Oregon may not stay put for long in the AP Poll after its uneasy escape against Boise State.
The Ducks opened Saturday as 24.5-point favorites, but the game never looked like the mismatch many expected. Oregon survived with a win, yet the way it played against the nation’s best Non-Power 4 team raised a different kind of question: how much will the voters ding a No. 2 team that barely got by an unranked opponent?
When the first AP Poll came out, Oregon sat No. 2 behind Ohio State with 1,597 points and 14 first-place votes. That top spot is locked in for the Buckeyes, but the Ducks are in a crowded part of the rankings, and the margin from No. 2 through No. 7 is thin enough that a few voter swings could change plenty.
Georgia is the most obvious threat. The Bulldogs were No. 3 and only 84 points behind Oregon, which makes a move past the Ducks feel likely when the next poll drops.
Notre Dame is right there too, sitting 87 points back. If the Fighting Irish blow out Wisconsin on Sunday night, they could pick up enough support to pass Oregon as well.
Texas, meanwhile, probably does not have enough room to climb. The Longhorns were No. 5 and trailed Oregon by 114 points, so even a big win over a weak opponent may not be enough to move the needle much with voters. The safer bet there is that Texas stays in place and waits for next weekend’s matchup with Ohio State.
The teams most capable of shaking things up are Indiana at No. 6, Miami at No.
7, Ole Miss at No. 9, and LSU at No. 11.
Indiana looked like a team that reloaded after a National Championship. Miami has the look of a team with maybe the most explosive offense in the Country.
Ole Miss gets a shot at No. 24 Louisville and a chance to make a statement.
LSU, after Lane Kiffin’s debut and a blowout of Clemson, could earn the biggest bump of the bunch and even push into the top five.
For Oregon, the likeliest outcome is a drop from No. 2 to No. 4, with Georgia and Notre Dame both edging ahead. Even so, the Ducks still walked away with a win over a team that could end up in the CFP conversation, and that makes a major punishment from voters hard to justify.
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Oregon Faces An Early WR Twist Fans Didn't Expect
Oregons season opener against Boise State brought an early shakeup to the receiver room, with Iverson Hooks not dressed for warmups and set to miss the game. That is a notable development for a transfer who arrived from UAB as one of the Ducks more interesting offseason additions and even landed on the Preseason Biletnikoff Award watchlist, raising expectations for what he might add to the offense right away.
Freshman Jalen Lott was also not dressed, which opens the door for other Oregon wideouts to pick up snaps and prove their place in the rotation. For a team trying to establish rhythm early in the year, the absence of two receivers changes the look of the depth chart before the first kickoff is even in the books. [Read more 🡒]
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Oregons build toward its 2026 season opener against Boise State at Autzen Stadium got a little more complicated before kickoff when freshman wide receiver Jalen Lott and transfer Iverson Hooks were not spotted in pregame warmups. Lotts absence stood out most, given the attention he brought into camp and the fact that he was reportedly dealing with injuries suffered during the preseason stretch.
Because this is a non-conference game, the Ducks do not have to put out an official injury report, so the full picture remains unclear for now. What is clear is that Oregon may need to lean on some of its younger receivers sooner than planned, which adds another layer of intrigue to a first game that was already supposed to offer an early look at the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Got A Title Nod That Raises The Pressure Fast
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For Oregon, the attention is flattering, but it also comes with the familiar weight of expectation. The Ducks have been to the national title game before, in 2010 and 2014, and the next step is the one that has eluded them. Being talked about as a future champion is one thing, but living up to a forecast like this starts long before January. [Read more 🡒]