Tag: dennis dixon

Where Oregon football finished in every Associated Press poll since 2000

Where Duck football began and finished in every Associated Press poll since 2000.

Oregon Ducks football finishing in the Top 10 of the final Associated Press in becoming a regular thing nowadays. Believe it or not, it wasn’t always like that.

The Ducks were a pretty good team in the early part of this century, but it wasn’t until Chip Kelly took over the reins from Mike Bellotti that Oregon started to dominate the Pac-12 and be a force on the national scene.

Now it would be a huge disappointment if the Ducks didn’t finish in the AP Top 10 and win their bowl game. Both were accomplished this season and as the Ducks go into the Big Ten for 2024 and beyond, plus the expansion of the College Football Playoffs, there’s no reason not to expect Oregon not to be a playoff hopeful on a yearly basis.

We decided to look back on the history of Oregon football and see where the Ducks began and finished in each AP poll since 2000.

Long list of Oregon legends to be in attendance at Ducks’ spring game

Oregon Ducks from the past and present will be in Autzen Stadium for the annual Spring Game on Saturday.

The Spring Game is about more than just the football occurring in between the sidelines. It’s a celebration as a whole for the program and a chance for some familiar faces to show themselves once again inside Autzen.

There will be some notable alumni coming back to campus to check out what the current version of Oregon football looks like. Alumni such as quarterback Dennis Dixon, and receiver De’Anthony Thomas will be joined by other former Ducks.

Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and defensive back Jevon Holland will also be in the house as guest coaches.

“Anytime you have guys that were just tremendous Ducks that care so much about our program and make an effort to give back, it’s always great to recreate that,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “That’s special for our players, but it’s just special for our fans. They’re loved and adored by every Duck out there. (We) love having them back for us.”

Here’s the updated list of Oregon legends expected in attendance for Saturday’s festivities.

Oregon History: Ducks lead Arizona all-time, but Wildcats hold ‘Giant-killer’ status

The Ducks have a big advantage over Arizona in their series history, but Arizona holds some painful upsets over Oregon in the past decade.

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If you’re looking at the history of the Pac-12 matchup between the Oregon Ducks and Arizona Wildcats, fans from Eugene sure have something to boast about.

The two teams have met a total of 44 times over the years, with Oregon winning 27 of the matchups, good for a .614 win percentage.

Of course, that doesn’t tell the entire story, though. If you were to ask any of those fans who are boasting over the Wildcats which team has handed them some of the toughest defeat during their fandom, the answer would likely be Arizona.

Think all the way back to 2007, when the No. 2 ranked Ducks lost in Tuscon, 34-24, ending their chances at a trip to the BCS Championship game. Adding injury to insult, quarterback Dennis Dixon suffered a season-ending knee injury that knocked him out of the Heisman Trophy race and cut his career at Oregon short.

Or how about in 2013 and 2014, when the Ducks lost back-to-back games to Arizona, the second time coming when the Ducks were again ranked No. 2 in the nation, this time led by Marcus Mariota in his Heisman Trophy-winning season.

Fortunately, the Ducks were able to come back later that season and trounce Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship game and make it into the inaugural College Football Playoff.

There are painful memories to think of, but proof that no matter how good Arizona is projected to be, you have to consider them as giant killers. So while the Ducks are favored to win this game by 28-points, there’s no chance they will be looking past the Wildcats any time soon.

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