We could be staring at a Ducks Dynasty.
First, congratulations to Oregon, Pac-12 and Rose Bowl title-winners and the first Denver Post Best of the West champions. The Ducks, 28-27 winners over Wisconsin in Pasadena, were the unanimous selection by our panel Tuesday as the top FBS football team from the Front Range to the Pacific Ocean in 2019.
Since early September, The Post has ranked the top 25 teams in the west region, as culled from the Pac-12 (12 schools), the Mountain West (12 schools) and independent BYU.
The Ducks (12-2, 9-1 conference) have held the top spot in the Best of the West poll since crushing Utah on Dec. 6 in the Pac-12 Championship. And despite the loss of quarterback Justin Herbert and four starting offensive linemen in 2020, we don’t expect Oregon to go away anytime soon.
Coach Mario Cristobal in February 2019 collected the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class, as ranked by 247Sports.com, to follow up the Ducks’ 13th-ranked class from the winter before. Oregon’s 2020 crop currently ranks 13th, and the program already has four 4-star commitments lined up for 2021.
The Ducks have amassed SEC-style talent, especially on the defensive end, where nine starters are slated to return in the fall — including pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, a freshman All-American and early candidate for 2020 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Oregon has five league road games coming up, including a trek to CU, but faces contenders such as Arizona State, Stanford, USC and Washington at Autzen Stadium, as well as visits from Ohio State, Hawaii and North Dakota State.
Among Front Range schools, Air Force (11-2) claimed both the state and regional crown by finishing No. 3 the poll on the heels of a victory over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl, capping the program’s first campaign of 11 or more wins since 1998.
The CU Buffs (5-7) wound up 15th in Mel Tucker’s debut season, while CSU (4-8) was 21st in what would be Mike Bobo’s final bow as Rams coach.
Wyoming (8-5) slotted in at No. 14 after a victory over Georgia State in the Arizona Bowl.
Post columnist/colleges writer Sean Keeler (@SeanKeeler) and Post deputy sports editor Matt Schubert (@MattDSchubert) voted on the top 25; the guest voter for the final poll was the Post’s assistant managing editor/sports, Scott Monserud (@Monserud).
The final 2019-20 ranking follows, with in-state squads listed in bold:
THE DENVER POST BEST OF THE WEST TOP 25 POWER POLL — JAN. 14/FINAL POLL
1. Oregon (12-2) (3 first-place votes) — Last poll: 1; Postseason: W, ROSE BOWL
2. Utah (11-3) — Last poll: 2; Postseason: L, ALAMO BOWL
3. Air Force (11-2) — Last poll: 4; Postseason: W, CHEEZ-IT BOWL
▲4. Washington (8-5) — Last poll: 7; Postseason: W, LAS VEGAS BOWL
5. Boise State (12-2) — Last poll: 5; Postseason: L, LAS VEGAS BOWL
6. Arizona State (8-5) — Last poll: 6; Postseason: W, SUN BOWL
7. California (8-5) — Last poll: 8; Postseason: W, REDBOX BOWL
▼8. USC (8-5) — Last poll: 3; Postseason: L, HOLIDAY BOWL
9. San Diego State (10-3) — Last poll: 9; Postseason: W, N. MEX. BOWL
10. Hawaii (10-5) — Last poll: 12; Postseason: W, HAWAII BOWL
11. Washington State (6-7) — Last poll: 10; Postseason L, CHEEZ-IT BOWL
12. BYU (7-6) — Last poll: 11; Postseason: L, HAWAII BOWL
13. Oregon State (5-7) — Last poll: 13; Postseason: NONE
14. Wyoming (8-5) — Last poll: 15; Postseason: W, ARIZ. BOWL
15. CU (5-7) — Last poll: 16; Postseason: NONE
16. UCLA (4-8) — Last poll: 17; Postseason: NONE
17. Utah State (7-6) — Last poll: 14; Postseason: L, FRISCO BOWL
18. Stanford (4-8) — Last poll: 18; Postseason: NONE
19. Nevada (7-6) — Last poll: 19; Postseason: L, ID. POTATO BOWL
20. Arizona (4-8) — Last poll: 20; Postseason: NONE
21. CSU (4-8) — Last poll: 21; Postseason: NONE
22. San Jose State (5-7) — Last poll: 22; Postseason: NONE
23. Fresno State (4-8) — Last poll: 23; Postseason: NONE
24. UNLV (4-8) — Last poll: 24; Postseason: NONE
25. New Mexico (2-10) — Last poll: 25; Postseason: NONE
