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The Texas Longhorns entered Week 7 in the No. 1 spot in the latest AP poll, and they made a convincing case to remain perched atop the college football world with a 34-3 blowout of No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.
However, the Oregon Ducks now belong squarely in that same conversation.
After starting Big Ten play with lopsided wins over UCLA and Michigan State, the Ducks faced their first major test of conference play and easily their biggest game of the regular season when they welcomed Ohio State to Eugene on Saturday night.
The game lived up to the lofty expectations that come with No. 2 and No. 3 in the nation facing off, and quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (373 yards, 3 TDs) and Will Howard (339 yards, 3 TDs) both had big games through the air.
The Ducks kicked the go-ahead field goal with 1:47 remaining after an 11-play, 59-yard drive, but the Buckeyes still had ample time to put together a scoring drive of their own. They marched down to the Oregon 28-yard line, but an offensive pass interference sent them back 15 yards and the game ended up finishing in bizarre fashion.
With five seconds to play, Howard scrambled for a 12-yard gain, but didn’t get down in time to stop the play and allow the Buckeyes to use their final timeout for a field goal attempt before time expired.
The Ducks improved to 6-0 with a win over the No. 2 team in the nation, and added to a resume that also includes a win over now-No .17 Boise State back in Week 2. They will likely still be slotted behind Texas when the latest AP poll is revealed on Sunday, but the gap has narrowed considerably.
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