Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have every right to be scratching their heads. Oregon escaped a rain-soaked Kinnick Stadium with an 18-16 win over Iowa, keeping its playoff dreams intact. Yet somehow they slipped a spot in the rankings as Ole Miss jumped them. The near-upset didn’t just test Oregon’s grit; it lit up analysts who can’t understand the AP Poll’s cold shoulder. And they are already hinting at SEC favoritism behind the snub.

On the November 10th episode of the Cover 3 Podcast, the trio, Chip Patterson, Bud Eliot, and Tom Fornelli, took up this matter. “If I don’t mention where they moved them, they only dropped Oregon one spot. But there are some that dropped them multiple spots for winning on the road against a top 20 team. Craig Stevenson, who moved Ole Miss up and then moved Oregon down from five to eight for winning,” said Fornelli. 

Ole Miss feasted on Citadel with a 49-0 blowout, the kind of FCS cupcake game that barely raises a pulse. Meanwhile, Oregon had to grind it out in the rain against a hard-nosed Iowa defense, escaping Kinnick Stadium with a gritty 18–16 win. But when the dust settled, it wasn’t the Ducks flying higher; it was the Rebels. That’s the power of the SEC brand at work. In college football’s beauty contest, flashy blowouts often outshine hard-earned road wins. That’s when Fornelli broke his silence.

“I think it’s partially playoff rankings, and I honestly don’t think it’s as much SEC bias. I think it’s Iowa bias. Nobody wants to think because remember this is the same poll that did not actually rank Iowa last week. So, I think they there’s a feeling among a lot of voters that if you struggle to beat Iowa, which by the way, Indiana struggled to beat Iowa, too,” Fornelli said. 

The Week 12 AP Poll did not include Iowa in the Top 25; instead, it noted them in the “Others receiving votes” section. No doubt, Iowa’s early stumble against Iowa State still haunts its résumé. If the Hawkeyes had taken care of business against the Cyclones, they’d probably be sitting pretty inside the Top 20. That’s how they are used as a yardstick. As Fornelli noted, “But people look at Iowa and think Iowa s—–. So, if you barely beat Iowa, you can’t be that good.”

Notably, Oregon had to claw its way through a gritty, rain-soaked battle in Iowa City. Quarterback Dante Moore struggled for accuracy, throwing for just 112 yards and a pick. Yet when it mattered most, kicker Atticus Sappington came to the rescue, drilling a 39-yard game-winner to lift Oregon past Iowa, with just three seconds to play. This left even Lanning in a pool of cold sweat. 

Oregon Ducks’ nerve-wracking moment against Iowa

Oregon running back Noah Whittington couldn’t bear to look as Sappington lined up for the game-winning 39-yarder in Iowa. He had his hands on his head, nerves shot. The Ducks trailed 16–15, and the season’s hopes hung in the air. Quarterback Moore urged him to watch it. Even the head coach admitted he couldn’t keep his eyes off the kick.

“I was pretty nervous’ before Sappington’s last field goal. Shouldn’t have down to that. Can’t recreate in practice, ice in the veins,” admitted Lanning. But what made Whittington and Lanning skeptical? The few occasions when Oregon secured victories with last-minute field goals. Since 2000, they have won seven; however, three of them came off Sappington’s foot. 

In the meantime, the Oregon Ducks found themselves slipping in the standings, sitting at No. 6 in the AP Poll but just No. 9 in the CFP rankings. The committee barely blinked at Dan Lanning’s squad grinding out a double-overtime road win at Penn State, a statement victory that somehow didn’t get the respect it deserved. And now this.

Can the Ducks silence the doubters and soar high enough to earn the respect they deserve down the final stretch?