Oregon football: Ducks return to AP poll after convincing win
Oregon football fans can breathe a bit easier, as the Ducks are once again part of the AP Top 25 poll.
It is starting to feel like Oregon’s loss to Georgia may have been a reset to the season as the Ducks return to the AP poll at number 25 this week. There are opportunities in the coming months to get back into the national conversation.
There was plenty of movement as college football heads into week three. Oregon returned to the AP poll following a dominant 70-14 win over Eastern Washington. They now sit at 1-1 on the season and rank 25th. The Pac-12 team that made the biggest leap into was the USC Trojans who defeated the Stanford Cardinal on the road. USC is now ranked 7th,
One school to keep an eye on is Miami and former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal. He has the Hurricanes at 2-0 and ranked 13th in the AP Poll this week. There was a change at the number one spot this week.
The combination of Alabama’s sloppy and narrow win over the unranked Texas Longhorns along with Georgia’s second dominant performance of the season moved the Bulldogs into the number one spot above Alabama, with Ohio State — who received one first-place vote — coming in third.
Can Oregon football climb back into potential playoff contention?
For Oregon to find its way back into the top ten, there are several things that need to happen. The Ducks cannot lose another game this season, and Pac-12 teams need to continue to find success. Washington State beating Wisconsin on the road may not have moved the AP needle very much, but it put the Cougars in the ‘getting votes’ category.
The Washington Huskies host a rare Pac-12/Big Ten game this week welcoming 12th-ranked Michigan State. Both teams come in undefeated on the season and a Washington win would continue to be a good look for the Pac-12. The more teams the Conference of Champions can have ranked, the better the odds for one of those teams to make a run.
The Pac-12 Championship game will have huge implications as that ‘extra’ game. I said this a few weeks ago, if there are two top ten Pac-12 teams come December that are playing for the Pac-12 Championship, one may have a shot at playing for a playoff spot.
Oregon this week is facing another ranked opponent, so we have a top 25 matchup at Autzen Stadium. BYU defeated Baylor on Saturday and moved up to 12th in the AP poll. A win for Oregon on Saturday in front of a national audience and the Ducks may find themselves a few places off from where they started the season.
Oregon and BYU kickoff at 12:30 pm Pacific Tine Saturday on FOX.
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