Ducks Roundtable: Now #2, does Oregon control their destiny?

In the latest AP and coaches polls that were released, Oregon jumped past LSU to reach second place. After the very underwhelming 12-10 win in Auburn, people are speculating that LSU may not be as good as we thought.

Could LSU bypass Oregon even if the Ducks go undefeated? Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-US PRESSWIRE

Still, zero first place votes were given to the Ducks. Granted, nearly all of them are going to Alabama, but LSU still picked up one in both polls. With how the SEC is perceived by much of the country, can Oregon hold on to the second spot or could LSU jump them?

Raymond: I do believe if Oregon goes undefeated they will play in the BCS Championship game.  The SEC teams will beat up on each other giving Oregon a clear path in.  At least I hope that is what happens after last year’s championship game.

Brian: Worst case scenario for the Ducks is Alabama losing a close game to LSU. The Crimson Tide are considered the best team in the nation and it’s not even close – they finished 102 points better than Oregon. If LSU and Alabama look impressive the rest of the way and Oregon looks sloppy toward the end of the season, but still going undefeated, I actually could see voters putting Alabama and LSU against each other in a rematch. Should it happen? Of course not, but it wouldn’t surprise me after last year.

Joe: Oregon controls their own destiny. If they win out, they’ll get to the national championship, and they have a better chance of doing that in the Pac-12 than in the SEC. No losses and their in. One loss, and they better hope LSU loses two because there is an SEC bias these days; for better of for worse. For Ducks fans and fans of teams in other conferences, it’s definitely for worse.

Mike: As of today I think that Oregon is the second best team in the nation. With the Ducks entering conference play, more and more people will get to see them and respect their wins. Of course, the Ducks control their own destiny and will face Southern Cal, Stanford, plus Oregon State who are all ranked, so wins over them will help. Should Oregon keep winning they’ll stay in front of the winner of Alabama/LSU and play in Miami for the national title.

The Autzen Zoo staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen along with staff writers Joe Soriano, Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.