Two Biggest Questions Raised After Oregon's AP Top 25 Poll Absence

For the first time since Sept. 6, 2022, the Oregon Ducks are unranked in the AP Top 25 Week 7 poll following their 17-15 home loss to the now No. 12-ranked UCLA Bruins on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.

The Ducks are now 3-2 and, to be considered for a spot in the College Football Playoff, Oregon will likely have to win their remaining games, something coach Dan Lanning alluded to following Saturday’s loss to the Bruins.

“We’re fighting an uphill battle now, right?" Lanning said. "And again, you can’t look 10 weeks ahead. You have to look at what’s in front of us right now. We don’t control our destiny anymore, right? It’s not necessarily just up to us, but we do control how we respond. It’s very similar to what I just told our players in the locker room, right?”

“There’s defining moments in a man’s life, and how you respond. The way that I’m going to respond to this is really important to me because I want my three boys to see how I handle this moment, right? I want our team to see how I handle this moment,” Lanning said.

The Ducks' loss to the Bruins on Saturday was marked by several different deciding factors, including questionable offensive playcalling, quarterback Dylan Raiola’s poor performance, and costly penalties and turnovers.

The Ducks' decision to go for two after their first touchdown early in the game, which they missed, ultimately came back to haunt them. After the game, Lanning addressed the Ducks' decision to go for two after Oregon’s opening touchdown, scored by running back Jordon Davison.

“Yeah, I mean, if they have five guys to the left, it’s a play that’s going to be successful. The official stood over the ball longer than anticipated,” Lanning said.

“There’s some other places that you know fall into it, but it was a look that we’ve been practicing for a long time and had success running. It didn’t work today, so obviously it’s a bad it’s a bad decision,” Lanning continued.

Going back to the Chip Kelly days, the Ducks have always been known for a team that likes to go for two after a touchdown, but the decision after the first touchdown may have caught a lot of Oregon fans by surprise and made them wish Lanning had reconsidered after what transpired for the rest of the game.

After missing the two-point conversion, the Ducks didn't score again until 2:16 remaining in the fourth quarter on wide receiver Evan Stewart's 44-yard receiving touchdown.

Besides Dylan Raiola’s struggles, which resulted in him being benched in the second half for third-string quarterback Brock Thomas, Oregon’s offense looked out of sync from the beginning. It’s a trend that has become all too common this season for the Ducks, and many fans are placing the blame on first-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer.

The Ducks offense is nowhere near what it was under former offensive coordinator Will Stein, who is now the coach of Kentucky and has the Wildcats rolling following their 35-34 upset win over the then No. 10-ranked LSU Tigers.

Oregon's schedule could spell trouble for the Ducks offense, starting on Saturday, Oct. 17, at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who nearly upset the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers. The biggest game of the season remaining is the road trip to No. 4 Ohio State, and the Ducks also have another ranked game remaining on the schedule at home against the No. 25 Northwestern Wildcats, who jumped into the AP Top 25 poll with a 4-1 record.

After losing both Stein and Tosh Lupoi, the Ducks, despite all the resources they have, took what some saw as a massive risk by hiring from within at the offensive and defensive coordinator positions. That decision looks to be coming back to haunt the Ducks, and if they keep going down the same trend that they are on, Oregon may be looking at a new offensive play caller to start the 2027 college football season.

Oregon fans have a right to be upset, as the Ducks started the season as one of the top national championship contenders, and now it looks like it'll take a miracle for them to even make the 12-team CFP bracket.