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Oregon Ducks Move Up One Spot In Most Updated AP Top 25 Poll, Ranked No. 8

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) hands off the ball to Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) during the annual rivalry game against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oregon Ducks Move Up One Spot In Most Updated AP Top 25 Poll, Ranked No. 8

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Arden Cravalho | Last updated Sep 22, 2024 2:44 PM ET

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After a weekend off and the Oregon Ducks' coaching staff spending time on the road across the country for some high school recruiting, it's time for head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks to lock back in.

It might be the last thing on Coach Lanning's mind but a lot of different factors came into picture for how the Associated Press could have played out the national rankings after this week. Does No. 9 Oregon deserve to stay where they're currently at, move up or down? No one really knows with a team that didn't even have to suit up on a college football Saturday.

Missouri dropped four spots to No. 11 after a close game with unranked Vanderbilt. As a result, the Ducks moved up to No. 8 ahead of their matchup with the UCLA Bruins.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Missouri barely held on against Vanderbilt at home in double-overtime. Michigan upset USC but at the Big House. Utah went on the road in Stillwater without long time veteran quarterback Cam Rising and still took down Oklahoma State.

With all that hearsay, here is the full AP poll according to those who apparently know best after four weeks of college football:

62 sportswriters and broadcasters from throughout the country vote individually for the AP poll rankings. Teams are given points on a scale: No. 1 gets you 25, No. 2 gets you 24, so on and so forth. These ballots are then combined and released each Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.

At the top of the Week 3 AP Top 25 Poll is the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, who overtook the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs in Week 3 for the top spot. The highest-ranked Big Ten conference team is the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 9 Oregon is the next highest Big Ten team, followed by the No. 10 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. No. 11 USC will likely fall following their loss to No. 18 Michigan, who looks to rise.

Abigail Dollins/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks now have to prepare for their first Big Ten Conference test in program history. Oregon will travel down to the Rose Bowl to take on the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Coach Lanning feels good about his team's growth during the bye week.

"The key is growth. We're not the best version of us yet, and we won't be the best version of us right until, hopefully, the end of the season," explained Lanning Wednesday after practice. "The key is, are we getting better today and getting better tomorrow as we continue to progress."

A familiar matchup as both were apart of the transition from the Pac-12 Conference. UCLA is coming off a still impressive road loss to the Southeastern Conference's LSU, 34-17. Not something to sleep on.

Here is the full AP top 25:

1 Texas

2 Georgia

3 Ohio State

4 Alabama

5 Tennessee

6 Ole Miss

7 Miami

8 Oregon

9 Penn State

10 Utah

11 Missouri