The AP poll's loyalty to preseason hype faces a reality check after the Ducks’ collapse against Oklahoma State, fueling a heated debate over resume versus reputation.
The Oregon Ducks will enter their contest against Portland State on Friday night ranked as the No. 21 team in the country.
The Ducks have dropped 19 spots from the No. 2 spot they held before playing Boise State in Week 1. After holding on to beat the Broncos 34-27, Oregon entered Week 2 ranked No. 6.
The Ducks dropped 15 spots to No. 21 after suffering a 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State. The game could have easily been worse for Oregon.
During "Josh Pate's College Football Show" this week, the host argued Oregon shouldn't be ranked (Pate didn't include Oregon in his commissioners’ rankings).
“Oregon, with the biggest fall-off ever, yo, from 2 to not ranked," Pate said. "That's correct. That's how it should work. It's a complete and utter joke. I would even say maybe a travesty that the AP poll has Oregon ranked this week.
"The only thing that has Oregon ranked was where they began the season before games had been played. I've spoken my mind on this. I love preseason rankings. I do preseason rankings. Here's the difference between me and a lot of AP voters. I'll drop you 50 spots after a couple of games.”
Pate defended Oregon after its win over Boise State. The Broncos are considered a favorite to win the Pac-12 and could very well be an automatic qualifier in the College Football Playoff.
Now, Pate doesn't think the resume looks all that impressive even after beating Boise State.
“Because at that point, everything I thought before games were being played has been replaced by literal games," Pate said. So far, I've seen Oregon taken to the limit at home against a G-6, and I saw them lose--should have been blown out worse than the final score, indicated on the road.
"What part of this resume warrants top 25 consideration? So, I don't care if I started them at 2, at 1, at 10. Once the games have happened, I don't care where I had you in the preseason. This, by the way, is how every voter's mind should think”
No matter what happens on Friday night, Oregon should not jump the rankings before they take on No. 12 USC on Sept. 26. There's no way a win over the Vikings would be impressive enough for a jump.
