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They have a lot of ground to make up but the Oregon Ducks are officially in the BCS championship race. Not only that, but through four weeks of the season, they are the strongest contenders to unseat Alabama as the defending national champs. For the first time this season Oregon is taking multiple first place votes from Alabama and, for the second week in a row, its just the Tide and the Ducks splitting the votes.
Its not a whole lot but at least its enough for Oregon to say that they've got their foot in the door. The Ducks received a first place vote on in the polls (both Coaches and AP) in week three but at that point there were three teams getting votes. Last week was the first time we saw it narrowed down between Oregon and Alabama and this week the Ducks received more than a single vote for the first time.
As expected, neither Oklahoma or Oklahoma State moved after having a bye week. Baylor moved up a spot in each of the polls and Texas Tech appeared in both polls for the first time this season.
Notre Dame, Oklahoma's next opponent, held steady in the AP poll but slid a spot in the Coaches following their 17-13 win over Michigan State.
AP Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (56) | 3-0 | 1,496 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (4) | 3-0 | 1,418 | 2 |
| 3 | Clemson | 3-0 | 1,340 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 1,320 | 4 |
| 5 | Stanford | 3-0 | 1,270 | 5 |
| 6 | LSU | 4-0 | 1,167 | 6 |
| 7 | Louisville | 4-0 | 1,088 | 7 |
| 8 | Florida State | 3-0 | 1,049 | 8 |
| 9 | Georgia | 2-1 | 1,029 | 9 |
| 10 | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 1,011 | 10 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 3-0 | 849 | 11 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 828 | 12 |
| 13 | UCLA | 3-0 | 798 | 13 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 689 | 14 |
| 15 | Miami (FL) | 3-0 | 687 | 16 |
| 16 | Washington | 3-0 | 559 | 17 |
| 17 | Northwestern | 4-0 | 477 | 18 |
| 18 | Michigan | 4-0 | 450 | 15 |
| 19 | Baylor | 3-0 | 441 | 20 |
| 20 | Florida | 2-1 | 414 | 19 |
| 21 | Mississippi | 3-0 | 342 | 21 |
| 22 | Notre Dame | 3-1 | 256 | 22 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 3-1 | 130 | 24 |
| 24 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 127 | 25 |
| 25 | Fresno State | 3-0 | 110 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: Arizona State 41, Georgia Tech 30, Maryland 24, UCF 19, Nebraska 13, Northern Illinois 9, Arizona 8, Virginia Tech 4, Michigan State 3, Missouri 2, Rutgers 1, Navy 1 |
Coaches Poll
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (59) | 3-0 | 1547 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (3) | 3-0 | 1480 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio St. | 4-0 | 1399 | 3 |
| 4 | Clemson | 3-0 | 1332 | 4 |
| 5 | Stanford | 3-0 | 1312 | 5 |
| 6 | LSU | 4-0 | 1161 | 7 |
| 7 | Louisville | 4-0 | 1140 | 6 |
| 8 | Florida St. | 3-0 | 1121 | 8 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 3-1 | 1044 | 9 |
| 10 | Georgia | 2-1 | 1020 | 10 |
| 11 | Oklahoma St. | 3-0 | 909 | 11 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 863 | 12 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 825 | 13 |
| 14 | UCLA | 3-0 | 731 | 15 |
| 15 | Miami | 3-0 | 613 | 17 |
| 16 | Northwestern | 4-0 | 560 | 16 |
| 17 | Michigan | 4-0 | 534 | 14 |
| 18 | Baylor | 3-0 | 465 | 19 |
| 19 | Florida | 2-1 | 449 | 18 |
| 20 | Washington | 3-0 | 427 | 20 |
| 21 | Mississippi | 3-0 | 331 | 22 |
| 22 | Notre Dame | 3-1 | 317 | 21 |
| 23 | Fresno St. | 3-0 | 156 | 25 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 3-1 | 98 | NR |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 92 | NR |