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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years ago

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The Top 25 Teams of the Decade: #5 Oregon

Hello everybody, we’re celebrating the arrival of the 2020′s by looking at the 25 best programs of the previous decade.

Folks, we’ve made it to the top five! If you’ve been reading this whole time thank you. Here’s the 5th best team of the 2010′s:

University of Oregon Ducks

Record: 101-32 (.759) Division Titles: 5 Conference Titles: 4 Bowl Seasons: 9 Major Bowls: 5 Playoff/BCS Berths: 2 Final Top 25 Finishes: 7 Final Top 10 Finishes: 6 Final Top 5 Finishes: 5 Best Season: 2010 or 2012 probably

If you were to ask college football fans which was the best program in the 2010′s to not win a national championship, the popular answer would probably be Oregon. The Ducks were easily one of the best teams in the sport for the first half of the decade before falling off during the tenure of Mark Helfrich. Oregon then rebounded to finish with another Rose Bowl win in 2019 to finish the 2010′s on top of West Coast college football.

One thing that does need to be pointed out for consideration is that the Ducks were the highest achieving non-blue blood on this list. UO has still never won a national championship and despite all of the flash and funding provided by Phil Knight and Nike, nobody would put Oregon on the same level as your Alabama’s or Ohio State’s of the world. The next closest non-blue blood is Wisconsin down in 8th place. The Ducks spent much of their history as bottom feeders in the PCC and PAC-8 before building themselves into a respectable program in the 1990′s and 2000′s. It’s a shame that they didn’t win a single championship in the 2010′s, the came damn close. I’d hate for them to have missed their shot as a kind of P5 equivalent to Boise State.

Oregon began the 2010′s as the new number one team in the PAC-10. USC’s reign of terror under Pete Carroll had finally closed and the Ducks were the primary beneficiaries. Oregon won the league in 2009 and went to their first Rose Bowl since 1995 in head coach Chip Kelly’s first season at the helm. The Ducks were certainly favored to repeat as PAC-10 champs, but they weren’t exactly expected to compete for a national title in 2010. However, as many people were about to find out, Oregon wasn’t good at waiting around for popular opinion to catch up with them. UO began the year ranked 11th in the nation and spent the rest of the year climbing higher and higher up the polls. Kelly’s record breaking offense was absolutely vicious. Led by QB Darron Thomas and RB LaMichael James, it made a point to score two of three touchdowns every quarter if possible. The Ducks blasted their way through non-conference play by a combined 189-13, and remember, the PAC-10 only plays three out-of-conference games. On October 2nd, #4 Oregon hosted #9 Stanford in a game that would decide the conference. The Ducks not only beat perhaps the best Cardinal team of all time, but they boat raced Stanford 52-31. And that was pretty much the season out West. Oregon basically wrapped things up before the second month really got underway. The Ducks mauled Wazzu by 20 points, dismantled UCLA by 47, and pounded 3rd place USC by three touchdowns in the Coliseum. Oregon absolutely demolished rival Washington, who were enjoying their first winning season since Rick Neuheisel, with a 53-16 score. After a near-upset in Berkeley, the Ducks put away the season with blowout wins over Arizona and Oregon State. Oregon was the #1 ranked team in the nation for half the season and easily earned their first ever chance to compete for a national championship against SEC champs and fellow undefeated Auburn. The Ducks and Tigers were basically the only teams that could slow the other down. The champions ground each other down for four quarters, when it was all said and done Auburn emerged victorious 22-19, though not without a bit of controversy. It was a storybook season for Oregon, a 12-1 record and #3 ranking. It was a shame it would end up their best shot at a championship given how many more fantastic teams took the field in Eugene.

The Ducks took their #3 ranking into 2011 along with the same explosive offense. Darron and DeAnthony Thomas returned, and the expectation to compete for another title. Unfortunately, Oregon was again thrown off against a top flight #4 LSU squad in Arlington, losing 40-27 to the eventual BCS Title participants. After this setback, the Ducks set back down to the business of winning the newly minted PAC-12. UO began with their traditional mauling of hapless non-conference patsies and carried the momentum into conference play. Oregon never failed to score fewer than 41 points per game for the next seven games since their loss to the Tigers. The first team to break this streak was Washington, who still lost 34-17 at home to the mighty Ducks. Everything was building up to their meeting with undefeated #3 Stanford on November 12. This time, the game was going to be played in Palo Alto and QB Andrew Luck had passed on NFL money for another chance at a title. It didn’t matter much. Oregon again outpaced the Cardinal 53-30. The win catapulted the Ducks into 4th place with an outside chance at a second consecutive BCS Championship Game if the right teams lost. Maybe Oregon was looking too far ahead, because the Ducks were upset 35-38 at home by #18 USC. The loss slammed the door shut on another shot at the title, but the the win over Stanford gave Oregon dibs to represent the North in the first ever PAC-12 Championship Game. The Ducks cruised to victory over unranked UCLA 49-31. #6 Oregon was pitted against #9 Wisconsin in Pasadena. In a titanic clash, the Ducks’ unstoppable force moved the Badgers’ immovable object and Oregon won 45-38. It was the Ducks’ first Rose Bowl victory since 1917 and earned Oregon their second consecutive top five finish.

The Ducks were absolutely incredible in 2012. Even though they didn’t play for the national championship, this might have been the best Oregon team of all time. QB Darron Thomas was replaced by redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota. De’Anthony Thomas was augmented by Kenjon Barner in the backfield, providing an absolutely lethal run game. In a somewhat surprising move, the Ducks didn’t absolutely annihilate their non-conference opponents, only beating the scrubs they lined up by a combined 163-73. Maybe they were saving things up for league play, because UO began lighting up the PAC-12 like nobody’s business, and this was back when the league was one of the best in the sport after the SEC. Oregon averaged 53 points per game against conference opponents through October and had now firmly established themselves as the #2 team in the rankings after undefeated reigning national champions Alabama. It seemed as though all signs were pointing towards a meeting between the vaunted Tide defense and the Ducks’ eye popping offense. Oregon began November by paying back USC for the previous season’s upset by outpacing the Trojans 62-51 in the Coliseum. The Ducks vaulted into 1st in the polls after Alabama’s shocking upset to Texas A&M with two weeks left in the regular season. Oregon’s last two games were against the two strongest teams in the PAC-12. The Ducks hosted #14 Stanford, who has lost two games before freshman QB Kevin Hogan stabilized the offense. In the third straight College Gameday Showdown between Oregon and the Cardinal, Stanford’s defense finally shut down the Ducks’ incredible offense. For the first time all year, Oregon was held to under 42 points. The Ducks only managed 14 points in an overtime loss. Oregon was busted down to 5th in the rankings and went up to 4th after a 48-24 win over rival #16 Oregon State in the Civil War, but the damage was done. The Ducks wouldn’t make the BCS Championship Game and they wouldn’t even make the PAC-12 Championship because the Cardinal earned the tiebreaker. With Stanford in the Rose Bowl, Oregon was relegated to the Fiesta against #5 Kansas State, another near-miss title participant. The Ducks proved their worth in a 35-17 win over the Wildcats. Oregon finished 2nd in the polls, their highest ranking in program history. College football was robbed of the Duck-Tide title we always wanted as unworthy Notre Dame was rolled over by Bama.

Chip Kelly saw his chance and he took it. He had built up the Ducks into a perennial contender, and besides Alabama they were easily the best team in college football from 2009 to 2012. Now the offensive guru was on to the NFL to coach the Eagles. OC Mark Helfrich was promoted to head coach to replace Kelly, continuing the legendary unbroken chain from Rich Brooks to Mike Bellotti to Kelly to the incoming Helfrich. Despite the turnover, Oregon continued to roll. The Ducks scored 55+ points in each of their first five games, and when they didn’t reach that high mark UO buried #16 Washington 45-24 and #12 UCLA 42-14. Oregon was 8-0 and once again ranked 2nd in the nation after undefeated Alabama. The Ducks once again had to face down Stanford, the 7-1 Cardinal were ranked 5th in the nation and were holding out hope that they could supplant Oregon and get into the BCS Championship by winning out. For the second straight year, Stanford’s defense locked down the Ducks. Oregon left Palo Alto with a 20-26 loss and another crippling end to a national championship race. The door was left open a crack when Stanford immediately lost to USC the next week, breathing new life into the Ducks’ season. #6 Oregon smashed the Utah team that handed the Cardinal their first loss 44-21. They were back in the driver’s seat in the PAC-12 North and could reasonably expect a Rose Bowl berth if not a part in the final BCS Championship if two or more of the undefeated teams ahead of the Ducks in the rankings lost (which did happen). Then something completely unexpected happened, Oregon lost in Tucson to Arizona. Badly. The #5 Ducks were ran out of the building 42-16. It was their most dramatic loss in years. Oregon hadn’t been beaten that way by Stanford in any of their grueling contests, they hadn’t lost like that to 2011 LSU or even Cam Newton’s Auburn. The Ducks’ last bad loss was to Pete Carroll’s last great USC team in 2008 which was before Chip Kelly was even promoted to head coach. It completely derailed their season, shutting the door on their title aspirations and on their chance to win the PAC-12 North. It must have left a bitter taste in the mouth because Oregon State nearly upset UO in the Civil War, only falling 36-35. The Cardinal went to the Rose Bowl in Oregon’s stead while the Ducks were left to maul overmatched Texas in the Alamo Bowl. 11-2 Oregon finished 9th in the AP poll, but this really was a top ten team on balance. Sagarin even rates the Ducks #2 after national champs Florida State.

Despite the hiccup in November 2013, Oregon picked up right back where they left off for the 2014 season. The Ducks were ranked 3rd in the preseason AP poll. With the new four team Playoff, all they’d need to do was maintain that standing and they’d have a shot at the national championship. Oregon sure seemed poised to make a run for the title. Instead of three cupcakes, the Ducks had lined up #7 Michigan State, who were coming off a Rose Bowl victory of Stanford the previous season. The Ducks easily beat the Spartans 46-27 in Eugene, checking off one of their biggest upset threats on the schedule. UO nearly lost to Washington State in Pullman to end the month of September which raised a few suspicions. #2 Oregon was then upset for the second year in a row by Arizona, falling 24-31 at home. Maybe the loss was necessary to shock the Ducks into action, as Oregon began to play much better after the loss. The now #12 Ducks began their climb back into the top four with a 42-30 victory over #18 UCLA in Pasadena. The offense was back to record-breaking form as QB Marcus Mariota began putting up ridiculous numbers. Oregon breezed through October and began November with a triumphant 45-16 win over Stanford, who completely ceded the division to the Ducks this year. Oregon was now back to the top 4 with the win and celebrated by manhandling #17 Utah 51-27 in Salt Lake City. Easy wins over Colorado and Oregon State confirmed the Ducks’ North Division championship. In the first neutral-site PAC-12 Championship Game, #2 Oregon faced off against #7 Arizona, who had parleyed their win in Autzen into a South Division title. The Ducks torched the pesky Wildcats 51-13 to punch their ticket to the new Playoff. As the #2 seed, Oregon was able to host #3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks left no doubt as they completely dismantled the defending champions 59-20, earning their first title game berth since 2010. Instead of the #1 Alabama vs #2 Oregon matchup college fans had been begging for in the past few years, the Ducks were pitted against #4 Ohio State, who shocked everyone with their win over the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes were peaking at the right time, and brought the hammer down on the Ducks just as they had on Bama, comfortably winning the title 42-20. It was another bitter loss for Oregon, who also lost Marcus Mariota to the draft.

Of course nobody could predict when the Duck dynasty would run out of steam, but the pollsters *only* awarded Oregon a #7 preseason ranking in 2015. That’s the average amount of skepticism that a national contender that loses their Heisman QB, but it was still the Ducks’ first time starting the year out of the top five since 2010. Oregon sloppily put away FCS #6 Eastern Washington 61-42 before their big return date to East Lansing. The #7 Ducks fell to #5 Michigan State 28-31. It was a perfectly acceptable loss that could have been just a speed bump on another Playoff run if Oregon put their noses down to the grindstone like Ohio State did the previous year after their loss to Virginia Tech. That’s not what happened. The erosion of the Duck machine had probably already begun in 2014 after the departure of a boatload of players from the 2011-2013 to the NFL. Mariota was able to keep the offense going because he was the best quarterback in college football, but after his departure it became clear that the O was a step slower and the D much less stout. Oregon easily skated past plaything Georgia State, but suffered a shocking upset to #18 Utah. The Ducks were crushed 62-20 in Eugene, by far their worst home loss in over a decade. Oregon didn’t just tumble out of the top ten, they tumbled out of the whole top 25 for the first time since September 2009. Two weeks later and the Ducks lost to unranked Washington State in double overtime. Oregon was 3-3 and looked ready to completely fall apart. It was a dramatic turn of events. A loss to rival Washington might have completely collapsed morale, but the Ducks rallied to beat the Huskies 26-20 in Seattle to begin the salvage job. Oregon beat Arizona State in triple overtime in Tempe and then outpaced Cal 44-28. UO then stuck their finger in Stanford’s eye, upsetting the #7 Cardinal 38-26 in Palo Alto, slamming the door shut on Stanford’s last national title contender. The Ducks ended the year with a tidy 6 game win streak. #15 Oregon blew a 31 point lead to #11 TCU in the Alamo Bowl and lost in triple overtime. The bowl loss stung but maybe things weren’t as bad as they appeared. Perhaps the 2015 season could be written off as one of those outlier years as the Ducks pulled things back together.

That’s not how 2016 turned out. After beginning the year with easy wins over UC Davis and Virginia, #22 Oregon fell to a Mike Riley-led Nebraska which got the ball rolling on a five game losing streak. All of college football watched as one of the strongest programs in the sport of the past five years completely unravelled before everyone’s eyes. The low point has to be the 21-70 thrashing at the hands of #5 Washington, who were taking out a 12 years of frustration on the Ducks, though the double overtime loss to Cal the next week was certainly a gut punch considering the Bears finished 5-7. UO snapped the streak with a win over a similarly imploding Arizona State, but then lost by 25 points to both USC and Stanford in back to back games. Somehow, Oregon upset #11 Utah in Salt Lake City 30-28, more or less returning the favor from the previous season and knock the Utes out of the South race. The Ducks ended the year with a 24-34 loss to archrival Oregon State, snapping an 8 game win streak over the Beavers and giving the Ducks sole possession of last place in the PAC-12 North. It was a shocking turn and Mark Helfrich was fired at the end of the season despite still owning one of the best head coach win percentages in the sport. Many fans capped this as the official end of the Oregon dynasty that began when Rich Brooks was hired all the way back in 1977.

The rebuild began under Willie Taggart, who was something of a rebuild expert himself after turning around Western Kentucky and South Florida. The damage from the 2016 season wasn’t too severe, and the Ducks’ roster was still rather talented. Oregon managed to climb back to respectability pretty easily. The Ducks beat every team they were supposed to and a down Utah while losing to all of the quality opponents they faced. With a weakening PAC-12, this all added up to a 7-6 record with a loss to #25 Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. UO was back in the mix, though they had to stomach a 4th place finish in the North behind regional rivals Washington and Washington State as well as frequent thorn-in-side Stanford. I’m not sure how much credit Taggart should have gotten for taking a talented team in an average at best conference bowling, but the one season in Eugene was good enough for Florida State to hire Taggart away from Oregon. The move incensed Duck fans, who admittedly have a different kind of relationship with and expectations for their head coaches than most fan bases. Co-OC and former FIU head man Mario Cristobal was promoted to replace Taggart.

Cristobal’s vision for Oregon was a slight tweak on the old Kelly teams. The Ducks would obviously score as much as they could behind junior QB Justin Herbert, but an emphasis on a hard-nosed, modern SEC style defense was brought in. Oregon started 2018 ranked 24th in the nation and climbed up to 20th before falling to #7 Stanford in overtime at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks rebounded with a 42-24 win over #24 Cal and two weeks later an overtime win over #7 Washington to end the Huskies’ Playoff aspirations for the season. UO was finally in a position to again compete for the North division, but they lost to #25 Washington State and Arizona in back to back weeks to fall back out of the conversation. Oregon went 3-1 in the month of November with a loss at South champ Utah to end the regular season 8-4. The Ducks beat Michigan State 7-6 in an unwatchable Redbox Bowl but perhaps the biggest win of the offseason was keeping Mario Cristobal. The head coach was rumored as a prize candidate for his alma mater Miami, but Cristobal declared he would stick around to much fanfare.

With QB Justin Herbert coming back for his senior season, Oregon’s stock was going up with even a few rumors that the Ducks would be a dark horse candidate for the Playoff. Their preseason #11 ranking was the highest in the PAC-12, though only two spots above reigning champion Washington. In their first meeting since the 2011 Championship Game, Oregon faced off against #16 Auburn in Arlington to open the 2019 season. The Tigers again got the better of the Ducks, coming back to win 27-21 handicapping the PAC-12′s Playoff hopes for the second year in a row. UO started winning, and finally put together their first consistent season since 2014. The Ducks cleared away the rest of the non-conference opponents and beat both Bay Area schools without incident as September turned to October. The end of the month included big showdowns against both Washington and Washington State, who had both tormented UO since the program began slipping under Helfrich. For the first time since 2014, Oregon beat both schools from up North by a combined 6 points, and secured a commanding lead of the North Division. The Ducks had slowly climbed into the top ten and with the rest of the conference looking so weak, they had an outside chance to make the Playoff if they managed to go 12-1. The win streak stretched to 9 games before Arizona State managed to upset Oregon in Tempe 31-28. The Ducks breezed past Oregon State to head into the postseason 10-2. For the first time, the Ducks were underdogs in the PAC-12 Championship Game. #13 Oregon was matched up against 11-1 #5 Utah, who had a slim but real chance to make the Playoff with a win. Instead, the Ducks blew up the Utes 37-15 to secure their first Rose Bowl berth since the 2011 season. #6 Oregon was matched up against #8 Wisconsin in Pasadena. The Badgers played a similar brand of rough and tumble football and it was a meeting of strength vs strength. In a hard fought battle, Oregon emerged victorious 28-27 despite some stellar play on the part of Wisconsin. The Ducks ended the year 12-2 with a #5 ranking.

Things are once again looking up in Eugene. Oregon might finally have have the run of the PAC-12 North now that Chris Petersen has retired, Mike Leach left the Palouse, and Stanford is enduring some recent struggles. It remains to see if Cristobal can continuously keep the Ducks in shape to compete for league titles and Playoff berths, but as things stand they seem the best positioned program in the conference with USC and UCLA struggling in the South and Utah appearing to have an 11 win ceiling.

I think it might be controversial to have a team that didn’t win a national title in the top five over teams like LSU and Auburn, but for Oregon it makes sense. After Ohio State from 2014-2019, Clemson from 2015-2019, and Alabama basically the whole decade, no team put together the run Oregon had from 2010 to 2014. They were simply one of the best teams on the field in the 2010′s for a good part of the decade. That the Ducks didn’t win a national championship in the 2010′s was a real shame. You get the sense that a large portion of the sport wanted it at one point or another. They were good enough to do it a few times.

At their height, Oregon absolutely dominated their rivals. The Ducks went 8-2 Washington in the 2010′s despite the Huskies having their own nice run in the later half of the decade. Oregon went 9-1 against archrival Oregon State with the one loss coming in the Ducks’ annus horribilis in 2016. Oregon went 6-4 against (secondary?) regional rival Washington State, who took advantage of the Ducks’ problems more than any other program. Oregon’s game (not rivalry) with Stanford defined the PAC-12 from 2009 to 2015 as much as FSU-Clemson did for the ACC from 2010 to 2016. The Ducks split with the Cardinal 5-5 which is pretty fitting.

Dyer was down.

#college football #Oregon Ducks

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