College Football - To Be the Best You Have to Play and Defeat the Best - Our Beloved Ducks

Posted June 29, 20232 yr

Moderator

2 Pac-12 teams in the top 10 for wins against the top 25 ranked opponents since 2010. Stanford and OREGON. I think these wins and losses are based on the ranking when the games were played. Personally and especially for games against over-ranked teams early in the season, I pay attention to the number of wins against the top 25 in the playoff era when the playoff committee releases its ultimate season rankings.

Note well that UCLA and USC do not come within a mile of making this list. Ditto the Dawgs up north and Utah. Come a 12-team playoff in 2024 without the LA schools and the hype that exceeds both UCLA and USC's on-field results, playing and defeating consensus top 25 ranked teams outside of the Pac-10 out-of-conference will have an impact regarding at-large bids and seeding.

No surprise that Alabama is #1 both for the results on the field, and also because so many SEC teams appear week after week in the top 25 rankings; some deserved to be there, and some there due only to SEC's reputation and media exposure. Georgia at #6 on the list is evidence of the difference Kirby Smart has made to the Georgia program.

David Shaw at Stanford was dealing with several issues out of his control but in his control was the ability to move the Cardinal O into the 21st century which he failed to do. Hello, Mario.

Here's hoping that Texas Tech will be a consensus top-25 team when the Ducks fly to Lubbock.