As pollsters cling to preseason hype, Josh Pate slams Oregon’s inflated ranking, arguing Will Stein’s signature Kentucky victory proves the Ducks are receiving an unearned free pass.
The Oregon Ducks played uninspired football during their first two weeks, barely defeating Boise State at home before being upset 39-31 on the road against Oklahoma State in Week 2.
The Ducks entered the season with the No. 2 ranking, but fell to No. 21 after losing to the Cowboys. For some reason, AP voters were impressed with the Ducks' 84-0 win over Portland State.
Look, no disrespect here to the Vikings, but nothing about that game was enough for Oregon to be bumped up a spot to No. 20 before it takes on No. 12 USC in Los Angeles on Saturday night. It's a game Oregon paid to win.
During the "Josh Pate's College Football Show" on Sunday night, the host argued that former Ducks offensive coordinator, Will Stein, should have had his program ranked above Oregon after Kentucky took down then-No. 9 Texas A&M on the road on Saturday.
“We are a quarter of a way through the season now, and people are still clinging to preseason rankings," Pate said. "People are still clinging to what they believed at a pool party or at media days in July.
"Like sitting on a beach somewhere, you thought Oregon was going to be good, and for that reason and that reason alone, you've still got them ranked above Kentucky or someone like that. Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy.”
The Ducks and Wildcats have the same record. Kentucky has a better win, but they're unranked heading into Week 4.
Frankly, Oregon shouldn't have had a chance to jump in the ranking until we gain more information in the USC game this weekend.
As Pate noted, the Associated Press poll shows the zeitgeist of how people around college football feel, and there's no doubt members of the CFP selection committee feel the same way.
“Now, I know the great solace that a lot of people have when it comes to this is they say, oh, well, at least it doesn't matter," Pate said. "Do you really think that the committee's mentality is that much different from an AP voter? Do we really think that?
"I don't know. But I will say this, we can do a lot better than that right there."
Good on Stein for earning a signature win on Saturday. But the Ducks shouldn't be given a reason to feel good about themselves until they do something on the field against a Power 4 program.
