Oregon football: Ducks continue moving up the AP poll after road win
Oregon football is getting closer to where they started the season in the AP Poll, moving up to 13th after a 44-41 road win vs Washington State.
The Ducks are up two spots from last week and have recovered nicely after dropping out of the top 25 following the opening-week decimation by Georgia.
Overall, the Pac-12 is very well represented this week with four teams — USC, Utah, Oregon, and Washington — ranked in the top fifteen. The top three in the poll remain unchanged with Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State.
The gap between Alabama and Ohio State has narrowed with the Buckeyes now percentage points behind for the number two spot in the poll. Expect these teams to change spots in next week’s poll if their respective winning ways continue.
For the conference of champions, seven total teams were recognized this week. Ranked teams include USC (6), Utah (12), Oregon (13), and Washington (15). In the receiving votes category, the Pac-12 saw three teams including Oregon State, Washington State, and a 3-0 UCLA team that is starting to get some recognition after an undefeated start.
Now that we have officially entered Pac-12 play the number of ranked teams for the conference will likely fall in the coming weeks as undefeated teams play one another. As it stands, the USC Trojans need to remain strong this season.
One scenario may see the Ducks and Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship the first week of December. If both teams can keep winning, it could be a nice top ten matchup to close out the season with one team having a shot at the College Football Playoff.
The blemish on the Ducks’ record in their opening loss to Georgia is starting to diminish a bit but could take another month or so to be forgotten.
This week Oregon hosts the Stanford Cardinal, which is always a physical ground-and-pound type of game. The Cardinal have given the Ducks fits over the years at Autzen Stadium, but Oregon is a two-touchdown favorite entering the game. Kickoff is set for 8 pm Pacific Time Saturday on Fox Sports 1.
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