Oregon Not Ranked No. 1 in AP Preseason Poll
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The Oregon Ducks are one of the most complete rosters in college football this year, but they have some proving to do on the field before some voters are ready to name the team No. 1.
Oregon had some turnover at coaching in the offseason, with offensive coordinator Will Stein taking the head coach job at Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi taking the head coaching job at California. Drew Mehringer was promoted to offensive coordinator, and Chris Hampton was promoted to defensive coordinator.
On Monday, the Associated Press revealed its preseason poll for the upcoming season, ranking the Ducks at No. 2 in the country. Oregon received 14 first-place votes.
Ohio State is ranked No. 1 to start the season with 40 first-place votes. The Buckeyes are placing three-first-round picks on defense but have a solid offense returning with quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and running back Bo Jackson.
The Ducks will travel to play the Buckeyes on Nov. 7. That showdown should have implications for the Big Ten title race and College Football Playoff. Oregon defeated Ohio State in the regular season in 2024 but fell to the Buckeyes in the CFP.
How much does the AP preseason poll matter? Not much at all. Texas and Penn State were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, last year.
Indiana started the year ranked No. 20 and would slide to No. 23 in Week 2. The Hoosiers wouldn't earn the No. 2 ranking until late October and only became ranked No. 1 after being Ohio State in the Big Ten championship.
The No. 2 ranking seems fair for Oregon at this point. The Ducks are loaded on defense, quarterback, receiver, and running back, though there are questions about the offensive line.
It's curious voters have Ohio State ahead of the Ducks based on some of the turnover in the offseason. The most complete rosters in college football appear to be Texas, Oregon, and Notre Dame. Ohio State has talent, but they have a lot to prove on the field after fizzling out at the end of last season.
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