Oregon Football: Why did Michigan jump the Ducks in Week 7 AP Top 25?

How the heck is Oregon football down to No. 9 after not playing in Week 6 and watching two teams ranked ahead of it lose?

The Ducks watched as Penn State and Alabama both fell on the road to quality conference opponents, but when the new AP Top 25 was released on Sunday afternoon, they were down to No. 9 after being No. 8 heading into the bye week.

What gives?

Apparently Michigan did just enough to impress AP voters as the Wolverines jumped the Ducks and Alabama fell to just No. 5 and Penn State to No. 7. So both teams that lost in Week 6 ended up remaining ahead of Oregon and the Ducks also find themselves behind the Ohio State team that they beat in Week 2.

So why did Michigan jump the Ducks?

Let’s dive into some speculation.

Why did Michigan jump Oregon football in Week 7 Top 25?

I’m going to start by saying I think the Ducks were jumped by Michigan because AP voters value the Big Ten over the Pac-12. They had no problem giving Michigan the nod at No. 8 after a tight win over a 2-3 Nebraska team on the road despite the fact that Oregon has the best win between the two teams and didn’t play last week.

The Big Ten just gets more respect than the Pac-12, and that’s not going to change given the fact that the latter has just three quality teams, it seems, this season.

Another reason for the jump by Michigan is the fact that the Wolverines get more respect on the gridiron than Oregon. The Michigan brand is huge and it’s good for college football when the Wolverines are relevant. Plus, everyone has been fooled by Michigan’s 6-0 start and they seem to forget that Jim Harbaugh was on the nation’s hottest seat this past offseason.

Michigan may not be as good as its record states. But the brand is enough.

Voters are going to value a three-point win at Nebraska over a bye week, even if the Wolverines didn’t look dominant in the effort.

Don’t worry, Oregon fans, there’s a better chance of the Ducks running the table than Michigan. Oh, and Oregon can actually beat Ohio State.