Ducks hit Tier 2 in '21 ESPN rankings

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Oregon is a Playoff potential; OSU has plenty of room to grow
Staff Report
AP photo

The University of Oregon football team didn't finish the 2020 season well with a blowout loss in the Fiesta Bowl, but that hasn't stopped the media world from thinking the Ducks pose a significant threat to the established College Football Playoff contenders.

Oregon is part of a seven-team group of Tier 2 teams that a preseason ranking system put together by ESPN writers, who saw that group as having the best chance to get one of the four CFP berths, along with the Tier 1 of Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State - who are regularly in the playoffs. Tier 1 also included Georgia and Oklahoma.

The rest of Tier 2 included Florida, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Texas A&M.

Oregon State got a Tier 7 spot in the 10-tier rankings, along with fellow Pac-12 teams California, Colorado and Stanford.

USC and Washington were both Tier 3.

The Ducks won the Pac-12 Conference title game for the second-straight year, beating out USC in championship game 31-24. But, they lost their bowl game to Iowa State, 34-17 to finish 4-3 overall. The team finishced sixth in high school signings, though.

Oregon will get a chance to move up Sept. 11 when it plays at Ohio State.

Oregon State, which beat Oregon 41-38 during the season, plays at Tier 8 Purdue, Sept. 4. The Beavers finished 2-5 last season, but three of their losses were by six points or less.

 

PAC-12 TIER

1 none

2 Oregon

3 USC, Washington

4 Arizona State, UCLA

5 Utah

6 none

7 California, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford

8 Washington State

9 Arizona

10 none

 

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