Oregon Ducks One Vote Away From Unanimous No. 1 Team in AP Top 25 Poll

For the first time in over a decade, the Oregon Ducks took the field as the No. 1 team in the country against No. 25 Illinois. With a convincing 38-9 win, can the Ducks become the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll? Georgia received two first-place votes in the Week 9 poll.

Oregon Ducks beat Illinois Fighting Ilini in Autzen Stadium: The Oregon Duck mascot / darby winter

For the first time in over a decade, the Oregon Ducks took the field as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll against No. 24 Illinois on Saturday. The Ducks handled business, winning 38-9, and pulled starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel midway through the fourth quarter. After the convincing win, the Ducks are only one vote away from being the unanimous No. 1 team.

When asked about his team's ranking in his weekly press conference on Oct. 21, Oregon coach Dan Lanning responded, "Who cares?"

While Lanning has his team focused, fans are certainly checking the polls to see the Ducks can climb.

Oregon Ducks beat Illinois Fighting Ilini in Autzen Stadium: The Oregon Duck mascot / darby winter

In the Week 9 AP Top 25 Poll, Oregon received 59 out of 61 first-place votes, and the other two went to the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. In Week 10, there were 62 votes, and the Ducks received 61 out of 62.

However, the Bulldogs have two more ranked opponents on their schedule, while the Ducks currently have none. If Georgia beats No. 19 Ole Miss and No. 7 Tennessee, they might have a case to leapfrog Oregon for the No. 1 spot.

No. 3 Penn State survived the trip to Wisconsin with a 28-13, but the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback Drew Allar left the game with a knee injury. Penn State's upcoming matchup with No. 4 Ohio State has major implications in both the Big Ten Conference standings and the national rankings.

After traveling to Penn State, the Buckeyes have one ranked game remaining against No. 13 Indiana on Nov. 23. Ohio State has a strong chance to spoil both Penn State's and Indiana's undefeated seasons and cement themselves in the Big Ten Championship game.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer as the No. 1 Oregon Ducks host the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 6 Texas survived a scare against Vanderbilt, winning 27-24. The Longhorns are trying to make the case as the best one-loss team in the country, and they have a chance to assert themselves against No. 10 Texas A&M after the Aggies defeated No. 16 LSU on Saturday night.

The Oregon Ducks should remain atop the AP Top 25 Poll with three ranked wins over No. 4 Ohio State, No. 15 Boise State, and No. 24 Illinois. While the Fighting Illini might fall out of the top 25 after losing to the Ducks, the Boise State Broncos have a strong chance to make the College Football Playoff after beating UNLV on Friday night.

Here is the Week 10 AP Poll:

1 Oregon

2 Georgia

3 Penn State

4 Ohio State

5 Miami

6 Texas

7 Tennessee

8 Notre Dame

9 BYU

10 Texas A&M

11 Clemson

12 Iowa State

13 Indiana

14 Alabama

15 Boise State

16 LSU

17 Kansas State

18 Pittsburgh

19 Ole Miss

20 SMU

21 Army

22 Washington State

23 Colorado

24 Illinois

25 Missouri

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