35-0 on Friday, and with some help from the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs’ win over No. 1 Texas, the Ducks are expected to be the new No. 1 team in the country in the AP Top 25 Poll.
When the AP Top 25 Poll is released, the Oregon Ducks are expected to be the No. 1 team in the country. The last week the Ducks sat atop the top 25 poll? November 12, 2012, when the Ducks were led by coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Texas previously held the No. 1 spot, but they lost to No. 5 Georgia at home 30-15. Oregon took care of business on Friday night against Purdue, winning 35-0.
After the dramatic win over No. 4 Ohio State in Autzen Stadium, the Ducks have one of the strongest resumes in the country to go along with an undefeated record. Oregon was criticized for a close game with Boise State, winning 37-34, but the Broncos are the No. 15 team in the country.
No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State both had bye weeks. The Nittany Lions’ perfect record could land them the No. 2 ranking, while Georgia has a case to leapfrog the Buckeyes for the No. 3 spot. Ohio State’s only loss came on the road by one point to Oregon, but the Buckeyes lack a signature win like the Bulldogs’ convincing victory over Texas.
However, Georgia’s loss to Alabama took another hit on Saturday. No. 11 Tennessee defeated No. 7 Alabama, giving the Crimson Tide a second loss on the season after being upset by Vanderbilt.
How far will Texas fall from the top of the rankings? The Longhorns’ convincing win over Michigan lost its shine after the Wolverines fell to Illinois. With the Ducks at No. 1, Penn State will be No. 2, Georgia at No. 3, and Ohio State should be No. 4. That leaves Texas rounding out the top five.
Despite the convincing win over Purdue, Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning expressed the room that his team still has to improve as the season continues.
“Certainly a lot of positives,” Lanning said about the shutout win. “When you keep a team out of the end zone, that’s a positive, right? We’re able to create some takeaways, I think that’s always a plus as well. But, I think we have to tackle better for us to be the team that we want to be. There’s some of that that showed up for us in that in the first half that I think we need to improve on.”
With or without the No. 1 ranking, the Ducks have legitimate chances at the Big Ten Championship Game as well as the College Football Playoff. Still a ways away, the Ducks will have to take care of business each week.
In the Ducks’ first week at No.1 in the top 25 rankings, they host No. 22 Illinois. Oregon is 7-0 for the first time since 2013 and looks to move to 8-0 against the Fighting Illini.
