Oregon football is once again among the top ten teams in the nation, and that will make this weekend’s clash with UCLA and former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly even bigger.
This weekend will see just the 14th top-ten showdown between Pac-12 opponents this century when the UCLA Bruins come to Eugene to meet the Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Since 2000, the Ducks have been in half of these Top 10 matchups.
Last weekend was a great one for college football. There were multiple upsets inside the top ten AP rankings, including Tennessee beating Alabama. In the Pac-12, Utah rose to the occasion to beat the then-undefeated and top-ten USC Trojans by a point, leaving one team in the Pac-12 undefeated.
That team just happens to be coming to visit the Ducks this week – Chip Kelly, and the UCLA Bruins. This will be a Pac-12 statement game and could potentially have College Football Playoff implications.
Oregon football now primed for College Football Playoff discussion
Oregon football started the season with a road loss to No. 1 Georgia that has now mostly been forgotten with the Ducks reeling off five straight wins since then. The Ducks and Bruins are ranked 9th and 10th respectively in the latest AP Poll entering their game this week. The top four entering this weekend are Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, and Michigan.
The Wolverines had a top-ten matchup of their own last weekend facing the tenth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and beating them handily. Penn State has now dropped to 16th.
For the Pac-12, this week there are four ranked teams — UCLA, Oregon, then USC at 12, and Utah moving to 15th following their win over the Trojans.
Oregon and UCLA are now in control of their own path to the College Football Playoff. As we’ve pointed out before, a Pac-12 team facing a fellow Pac-12 ranked opponent is a rarity in November. The Ducks or Bruins could be a top-five team if they faced a top-twenty-five opponent more than once or twice a season. The winner on Saturday will have a leg up the rest of the way.
Oregon football will be getting the Gameday treatment this week. Chip Kelly brings a talented offense into Autzen Stadium to face the Ducks. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm Pacific Time on FOX.
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