Why The Oregon Ducks Deserve Their No. 1 Ranking
By SPENCER McLAUGHLIN
Contributor, 750 The Game
Oregon accomplished two things on Saturday against Purdue that the Ducks’ program has not seen since 2012: It shut out an opponent and became the AP Poll #1 team in all of College Football.
Remember when Dan Lanning’s first game in Atlanta ended in a 49-3 beatdown at the hands of his mentor, Kirby Smart? Lanning and his staff have come a long way since then. Some faces have changed while others like defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi have remained constant. A late interception in the endzone by Kam Alexander sealed the 35-0 win for the Ducks who hung a goose egg on the board defensively for the first time since I was just starting high school.
The offense had a sluggish stretch but came out firing on all cylinders on the road. Anyone worried about an emotional letdown on a short week with a long road trip from Eugene to West Lafayette had every right to be. Alabama lost to Vanderbilt after their big win against Georgia, and that’s just the latest in a string of high-profile letdown spots in this gloriously crazy sport.
Saturday featured a lot of chaos but so far, Oregon hasn’t been a part of it outside of the Ohio State game. No, I didn’t forget about the Idaho game–but I almost did. Every dominant outing by the Ducks reminds Oregon fans over and over how much of a distant memory that game should be. Anyone picking Idaho to be within 1 possession in the fourth quarter at Autzen if those two teams met again today?
Oregon’s win against Boise State continues to be impressive as the Broncos steamroll the Mountain West (along with a win over 6-1 Washington State). Ohio State is every bit as good as you think they are, Oregon was just better. They’ve utterly dominated Oregon State, UCLA, Michigan State, and now Purdue as they’ve built a legitimate resume to be the #1 team in all the land.
Trophies aren’t handed out for being ranked as the best team in the country in October. Dan Lanning knows that. But from the outside it is worth taking a gander at what it took to get here.
Dan Lanning has never lost a game to an unranked opponent, which might not sound like much at a place like Oregon that has every necessary resource to succeed. As those upsets continue afoot in college football seemingly every week, that fact for Oregon’s 3rd-year head coach becomes just a bit more impressive.
The Ducks had a 12-win season last year, which was by most accounts disappointing given the two notable losses that stick out to most who think about the 2023 Oregon team. Still, Oregon has seldom seen that many wins in a season no matter how they arrive. That was step one.
Then Oregon needed to have the sort of offseason to warrant preseason attention on a national scale. Once again for Coach Lanning that mission was an utter success.
Finally the results on the field have to back up what people thought this team could be. The Idaho game was a bad start, but it’s been pretty darn great since then. The Ohio State game shines as the best win of Lanning’s (still young) coaching career amidst the Ducks playing how they should against inferior competition.
So where does Oregon go from here? #20 Illinois comes to town with the Ducks favored by around 3 touchdowns. Illinois has been good this year coming off a Top 25 win over Michigan (now unranked at 4-3).
Dan Lanning passed the Ohio State test. Then he passed the next one to avoid a letdown on the road–and did so with flying colors. Now he has to practice what he preaches, that Oregon is playing Oregon every week and that outside noise is just that–noise. Some Duck fans are likely weary of being the #1 team in the country because of the pressure that comes with it.
I get that 100% as a superstitious sports fan myself. But to those fans I have one question: What more could this Oregon team do to make you confident they’re ready for it?
Spencer McLaughlin is an Oregon Ducks football contributor to 750 The Game. He also hosts the “Locked On Oregon Ducks” and “Locked On College Football” podcasts and has work featured throughout the season here.