After dismantling Purdue 35-0 in West Lafayette and watching #1 Texas fall at home to Georgia, 30-15, the Oregon Ducks are about to become college football's new #1 team at 7-0.
The polls will be released this morning, first the Coaches, then the AP around noon West Coast time. It will be the Ducks' first number one ranking since Week 12 of 2012, the 8th time they've held the number one spot in their history. In 2010, they were #1 for 7 straight weeks, dropping to #3 after a 22-19 loss to Auburn in the National Championship.
As any Washington fan will readily tell you, Oregon has never won a national championship. They've finished a season number two in the country three times, 2001 (denied a shot at the BCS National Championship when Nebraska jumped them in the polls,) 2012 and 2014. The Ducks have finished in the national Top Five just seven times, the Top Ten 11 times, ten since 1994, once in 1948.
Just 10 undefeated teams remain in the FBS after Week 8: Army, BYU, Indiana, Iowa State, Liberty, Miami, Navy, Oregon, Penn State and Pitt.
The Ducks easily have the best resume of the undefeateds, with wins over current #4 Ohio State and #15 Boise State.
In the SEC, which traditionally dominates the top spots in the polls, every team has at least one loss. Texas dominated a weak schedule until their pratfall in the loss to Georgia (5 turnovers, sacked 7 times, 2-15 on third downs.) The Longhorns travel to Vanderbilt in Week 9 and end the regular season at #14 Texas A&M.
A swath of AP voters will elevate #5 Georgia to #1 after their dominant victory in Austin; it's just the nature of recency and regional bias. Quarterback Carson Beck has been inconsistent, and the Dawgs lost to 5-2 Alabama in September, struggled at unranked Kentucky 13-12. Even last-place Mississippi State tested them, putting up 21 points in the second half but losing 41-31.
The Bulldogs, who dumped Oregon two years ago in the season opener 49-3 in Atlanta, have a swarming and violent defense that overwhelmed the celebrated Texas quarterbacks Saturday night, but their offense has been all over the place. Beck tossed three interceptions in the win. They were 6-17 on third down.
Idle Penn State is the likely #3 after Georgia, followed by Ohio State. Georgia vaults to number two after dispatching Texas, but not enough AP ballots will rank them #1 over an undefeated Oregon team with two Top 25 wins. The Buckeyes travel to Penn State on November 2nd.
Like 2007, this has been a season that's been hard on the teams in the top spots in the polls. Every week there are seismic shifts. The portal has created greater parity, and it's become more difficult to maintain the depth necessary to stay undefeated.
Getting to number one is an accomplishment, but the real accomplishment is staying there. Five opponents remain, and all of them will pull out the tired old Duck hunting meme from the '80s. Oregon's remaining schedule:
10/26 Illinois
11/2 at Michigan
11/9 Maryland
11/16 at Wisconsin
11/23 Bye
11/30 Washington
The Big Ten Championship Game is Saturday, December 7 in Indianapolis.
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