Oregon’s stay outside the AP Top 25 looks like it could be short-lived.
After being unranked for just the second time under Dan Lanning - and the first time since his opening season in Eugene - the Ducks may have done enough Saturday night to force their way back into the poll. The chaos around the country helped, too.
Oregon had spent the week answering questions after the loss to UCLA, and for a while Saturday night, it looked like another messy stretch was coming. Instead, Lanning and the staff made the switch away from Brock Thomas and turned to Dylan Raiola in the lineup in an attempt to rescue the season against his former team. Raiola delivered, and the Ducks walked away with a win after he crushed his former team’s hopes and dreams.
That result came in a wild weekend that produced a huge shakeup across college football. Eight Top 25 teams lost, which on the surface should help Oregon’s case. But it’s not quite that simple, because most of those losses came from teams in the Top 10, and those programs are still expected to stay inside the poll.
The more realistic drop candidates are No. 16 Mississippi State, which was blown out by LSU without Kamario Taylor, and maybe No. 18 Oklahoma State, which fell in a close game to Houston.
Oregon’s problem is that other teams in the same record range also picked up major wins. Florida now has two losses but added a win over Texas, while Auburn, also with two losses, beat Georgia on the road. If both of those teams are included, the Ducks could be squeezed out again despite Saturday’s victory.
Auburn not receiving any votes in last week’s poll could work in Oregon’s favor, though. If the Tigers stay outside the Top 25, the Ducks have a strong shot to land somewhere in the 22-25 range and start climbing again.
Northwestern is another team Oregon could move past. The Wildcats entered the week at No. 25 but had to fight to beat Michigan State, and with Colorado, Indiana, and Penn State all losing, their résumé took a hit as well. Oregon and Northwestern are set to meet on Halloween, giving both teams a direct say in where they end up in the rankings.
Whatever the AP voters decide, Saturday night gave Lanning’s team exactly the kind of response it needed. And even if Oregon doesn’t re-enter the Top 25 this week, the national chaos still left the Ducks in a better spot than they were 24 hours earlier.
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Oregons Comeback Was Fueled By Unsung Ducks Fans Cant Ignore
The slow start against Nebraska could have sent Oregon into a long afternoon, but the Ducks kept finding ways to stay in the game before the offense finally caught up to the moment. Dylan Raiolas late quarterback change helped flip the tempo, and Oregon leaned on a defense that was steady from start to finish while a few lesser-sung contributors helped keep the comeback alive.
Hudson Lewis, Jalen Lott, Brandon Smith and kicker Gage Hurych all had a hand in a win that looked anything but comfortable early on. Defensive coordinator Chris Hampton also drew credit for a unit that held firm when Oregon needed it most, giving the Ducks enough stability to turn a shaky beginning into a result that should resonate beyond just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Have One Big AP Poll Debate After Costly Loss
A wild Saturday around the top of the AP Top 25 has set up a shakeup that should ripple well beyond the teams that actually lost. Five teams ranked inside the top seven went down on Oct. 18, including Indiana, Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama and Texas, and that kind of chaos usually sends pollsters scrambling when the new rankings come out. For Oregon, it adds another layer of intrigue after a weekend that could reshape the order near the top of the ballot.
BYU and Oregon are among the teams whose positioning could be affected by how voters sort through all that fallout, and the debate is likely to center on more than just raw record. With so many highly ranked teams stumbling in the same week, the question is not simply who won and lost, but how far those losses should drop the contenders and who benefits most from the reset. Oregon will be watching closely, because a crowded top tier can turn one chaotic Saturday into a meaningful rise. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Late Quarterback Switch Changed Everything Against Nebraska
A fourth-quarter quarterback switch ended up changing the entire feel of Oregons 17-14 comeback win over Nebraska, as Dylan Raiola came off the bench and quickly settled in after the Ducks had been searching for a spark. The late move gave Oregon a different look at the most important moment, and Raiola helped guide the offense all the way to a winning touchdown and two-point conversion with less than 30 seconds left.
Raiola finished the rally by finding Jamari Johnson for the decisive score, capping a response that flipped a tight game in a hurry. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule pointed to the effort his team brought despite the loss, while Oregon coach Dan Lanning praised Raiolas courage and the Ducks overall performance in pulling out a game that had been slipping away. [Read more 🡒]