Oregon Football: Is No. 11 ranking in preseason AP Top 25 too low?

The first preseason scrimmage is in the books and Oregon football fans have probably heard some tidbits about it that have them excited for the 2021 season.

The defense shined and a certain freshman quarterback looked solid but does the roster scream “playoff-worthy” or are the Ducks still a little further off from that type of national title push?

When the preseason Coaches Poll came out a few weeks ago and the Ducks were ranked No. 12, there was plenty of speculation about whether or not they deserved to be higher. They had as much talent as any team in the country not named Alabama, Ohio State, or Clemson. They also look like the clear favorite to three-peat as Pac-12 champs.

But was No. 12 too low or just about right?

I went back and forth but I felt like the Ducks deserved a top-10 ranking and they approached that a little more in the preseason AP Top 25 which was released on Monday.

Oregon came in at No. 11 in the AP Poll on Monday, right behind North Carolina (10), Notre Dame (9), Cincinnati (8), and Iowa State (7). The top six look about right to me with Texas A&M (6), Georgia (5), Ohio State (4), Clemson (3), Oklahoma (2), and Alabama (1). It makes sense that Oregon is the top-ranked Pac-12 team.

But is No. 11 too low?

Oregon football could be anywhere from 7-12

In my opinion, the teams in the Nos. 7-12 range are interchangeable. You could make a serious argument that Oregon is better than North Carolina, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Iowa State and in that case, the Ducks should be the No. 7 team in the country.

I think they’re surely better than North Carolina, Cincinnati, and maybe Iowa State (despite the bowl loss to the Cyclones) which makes the Ducks a top-10 team.

However, before the games are played and the fact that the Ducks were just 4-3 with an ugly loss to Iowa State, it’s more than fair to say they’re the No. 11 team until they prove otherwise.

They’ll have a perfect opportunity to earn some respect on Sept. 11 against No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus. If they win that, the Ducks will probably leap into that top 6-7 range.

Right now, No. 11 is fair but the ceiling is much higher.