Johnson: Should Oregon go past LSU in polls?

Monday Thought: Johnson on LSU getting leapfrogged in the polls by Oregon.

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By Terry Johnson
Follow me @TPJCollFootball

After the AP and Coaches polls came out on Sunday afternoon, the topic of conversation focused on whether or not Oregon belongs in the number two slot instead of LSU.

Thanks to a 49-0 demolition of Arizona, the answer is a resounding yes.

Even though the Tigers defeated the Ducks convincingly last season, Oregon's total body of work is far more impressive at this juncture. A quick look at each team's defense and offense will bear this out.

Make no mistake about it: the Bayou Bengals have one of the best defenses in the nation. Undeterred by losing some of its top playmakers, including the Honey Badger, LSU picked up right where it left off last year. The Tigers currently rank third in rushing defense, fourth in total defense, and eighth in scoring defense.

It won't show up in the stat sheets, but Oregon has been equally impressive when it comes to keeping opponents out of the endzone. Sure, the defense allowed some yardage and scores during the non-conference slate, but most of these numbers came against the backups, who were only in the game because the score was so lopsided.

However, last night's game showed precisely how good Nick Aliotti's defense is when something -- like a conference game, is at stake. Faced with the unenviable task of stopping an Arizona offense that came into the game averaging over 600 yards per contest, the Ducks held UA to almost half of that total. Although the D did have trouble stopping Wildcats from moving the ball between the 20s, UO managed to hold Arizona scoreless in six trips to the red zone. They also picked off four passes, returning two them for TDs.

That's every bit as impressive, if not more so, than the dominating performance that LSU turned in against Auburn.

Even if the Tigers are a little better on defense, there's no question that Chip Kelly's team has a much better offense. Despite losing top performers LaMichael James and Darron Thomas this season, the Ducks continue to burn out bulbs in the scoreboard, ranking fourth in scoring offense, seventh in rushing offense, and fifth in total offense. More impressively, the passing attack has improved with Marcus Mariotta at the helm. Thanks to his skills as a passer, the Ducks are completing almost 70% of their passes, and throwing for 50 more yards per game.

Compare that to an LSU offense that only managed 351 yards against a less-than-stellar Auburn unit that ranks 88th in total defense and 101st against the run.

As the careful evaluation of both offenses and defenses above demonstrates, Oregon has outplayed LSU over the first four games of the 2012 season. While this does not mean that the Ducks are necessarily the better team, it does suggest that they've earned the number two ranking... at least for this week.

So what are the odds that the Ducks will play for the national championship this season? It's tough to say, but remember that Chip Kelly has more conference championships and BCS bowl appearances (3) than conferences losses (2).
 
- Fiutak: The right coach for Arkansas is ... ?
- Cirminiello: The new & improved Pac-12
- Zemek: New struggles for new QBs
- Harrison: Iowa at a crossroads
- Johnson: Should Oregon leapfrog LSU in the polls?
- Doan: Oh yes, Notre Dame is back