Oregon Falls in Latest AP Top 25 Poll

The Pac-12 has a strong presence on the latest poll following week 1.

The new Associated Press released its updated top 25 rankings Monday, and the Ducks saw themselves in a new spot. Oregon slipped from No. 11 to No. 12 in the rankings after struggling to beat Fresno State at home, just squeezing out a 31-24 win after trailing by a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Despite this drop in the rankings, the Ducks still lead the Pac-12 as the highest-ranked team. There are a total of five ranked teams from the Pac-12, including Oregon.

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State

4. Oklahoma

5. Texas A&M

6. Clemson

7. Cincinatti

8. Notre Dame

9. Iowa State

10. Iowa 

11. Penn State

12. Oregon

13. Florida 

14. USC

15. Texas 

16. UCLA

17. Coastal Carolina

18. Wisconsin

19. Virginia Tech

20. Ole Miss

21. Utah

22. Miami 

23. Arizona State

24. North Carolina

25. Auburn

USC held firmly at No. 14, defeating San José State in their first game of the season 30-7. USC struggled for the first three quarters of the game before finally pulling ahead in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of their 30 points in the final frame. They were the only Pac-12 team whose ranking did not change.

The other LA school, UCLA, rose all the way up to No. 16. The Bruins had the most impressive performance out of the entire conference, beating the previously 16th-ranked LSU Tigers 38-27. This was a huge win for this program led by former Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

UCLA was unranked in the first week of the season, but with this upset they jumped up and took the Tigers ranking from them. Oregon will face the Bruins October 23 in Los Angeles in what could be a very important game that could be pivotal in determining how the Pac-12 standings shake out.

Utah climbed from No. 24 to No. 21. The Utes showed signs of struggle in their first half against Weber State, but then dominated in the second half winning 40-17. Senior quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 233 yards and tossed two touchdowns in his debut after transferring from Baylor. The Utes will meet Oregon in Salt Lake City to face the Ducks for the penultimate game of the season on November 20.

The Sun Devils of Arizona State also hopped up two spots to sit at No. 23. They easily ran through Southern Utah 41-14 as running back Rachaad White scored two touchdowns and ran for 58 yards. ASU won’t be facing Oregon this year unless they meet each other in the conference championship.

And finally, Washington dropped out of the rankings completely after a shocking loss to Montana at home in Seattle. The Washington offense was abysmal in their first matchup, scoring only seven points against an FCS team. 

The offense had a chance to win in the final minutes of the game, before freshman quarterback Dylan Morris threw his third of three interceptions. The Huskies now have to travel to the Big House to take on Michigan and won’t face the Ducks until the early November.

Another ranking of note for Oregon is the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes moved up to No. 3 after their 45-31 win over Minnesota. This means the official matchup for this weekend will be the 12th-ranked Ducks against the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. With a win against Ohio State, the Ducks could see themselves catapult firmly into the top 10. 

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