Best of the West College Football Top 25: Oregon Ducks make College Football Playoff statement, debut at No. 1

3 years ago 382

Forget astir the Oregon Ducks knocking connected the doorway of the College Football Playoff. You bushed Ohio State successful Columbus, you’ve beauteous overmuch kicked that doorway down.

Thanks to a 35-28 roadworthy triumph implicit the Buckeyes that elevated some the Ducks and the Pac-12 — if lone Larry Scott could spot you now! — connected the nationalist stage, the Ducks (2-0) were the unanimous prime to debut astatine No. 1 successful The Denver Post’s archetypal Best of the West College Football Top 25 canvass for 2021.

Locally, CU (1-1) opened astatine No. 8 successful the poll, conscionable down Air Force (2-0), aft the Buffs’ heartbreaking 10-7 loss astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High this past Saturday to heavily-favored Texas A&M.

CU’s defence proved much than up to the task connected a nationalist stage, contempt the Aggies’ fourth-quarter comeback. We’ll find retired Saturday if a young discourtesy tin instrumentality a measurement guardant erstwhile the Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-1) sojourn Folsom Field successful a monolithic “swing” crippled for some programs.

CSU’s unsmooth commencement — 2 location losses, the latest a 24-21 setback to woeful Vanderbilt — was reflected by the pollsters, who unanimously slotted Steve Addazio’s Rams (0-2) astatine No. 25 connected their ballots. CSU volition try to prevention immoderate face this play astatine Toledo (1-1), visiting a Rockets roster that had a pb astatine Notre Dame this past play earlier falling late, 32-29.

The Denver Post Best of the West College Football canvass each Monday ranks the apical 25 FBS programs from the Front Range to the Pacific Ocean, arsenic culled from the Pac-12, Mountain West and BYU.

Post columnist Sean Keeler (@SeanKeeler), Post lawman sports exertion Matt Schubert (@MattDSchubert) and Post newsman Kyle Fredrickson (@KyleFredrickson) ballot connected the apical 25.

The remainder of the latest rankings follow, with in-state squads listed successful bold:

THE DENVER POST BEST OF THE WEST TOP 25 POLL — SEPT. 13

1.Oregon (2-0) (3 first-place votes) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. ST’BROOK

2. UCLA (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. FRES

3. Arizona State (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: astatine BYU

4. Nevada (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: astatine K-STATE

5. BYU (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. ASU

6. Fresno State (2-1) — Previous: — // Up next: astatine UCLA

7. Air Force (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. USU

8. CU (1-1) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. MINN

9. Boise State (1-1) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. OK STATE

10. San Diego State (2-0) — Previous: — // Up next: vs. UTAH