It was a quiet and relaxing weekend for the Oregon Ducks as the team spent the weekend on the bye after an emotional win over the USC Trojans. The win was big for the Ducks, as Dan Lanning's group proved this team still has the potential to reach their goals. The bye week came at a perfect time as it allowed Dante Moore and several other players to recover from injuries before facing a dangerous UCLA team.
The bad part of being on the bye week is that Oregon couldn't continue building momentum as they try to march back up the AP Poll. Last weekend's win vaulted the Ducks up from 20th to 15th as they inch closer to that Playoff conversation. This weekend's reveal shouldn't bring drastic movement, but it could still be another step in the right direction for Dan Lanning's group ahead of a big matchup where the Ducks could prove themselves again.
Predicting where Oregon falls in Sunday's AP Poll reveal
This weekend didn't bring a ton of upsets in the group ahead of Oregon, which will slow some movement. Only 2 teams ranked ahead of Oregon to fall was 8th ranked Florida who got dominated by 25th ranked Missouri while 14th ranked Iowa fell against No. 5 Ohio State. The only team ranked below the Ducks with a massive resume building win was No. 25 Missouri picking off the 8th ranked Gators.
The easy part to figure out is that Oregon will likely jump Iowa, which will land the Ducks at 14th at minimum. The bigger question becomes how the voters handle LSU who lost to Ole Miss, and Florida, who beat the Rebels but were blown out by a Missouri team that lost to Mississippi State who got dominated by Alabama.
The likely outcome is Florida also dropping below Oregon, allowing the Ducks to move up to 13th in the AP Poll while the Gators land closer to Missouri. The Ducks should also inch closer to BYU and Texas Tech, as both Big 12 schools struggled compared to their ranking which could set up a jump next weekend.
Where Oregon lands in this week's poll doesn't matter too much, but it will be helpful if some teams continue to move up in the rankings. Oklahoma State was on the bye, and it's hard to see the Cowboys jumping up or down the rankings. UCLA ranks 23rd and was also on the bye, but with Kentucky and Missouri picking up big wins, you hope the Bruins remain in the top 25 to make next weekend's game a top 25 showdown.
Next weekend's games will have a much bigger impact on the rankings and the Playoff race with some massive games on the slate. Alabama vs. Georgia will likely be a top-5 game, USC vs. Penn State carries massive stakes, LSU vs. Kentucky is a top 25 clash, and The Red River Rivalry could give top ranked Texas trouble.
The AP Poll will be unveiled on Sunday at 11:00 AM PT.
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