As the college football season comes down the final stretch, the Oregon Ducks picked up as big of a win as a team can get, going on the road and dominating the Ohio State Buckeyes. The race for the Big Ten and College Football Playoff is jam packed, and with the parity around the country, even with 3 losses, Oregon's hopes of making the CFP are still alive.
Last weekend the Ducks added a big win picking off Northwestern who was inside the Top 25, but it didn't result in Oregon joining the AP Poll rankings. Oregon did land inside the CFP Top 25 at No. 23, and with the big win over the Buckeyes, both should be changing.
Oregon's arrival in the AP Poll suggests a potential leap in CFP rankings
On Sunday, Oregon got their first glimpse of how the win over Ohio State might impact their place in the rankings, with the AP Poll voters placing the Ducks 18th.
BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨 https://t.co/SHN8Y7i3EJ pic.twitter.com/H2HIXbehld
— On3 (@On3) November 8, 2026
Last weekend, Oregon was outside the Top 25 as the second team in the other's receiving votes group, technically ranking 27th. The Ducks jumped 9 places this weekend, and more importantly, the AP Voters have Oregon ranked ahead of 3-loss teams in Ole Miss, South Carolina, Ohio State, and LSU in a jumbled race for the College Football Playoff.
Given the fact that the College Football Playoff rankings have already been revealed, the AP Poll takes a backseat, but it is interesting to see how the voters compare to the committee, and what may happen in the next rankings reveal.
The win by the Ducks allowed them to jump South Carolina and Arizona despite the fact that both won, and if that happens in the CFP rankings, it would at minimum move the Ducks up two places. Ohio State, LSU, South Carolina, and Ole Miss all moved behind the Ducks in the AP Poll, and if all 4 drop behind Oregon in the Playoff rankings, that is pivotal for the debate down the line.
The Playoff rankings are the most important given their meaning and when the committee sets their Top 25 next week, it'll be important for the Ducks to take a significant leap given that this is their last Top 25 matchup. The most likely range for Oregon in next week's poll is anywhere from 14th to 18th, depending on how much the committee values the Ohio State win.
The easiest and most likely path to the College Football Playoff is still winning the Big Ten Championship, and next week will be a key week for that goal. The Ducks are going to need UCLA to beat Illinois, USC to beat Indiana, and each of Iowa and Wisconsin to lose one more game in order to achieve the 3 way tie. It's far from an easy path, but each mark is attainable, and Oregon could salvage a season that started with so much hope.
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