Over the past couple of weeks, there have been signs that college football has returned at long last. While players are returning to practices across the nation and preseason watch lists are being publicized, college football is in the air. The best signifier that it is finally football season, though?The Associated Press Poll has returned.The AP Top 25 was released on Monday morning, and the Oregon Ducks are regarded highly, as expected. AP ranks Dan Lanning's squad as the No. 2 team in the nation, which is Oregon's highest preseason rank in program history. The Ducks received 14 first-place votes, which was the second-most, behind Ohio State's 40 first-place votes.This ranking aligns with the US LBM Coaches Poll released last week.The Ducks have a veteran team going into the year with a ton of returners across the board, and there are high expectations for them going into the 2026 season, with their sixth top-10 ranking in the College Football Playoff era.But how does it compare to years past when the Ducks also had high expectations going into the season? Let's take a look.Here are the Ducks' preseason AP rankings for every season going back to the turn of the century.2000 — UnrankedHighest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 5 (Week 13)Season Record: 10-2Bowl Game Result: 35-30 Win vs. Texas in Holiday BowlAnalysis: Coming off a strong 1999 season, Oregon had high expectations at the turn of the century, and it made good on those expectations, reaching No. 5 in the rankings before beating Texas in the Holiday Bowl.2001 — No. 7Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 2 (Week 16, Final)Season Record: 11-1Bowl Game Result: 38-16 Win vs. Colorado in Fiesta BowlAnalysis: This is the year that put the Ducks on the map. It was Joey Harrington's Heisman campaign season, and Oregon ultimately reached No. 2 in the nation before being snubbed for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. It smoked Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl instead.2002 — No. 15Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 6 (Week 9)Season Record: 7-6Bowl Game Result: 38-17 Loss vs. Wake Forest in Seattle BowlAnalysis: With Harrington out the door, expectations fell back to earth for the Ducks. They still played well in the middle of the season, getting to No. 6 in the rankings, but a loss in the bowl game put a damper on the season.2003 — UnrankedHighest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 10 (Week 5)Season Record: 8-5Bowl Game Result: 31-30 Loss to Minnesota in Sun BowlAnalysis: The year started out with an upset over Michigan at home, which led the Ducks into the rankings quickly, but the season fell apart from there.2004 — No. 23Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 23 (Week 1)Season Record: 5-6Bowl Game Result: No BowlAnalysis: It was a tough year for the Ducks in 2004. There were some expectations in the preseason when they were ranked inside the top 25. But they quickly fell out of the rankings and never sniffed them again on their way to a season with no bowl game.2005 — UnrankedHighest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 6 (Week 15)Season Record: 10-2Bowl Game Result: 17-14 Loss vs. Oklahoma in Holiday BowlAnalysis: The Dennis Dixon era begins. At its best, Oregon was as good as any team in the country. It still struggled with consistency, though, culminating in a bowl game loss to Oklahoma.2006 — No. 21Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 11 (Week 6)Season Record: 7-6Bowl Game Result: 38-8 Loss to BYU in Las Vegas BowlAnalysis: After a solid start under Dixon, the Ducks regressed in 2006 and struggled after a solid start to the year. In the end, they were blown out in the Las Vegas Bowl by BYU.2007 — UnrankedHighest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 2 (Week 12)Season Record: 9-4Bowl Game Result: 56-21 Win over South Florida in Sun BowlAnalysis: The year that could have been. ... Oregon was arguably the best team in the nation this season. If it weren't for a Dennis Dixon torn ACL late in the year, it would have played for the national championship and likely gained a Heisman Trophy. This one still stings for most

Duck fans.2008 — No. 21Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 10 (Week 17, Final)Season Record: 10-3Bowl Game Result: 42-31 Win over Oklahoma State in Holiday BowlAnalysis: After losing Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart, Oregon bounced back with Jeremiah Masoli and LeGarrette Blount and found great success, reaching a peak at No. 10 in the rankings late in the year.2009 — No. 16Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 7 (Week 10, 14, 15)Season Record: 10-3Bowl Game Result: 26-17 Loss to Ohio State in Rose BowlAnalysis: The Ducks might have arrived in 2001 under Joey Harrington, but they finally became cool in 2009 with Chip Kelly leading the way. A place in the Rose Bowl was huge, but the loss to Ohio State was unfortunate.2010 — No. 11Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 1 (Weeks 8-14)Season Record: 12-1Bowl Game Result: 22-19 Loss to Auburn in BCS National Championship GameAnalysis: Oregon has arrived. For much of the year, the Ducks were No. 1 in the polls, and they made it to their first BCS National Championship Game. We don't have to talk about what happened from there. Dyer was down.2011 — No. 3Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 3 (Week 1)Season Record: 12-2Bowl Game Result: 45-38 Win over Wisconsin in Rose BowlAnalysis: Coming off the championship game loss, the Ducks still had incredibly high expectations going into 2011. The stayed up in the rankings for most of the year and ended it with a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin.2012 — No. 5Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 1 (Week 12)Season Record: 12-1Bowl Game Result: 35-17 Win over Kansas State in Fiesta BowlAnalysis: Despite a quarterback change, the Ducks were still projected to be one of the top teams in the nation going into 2012. They reached No. 1 in the rankings late in the year before a loss to Stanford ended the dream of another championship appearance. The Ducks took out their frustration on Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.2013 — No. 3Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 2 (Weeks 2-11)Season Record: 11-2Bowl Game Result: 30-7 Win over Texas in Alamo BowlAnalysis: Another strong season from Marcus Mariota had the Ducks in the conversation in 2013, and they were ranked No. 2 for much of the season. This time, a loss to Stanford and a loss to Arizona late in the year derailed their hopes, leaving the Ducks with a spot in the Alamo Bowl.2014 — No. 3Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 2 (Week 3-6, Final)Season Record: 13-2Bowl Game Result: 59-20 Win over Florida State in Rose Bowl // 42-20 Loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship.Analysis: Another year near the top of the polls for Oregon. The Ducks made it into the first College Football Playoff, beating the defending champion Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl before falling to Ohio State in the championship game.2015 — No. 7Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 7 (Week 1)Season Record: 9-4Bowl Game Result: 47-41 3OT Loss to TCU in Alamo BowlAnalysis: The transition out of the Marcus Mariota era was difficult, but Vernon Adams did a really good job of trying to make the offense work. Unfortunately, an early-season injury derailed things. The Ducks finished strongly until the second half of the Alamo Bowl, in which they blew a 31-point lead and lost in triple-overtime.2016 — No. 24Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 24 (Week 1)Season Record: 4-8Bowl Game Result: No BowlAnalysis: Not much to remember about the 2016 season other than it being the year that Mark Helfrich got fired. No bowl game for the Ducks, and a season largely spent outside of the rankings.2017 — UnrankedHighest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 24 (Week 4)Season Record: 7-6Bowl Game Result: 38-28 Loss vs. Boise State in Las Vegas BowlAnalysis: Oregon sniffed the top 25 in 2017, cracking it once after beating Nebraska in a thriller, but this was still one of the down years for the Ducks over the last decade.2018 — No. 24Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 12 (Week 8)Season Record: 9-4Bowl Game Result: 7-6 Win over Michigan State in Redbox

BowlAnalysis: The Mario Cristobal era started strong, and Oregon was solid throughout the year, maintaining a respectable ranking for a team back on the rise.2019 — No. 11Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 5 (Final)Season Record: 12-2Bowl Game Result: 28-27 Win over Wisconsin in Rose BowlAnalysis: Oregon was getting decent respect going into Justin Herbert's final year, and it did well to improve those expectations by reaching No. 5 in the rankings before going on to beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.2020 — No. 9Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 9 (Week 1, 9)Season Record: 4-3Bowl Game Result: 34-17 Loss to Iowa State in Fiesta BowlAnalysis: 2020 was a strange year, obviously, with a shortened schedule due to COVID-19. The Ducks rose to No. 9 in the rankings before winning the Pac-12 championship. They ended the wild year with a loss to Iowa State in the Fiesta Bowl.2021 — No. 11Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 3 (Weeks 4-5)Season Record: 10-4Bowl Game Result: 47-32 Loss to Oklahoma in Alamo BowlAnalysis: The year that Oregon beat Ohio State at long last. The Ducks used that victory to get up to No. 3 in the rankings, but threw it all away shortly after with a loss to Stanford on the road. The season culminated in Mario Cristobal leaving for Miami after a loss in the Pac-12 Championship game.2022 — No. 11Highest Mid-Season AP Ranking: No. 6 (Week 11)Season Record: 10-3Bowl Game Result: 28-27 Win over North Carolina in Holiday BowlAnalysis: Dan Lanning's debut with Oregon saw the Ducks ranked 11th going into the year, but they quickly fell to 25th after getting blown out by Georgia in Week 1. Oregon battled back to No. 6 by season's end, but a pair of losses to Oregon State and Washington left everyone with a sour taste.2023 — No. 15Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 5 (Week 14)Season Record: 12-2Bowl Game Result: 45-6 Win over Liberty in Fiesta BowlAnalysis: Oregon had a really strong 2023 season. If not for a pair of losses to Washington, it could have been in the College Football Playoff.2024 — No. 3Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 1 (Weeks 9-16)Season Record: 13-1Bowl Game Result: 41-21 Loss to Ohio State in Rose BowlAnalysis: What was a historic season for the Ducks finished with a rough game against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, but that shouldn't take away from the success that Oregon found throughout the year. The Ducks went undefeated in the regular season and won the Big Ten Conference in their first year as league members, going into the CFP as the No. 1 overall seed.2025 — No. 7 Highest Midseason AP Ranking: No. 2 (Week 6)Season Record: 13-2Bowl Game Result: 56-22 Loss to Indiana in Peach BowlAnalysis: Once again, the Ducks saw a magical season cut short, and once again, it happened in blowout fashion on the biggest stage. Oregon's two losses in 2025 both came to Indiana, the eventual national champions. They had a great offense and great defense, but ended up seeing both coordinators accept head coaching jobs elsewhere during the playoff run. 2026 — No. 2Analysis: Oregon notches its highest preseason ranking in program history, thanks to returners like Dante Moore, A'Mauri Washington, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuioti, among others. The Ducks have legitimate national championship expectations this year and are hoping for a historic year in Eugene. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Where Oregon Ducks rank in preseason AP Top 25 since 2000

Source: Yahoo Sports