Oregon’s win at UCLA boosts Ducks two spots in USA TODAY Coaches Poll
It’s Oregon week for the Colorado Buffaloes, so it’s about the right time to start keeping tabs on the Pac-12’s best team.
Following a small bump in the road with a 31-24 overtime loss to Stanford in Week 5, the Ducks rebounded with narrow wins against California and UCLA on Saturday. Both were one-score games but beating Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Los Angeles is no easy task. The Ducks just barely snuck by with a 34-31 victory.
Oregon came into UCLA at No. 10 in the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll and its win helped the Ducks jump two spots to No. 8.
I’m not sure if Colorado beating Oregon this week would be enough to get the Buffs any votes in the poll. For the Ducks, they still have a slim chance to make the College Football Playoff. Beating the Buffs as expected won’t do much for them, though.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12… well, there was no elsewhere in the top-25 for the Conference of Champions. Arizona State, which was once No. 21 in the poll, lost to Utah in Week 7 and had a bye in Week 8. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, sitting on their couches boosted them from receiving 18 points after their loss to 27 points this week—still not nearly enough to crack the top-25.
Oregon State, which the Buffs host on Nov. 6, handed Utah its first Pac-12 loss and garnered 13 points. The Utes still snuck into the poll, however, with one single vote.
