Oregon’s bye week was useful in one obvious way: it gave the Ducks a chance to catch their breath after an emotional win over USC and let Dante Moore and several other players recover before a matchup with UCLA. But the week off also meant no fresh statement on the field, which leaves Dan Lanning’s team waiting to see how much the AP voters reward last weekend’s jump.
That win over the Trojans already pushed Oregon from 20th to 15th, and the Ducks should move again on Sunday. The weekend ahead of them didn’t produce a flood of chaos, but a couple of results are enough to open the door.
Florida, ranked eighth, got hammered by 25th-ranked Missouri, while No. 14 Iowa lost to No.
5 Ohio State. Those are the two losses in the range that matter most for Oregon’s climb.
At the very least, Oregon should move past Iowa and land 14th. The more interesting question is how the poll handles LSU after its loss to Ole Miss, and Florida after a strange week that included a win over the Rebels but also a blowout loss to Missouri, a team that had already lost to Mississippi State, which in turn was overwhelmed by Alabama.
The most likely result is Oregon rising to 13th, with Florida sliding below the Ducks and closer to Missouri. Oregon could also close a little more ground on BYU and Texas Tech, since both Big 12 teams had shaky weekends relative to their rankings. That could set up another move next week if things break the right way.
There’s still plenty that won’t change much. Oklahoma State was on a bye, so the Cowboys are hard to project as a mover in either direction. UCLA, ranked 23rd, also had the week off, and with Kentucky and Missouri picking up notable wins, Oregon fans will be hoping the Bruins stay in the top 25 to keep next weekend’s game in top-25 territory.
That next slate carries the bigger weight for the rankings and the Playoff picture anyway. Alabama vs.
Georgia, USC vs. Penn State, LSU vs.
Kentucky, and the Red River Rivalry all have the kind of juice that can reshape the top of the poll fast, and top-ranked Texas could be in trouble there too.
The AP Poll is set to come out Sunday at 11:00 AM PT.
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