Ducks Roundtable: More Shocking Ranking in Oregon

The BCS rankings debut last night, and one story about an Oregon school may have caught the eye more than the other.

Oct. 13, 2012; Provo, UT, USA; Oregon State Beavers quarterback Cody Vaz (14) and teammates wide receivers Richard Mullaney (8) and Kevin Cummings (84) smile after another touchdown is scored against the Brigham Young Cougars during the fourth quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas C. Pizac-US PRESSWIRE

Of course, Oregon fans will all be up in arms over not getting ranked behind Alabama. After reaching second place in both human polls, it was expected to debut toward the top. The computer had different ideas.

However, Oregon State has made some noise in the polls too. After beating BYU on the road with backup quarterback Cody Vaz, the Beavers haven’t dropped a game yet this season. They reached eighth in the BCS rankings, a complete shock to those who believed they would finish dead last in Oregon’s division.

Which debut ranking is more shocking between the Oregon schools?

Brian: It’s Oregon State, no question about it. Oregon simply hasn’t faced top talent yet, and things will balance out in the second half of their schedule. If they could get a convincing road win at Arizona State, that would do wonders for their national recognition. The Beavers were supposed to finish south of .500, and they find themselves at the same position as Oregon to not only compete for the conference title, but to get to a national championship.

Mike: A little of both for me because while the Ducks schedule has been light the first six games, they did throttle two ranked opponents even if those were at home. OSU being eighth was a little surprising too, but like the Ducks they’ve beaten ranked teams at both home and away. The Beavers weren’t suppose to be at this point so them being up high is my answer because we just come to expect this from Oregon.

Raymond: I’m more surprised that Oregon State is ranked 8th because no one expected them to be undefeated six weeks into the season.  It was actually a very good win by them on the road against BYU without their starting quarterback Sean Mannion.

Ricky: Neither. Oregon State is playing good football and are the “talk of the town” right. This is just their time in the limelight. With Oregon, they’re in no way a team from the Pac-12 can contend with a team from the SEC. Florida got a big win against LSU and that is why some think they should be 2nd. The bright spot for the Ducks is that Alabama and Florida are in different divisions of the SEC and will have to meet in the conference championship. The only threat to Oregon is South Carolina. SC and Bama could be this year’s LSU and Bama. This week I listened to The Herd on ESPN Radio and Colin Cowherd said he thinks SC should be number two. Food for thought with the rankings.

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