The Oregon Ducks football team dropped to No. 2 in the Associated Press college football poll behind top-ranked Auburn Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers (13-0) knocked Oregon (12-0) out of the top spot for the first time in seven weeks after defeating South Carolina 56-17 in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday night. After that strong performance Auburn received 36 first-place votes, while Oregon received 23, and No. 3 TCU got one.
Wisconsin and Stanford round out the top five, with Ohio State, Michigan State, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Boise State completing the top 10.
Later Sunday evening, the Bowl Championship Series officially paired Auburn and Oregon together in the National Championship Game, which will take place Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz. That game will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium, home to the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff for the BCS National Championship game is set for 8:30 p.m.
In other football news, Oregon held its annual awards banquet Sunday afternoon at the Eugene Hilton. Senior linebacker Casey Matthews and sophomores Darron Thomas and LaMichael James were named Oregon’s Most Outstanding Players, while injured senior Nate Costa was voted the team’s Most Inspirational Player.
For James, the award was his second consecutive team MVP, making him only the fifth Duck ever to claim the award on multiple occasions. The Texarkana, Texas, native concluded the regular season as the nation’s leading rusher (152.9 yards per game) and scorer (12 points per game) despite missing Oregon’s season opener against New Mexico.
— Lucas Clark