Oregon football quarterback Dillon Gabriel is trying not to get too caught up in the rankings. The Ducks are ranked no. 1 in the country, per the Associated Press college football poll. That's the first time it has happened in more than a decade. Gabriel wants to remain humble about that.

“I think by not caring. Sorry, I want to answer your question but the truth is, not caring is how we got to this point … You're only as good as your last matchup. That's what we're focused on,” Gabriel said, per 247 Sports.

The most interesting aspect of Gabriel's answer is that it is reminiscent to the answer Oregon coach Dan Lanning gave when asked a similar question. Lanning was asked what it meant to him to be no. 1.

“Who cares,” Lanning said, per Big Ten Network.

Oregon football fans almost certainly care. The team is undefeated at 7-0, and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Oregon's got a huge win already this season over Ohio State, and controls its destiny in the Big Ten.

Oregon football is having a memorable first Big Ten season

Oregon football Ducks running back Jay Harris (22) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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Oregon football is in its first year in the Big Ten. The school left the Pac-12 along with USC, UCLA, and Washington. The Ducks are having the most success so far in the league, sitting in first place. Indiana is tied at the top with a 4-0 record, while Penn State is right behind at 3-0.

Gabriel is a huge reason why Oregon is doing so well. The veteran quarterback has 2,080 passing yards this season to go with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He's completing 77 percent of his passes, a career-high. Gabriel also played for Oklahoma and UCF before coming to Eugene. This is his first season with Oregon.

The quarterback posted two games this season with more than 300 yards passing. That included a massive, 380-yard passing performance against Idaho. In that game, Gabriel also threw 41 completions in 49 attempts. His finest performance of the season is arguably in the team's marquee win over Ohio State. In that contest, he threw for another 341 yards and two touchdowns.

Gabriel is coming off of back-to-back 3,000 yard passing seasons, when he was with Oklahoma. In 2023, the quarterback set career-highs in season passing yards and touchdowns. He threw 30 touchdowns, while posting a whopping 3,660 yards passing.

Oregon football next hosts Illinois on Saturday. Ducks fans are excited to see if Oregon can continue to win games and hold that no. 1 ranking.