Oregon Ducks Ranked In AP Top-25 College Football Poll: Too High Or Low?

The AP Poll Top 25 preseason rankings were released on Monday and the Oregon Ducks are amid an elite tier of college football teams vying for the 2024 National Championship, including the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates with offensive lineman Steven Jones (74) and tight end Patrick Herbert (88) after scoring a touchdown against the Liberty Flames during the second half in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The AP Top 25 College Football Poll's preseason rankings were released on Monday and the Oregon Ducks are amid an elite tier of college football teams vying for the 2024 National Championship.

The Ducks rank No. 3, as the second-highest Big Ten team in the poll, trailing only the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Rounding out the top-5 ranked teams, the Georgia Bulldogs rank as the No. 1 team, the Texas Longhorns are No. 4 and Alabama Crimson Tide are No. 5.

Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) celebrates with offensive lineman Steven Jones (74) and tight end Patrick Herbert (88) after scoring a touchdown against the Liberty Flames during the second half in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon is a first-year Big Ten team with a chance to compete for the conference championship right away. A rivalry with Ohio State is brewing as the conference's top-two ranked teams. An Oct. 12 matchup in Eugene, Oregon, looms as one of the most-anticipated games during the 2024 college football season.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning has built a team with enviably perimeter speed and tough trenches. The Ducks offense boasts the No. 1-transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel with offensive weapons Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson, and Terrance Ferguson.

Does Oregon need to adjust to the physicality of the Big Ten?

“No. I really think that (Big Ten) teams are going to have to adjust to us, with our speed, and with how physical we are,” Oregon senior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa told Oregon SI’s Bri Amaranthus. 

“We have coach Lanning as our head coach,” Bassa told Amaranthus. “No doubt we're going to be physical, it’s the mentality of this team… At the end of the day, it's going to be mano-a-mano. Who wants it more?”

Jul 25, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Jeffrey Bassa speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

In some off-field fun, the Oregon Duck mascot tried to gain access to Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Brutus the Buckeye is seen chasing the Duck away. The Duck mascot's tour of Big Ten Stadiums has been attention grabbing in a brilliant and fun marketing plan.

The Ducks narrowly missed the College Football Playoff last season, suffering a loss to the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship game. The College Football Playoff is expanding from four teams to 12 teams in 2024, opening up competition and creating more meaningful games.

"It's so competitive (at practice)," Johnson told Amaranthus. "You would think we're out there in a national championship game playing against whoever - we're so intense at practice."

Interesting fact about the AP Top-25 poll: The last preseason No. 1 to win the national championship was the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2017 after beating the Georgia Bulldogs in the title game.

Georgia was last year's preseason AP Poll No. 1 team with 60 of a possible 63 first-place votes, with the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State picking up the rest. The Wolverines were the 2024 College Football National Champions.

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