The Oregon Ducks are in a complicated spot when looking at the world of college football through a historical lens. On one hand, the Ducks have been as dominant as any team in the nation over the past couple of decades, with multiple Rose Bowl victories and a couple of trips to the national championship game; they’ve been a mainstay near the top of the rankings since the turn of the century.
Before that, though? It’s not quite the same story.
Oregon didn’t used to be known for football. They weren’t always the vehicle for Nike’s latest and greatest, and they didn’t register on the national scale. It wasn’t until Rich Brooks came along that it started to change, and was carried forward by the likes of Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly. Now the Ducks are a national brand, beloved — and despised — by many across the college landscape.
It’s interesting to see how much that recent success can improve the historic outlook of the Oregon football program. This past week, 247Sports ranked their top 25 programs of all time in college football. Unfortunately, the decades of early turmoil in Eugene were too much for the Ducks to overcome to get into the top 25.
It’s unclear what metrics 247Sports used to decide their top 25, but you can assume that stats like national championships, conference championships, overall record, and bowl records were weighted heavily. For an added measure, we also wanted to throw in College Football Playoff appearances, since that shows how well teams have performed over the past decade.
For reference, here are the Ducks’ all-time statistics when it comes to program history:
National Championships: 0
Conference Championships: 14
Overall Record: 692-508-46 (.574)
Bowl Game Record: 16-20 (.444)
College Football Playoff Appearances: 1
Here are the 25 programs that made it in ahead of them.