting a W?
Remember back to the Ducks’ 2009 Rose Bowl season. Oregon came in ranked 16th in the AP (not too shabby given the history) and their opener came against #14 Boise State at Bronco Stadium. Oregon got pushed around by Boise State, lost, and then suffered major national embarrassment when LeGarrette Blount punched Byron Hout after the game. Oregon fell out of the rankings after Week 1 and didn’t make another appearance until three wins later (including one against Cal). After it was all said and done Oregon had one more loss to Stanford that year before heading to the Rose Bowl (their last appearance had been in 1995).
The moral of the story? Oregon has a lot of time to make this a winning season and the polls should be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Oregon’s performance in the coming weeks will be what is important. GO DUCKS!!!!