Oregon Football Lands In AP Top 25
Oregon Football will open the season as a Top 25 team which means a lot for first-year Head Coach Mario Cristobal.
The offseason has shown huge strides in a change in philosophy for the program. Guys care about their teammates, the gym was full of players all summer without questions, and Mario Cristobal is at the front of a program that is poised to make a big impact in the Pac-12 Conference this season.
Cristobal has a Heisman Hopeful Quarterback in Justin Herbert and Defensive Coordinator Jim Leavitt is entering his second season as Defensive Coordinator and Year 2 typically sees the most improvement from a team standpoint. Last season, the Ducks cut down on giving up too many long plays limiting opponents to just over 20 points per game.
On Monday, the first Associated Press poll was released and Oregon Football will start the 2018 season ranked 24th. While that number may seem low, it is right where they need to be.
It is not much of a surprise that everyone is looking up at the Alabama Crimson Tide for the third straight year. Clemson, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Ohio State round out the Top 5. The first Pac-12 team ranked is Washington, who can make a big move in the first week of the season against Auburn. Win and stay, lose and have to likely win out to get to the College Football Playoff.
Auburn is ranked 9th. Other Pac-12 teams that begin 2018 ranked include Stanford at 13th and USC at 15. Both Washington and Stanford will face the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium this weekend. The Trojans could see Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game and will miss them during the regular season. Utah just missed the Top 25, coming in at 28th. The Utes are certainly a program to watch this season.
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Oregon Football continues Fall Camp this week as they prepare for their home opener on Saturday, September 1st vs Bowling Green (5 pm PT, Pac-12 Network)