Explaining why Oregon will always remain a big-name brand in college football

Oregon has been one of the leading examples of what west coast college football should look like. They’ve always adapted, and in turn, have enjoyed continued success over the past several decades.

The Ducks are coming off a 12-win season under head coach Dan Lanning in 2023. But how long can Oregon keep up its consistent winning pace? On3’s Andy Staples was joined by the Associated Press’ Ralph Russo, who revealed his perspective on the Ducks’ prosperity ahead of the 2024 season.

“Oregon is such a unique program,” Russo told Staples. “I use that word like I think I think definitionally correct, right? I don’t think Oregon has another true comp in that it was a program for years and years with zero — like Oregon had no history. … They just didn’t have a whole lot of nationally significant victories and success on a national level. And then all of a sudden they become a rocket ship, where they are now a national program that plays for big national championships. Not just championships but in big, national things, right?

“I think that’s happened now long enough that they have established essentially we’re looking at 30 years of this at Oregon. … We have an entire generation or so of college football fans that have grown up with Oregon being a big thing. So I think that lasts. There’s a tail on that and that will linger on for probably another 20 or 30 years, even if Oregon were to hit the skids a bit.”

While the standard at Oregon was beginning to mold during the Rich Brooks era in the 1970s through the mid-1990s, it wasn’t until 2000 that the Ducks secured their first 10-win season in the program’s history under head coach Mike Bellotti. They followed that up in 2001 with an 11-1 season capped with a Fiesta Bowl victory.

Oregon would go on to enjoy two more 10-win seasons during Bellotti’s tenure — but the Chip Kelly era is where they became one of the most entertaining watches in college football. Kelly never won less than 10 games during his four seasons with the Ducks that saw them compete in two Rose Bowls, a Fiesta Bowl and a BCS National Championship.

The success continued under Mark Helfrich, who led Oregon to the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship game in 2014 after winning the Rose Bowl. They ultimately came up short and have not returned to the title game since. Helfrich was let go two seasons later.

Between 2016 and 2022, the Ducks would have five head coaches (whether official or acting) during that span. Oregon’s record during that time is 78-31 and have compiled a record of 32-9 since 2021. There was no drop off from the end of the Mario Cristobal era, and the beginning of Dan Lanning’s.

Lanning has only lost five games during his two-year tenure in Eugene. If continues to build on Oregon’s first two seasons under his guide, he won’t be adding many more losses to that resume in 2024 and beyond.