College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 8

Oregon remains the top Pac-12 team in the AP Top 25 for another week, as the westernmost Power Five conference is still three weeks away from its return in early November for a truncated conference-only season. The Ducks creep ever closer to a top-10 ranking in the poll despite their absence from the field so far this season, and they could be back to their No. 9 preseason ranking by the time play starts.

That is despite losing all five offensive line starters and quarterback Justin Herbert. A rebuilt offense will get plenty of support from a defense that brings back 81 percent of its production from last season. After relying for years on their offense to do the heavy lifting, the Ducks ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense last season. It will once again be challenging for opponents to put points on the scoreboard against Oregon.

We will know more about whether the Ducks are a legitimate threat to break into the College Football Playoff when they open up play at Autzen Stadium on November 7 against Stanford. In a year where Pac-12 teams are playing only six regular-season games, Oregon must be perfect to draw enough attention from the selection committee.