Oregon
Coaches Poll top 25: Oregon rises, Ohio State falls in college football rankings for Week 8
Conference title races are heating up around the country midway through October, especially in the Big Ten and SEC, which once again dominate the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we move into another marquee schedule of games in Week 8.
Oregon took a major step in the right direction by knocking off Ohio State in a dramatic, 1-point victory, gaining the early inside track in the Big Ten conference championship picture, while Penn State rallied in overtime to take down USC on the road and stay undefeated, too.
SEC contenders Alabama and Georgia both won, but in somewhat concerning fashion as the Crimson Tide needed some late heroics to edge out South Carolina at home, and the Bulldogs’ defense didn’t look its usually dominant self in a win over Mississippi State.
Texas stayed undefeated in a dominant 31-point victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, further entrenching its position at the top of the SEC pecking order, but another major test awaits at home, as Georgia comes to the Forty Acres next weekend in a landmark conference clash.
Where does that leave things in the top 25 college football rankings this week? Let’s check out what teams are moving up and down, and who are the new kids on the block, as we move into Week 8, according to the coaches’ vote.
First-place votes in parentheses
- Texas (53)
- Oregon (2)
- Penn State
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Alabama
- LSU
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Iowa State
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- Kansas State
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Pittsburgh
- Illinois
- Michigan
- SMU
- Army
- Nebraska
More … Predicting the AP top 25 rankings for Week 8
No. 16 Oklahoma. After a bad loss to Texas, the Sooners need to find an offense quick before embarking on the rest of a brutal SEC schedule.
No. 17 Utah. The return of quarterback Cameron Rising wasn’t enough for the Utes offense in a loss at Arizona State that further hurts their Big 12 title hopes.
Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2.
Ole Miss (Down 7). The Rebels are at 1-2 in SEC play after dropping an overtime decision at LSU and those preseason playoff hopes are slipping away fast.
Clemson (Up 2). Back in the top-10 this week, the Tigers are confident on offense after trouncing Wake Forest and scoring more than 200 points in their 5-game win streak.
Ohio State (Down 3). A close loss at Oregon puts Ryan Day’s performance in big games under a microscope, but the Buckeyes are still well within striking distance in the national title hunt.
Army (Up 4). Undefeated through 6 games, the Black Knights have one of college football’s most potent rushing offenses and have emerged as a G5 sleeper in the early playoff picture.
It was guaranteed we would lose at least one team from the ranks of the undefeated, and this week that dishonor goes to Ohio State, which came just 1 point short of knocking off Oregon on the road.
ACC: Miami, Pittsburgh
Big Ten: Oregon, Penn State, Indiana
Big 12: BYU, Iowa State
SEC: Texas
AAC: Army, Navy
CUSA: Liberty
More … ESPN updates Top 25 football rankings in Week 8
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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