Kirk Herbstreit outlines case for Oregon as the best team in college football
Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of ESPN’s college football crew were live Tuesday night as the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings were revealed.
When those rankings were unveiled, Ohio State from the Big Ten landed at No. 1 overall with Georgia, Michigan and Florida State rounding out the top 4. Washington was the first Pac-12 team listed at No. 5 while Oregon landed at No. 6. The Ducks were the highest-rated one-loss team in the country ahead of Week 10.
Rece Davis went around the room and asked everyone if they truly believed the Buckeyes were the best team in the country this season. They did not agree with that with each analyst going a different route.
“I don’t think so,” said Herbstreit. “Not right now.”
“I think Florida State’s the best team,” followed Booger McFarland.
“I’ve been saying Georgia all along,” Joey Galloway countered. “I think Georgia’s the best team in the country.”
“I think Michigan,” said Greg McElroy.
Herbstreit eventually circled back around and made his case for Oregon as the best team in the country. For Herbstreit, it comes down to Dan Lanning’s Ducks being the team he would not want to face on a neutral site.
“I’m going to say — and you’re going to be mad at me because they lost to Washington. I wouldn’t want to play Oregon right now. If you’re asking me who I think the best team is,” Herbstreit explained. “Not the most deserving, I’m not saying they should be No. 1. If you’re asking me who I would not want to play, it would be Oregon on a neutral site.”
While Oregon is currently outside the top 4, the path to the Playoff remains clear. The Ducks have a chance to reach the Pac-12 title game if they win out, and a win in that game (a potential rematch against Washington) would have Oregon as a clear top-4 team in December.