In most instances, it is hard to take much away from a Spring Game other than the opportunity for players to crack a few pads, and ultimately give underclassmen a chance to get on the field and show the coaches a thing or two.
However, for the Oregon Ducks, that showcase of young talent was impressive enough to sway a few college football ranking members, causing CBS Sports to move them way up in their post-spring national rankings, shooting them up to No. 8 overall.
The Ducks were curiously ranked No. 31 going into the spring.
As far as these post-spring rankings are concerned, Bama is joined in the top five by other familiar names. Clemson checks in at No. 2 followed by Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia in order. Of the top 10 teams in the post-spring top 25, eight finished last year also in the top 10. Only North Carolina and Oregon are new to the top 10, each seeing the benefits of New Year’s Six appearances and a spring practice sharpening the focus on College Football Playoff contention.
The Ducks, of course, are the highest-ranked Pac-12 team in the standings, with USC coming in at No. 14, Washington at No. 20, and Arizona State at No. 22.
These numbers may not mean much right now, but the higher the Ducks sit entering the second week of the season when they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State — who is currently ranked No. 4 by CBS — the more buzz will be surrounding that game. A chance to shock the world will be there.
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