The Oregon Duckspicked up their biggest win of the season on Saturday afternoon, beating the No. 12 USC Trojans on the road, 41-27, and keeping their national championship aspirations alive. It was a win that did a lot to change the narrative about Dan Lanning's team early on in this season, especially after their loss to the No. 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys in Week 2 and their close win over the No. 22 Boise State Broncos to open the year.
It didn't seem to have a major impact on the voters, though.
On Sunday, Oregon moved up just one spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll — from No. 16 to No. 15 — and they climbed from No. 20 to No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25. After the win, a lot of people thought the Ducks would move higher in the standings,
but that wasn't the case.
Fox Sports' analyst Joel Klatt is among the many who think that Oregon is still being overlooked and under-ranked.
"Where did I have Oregon in my top 10? They did get into my top 10," Klatt said on Monday. "I think that they deserve to be in the top 10. They are number nine in my top 10. … The AP didn't put them in there, but the AP poll is trash. I'll have more on that in a little bit. But Oregon is going to be number nine, and again, like I don't know if I would want to play Oregon, and I certainly wouldn't want to play Oregon in their own building.”
It was a slow start to the season for the Ducks, who were ranked No. 2 in the nation coming into the year, but there's a sense that their first two opponents — the Broncos and Cowboys — are a lot better than people suspected at the time. There's also a feeling that the loss in Week 2 was a useful wake-up call for a talented group of players in Eugene that has now righted the ship.
"Oregon's big victory, I think, has major implications for the rest of the season," Klatt said. "Now, obviously, they still have a tough road ahead of them. They've got to go to Ohio State. They've got a lot of monster games on their schedule, but for Oregon, again, I'm just going to go back to this point that they can walk on the field and know that if they play their best, they can beat anybody in the country, and I firmly believe that."
The next test will be a big one for the Ducks. They get a much-needed bye week here at the start of October, but in Week 6, the No. 23 UCLA Bruinscome to town, and Oregon will have another chance to prove that it belongs in the mix when talking about the College Football Playoff and beyond.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Joel Klatt bumps Oregon Ducks into top 10 rankings after win over USC
