What if Chip Kelly never left Oregon for the Philadelphia Eagles?

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Austin Daich (19) walks off the field after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Would Oregon have that elusive National Championship?

That’s not an easy question. Oregon fans would like to believe so, but even if Oregon did make it to the National Championship last year, could they have beaten Florida State, assuming that they would be ranked ahead of Auburn?

Well, if this year’s game was any indication, Oregon could have beaten the undefeated Seminoles, as they dismantled the ‘Noles, 59-20, this past January in the inaugural FBS playoff game. However, comparing a team one year to the next isn’t fair.

Would Kelly at the helm make that much of a difference? By the statistics, under Mark Helfrich, Oregon’s offense has averaged 556 yards per game, and under Kelly, the Ducks only averaged 500 yards per game.

These stats are surprising. However, they might be a little inflated. When Kelly took over in 2009, he was working with less talent than the recent Oregon football teams. In 2009, the Ducks only averaged 412 yards per game, 135 yards per game less than the most recent Ducks’ team.

However, in 2009, Oregon’s defense under Kelly allowed only 363 yards per game, as compared to Helfrich’s Ducks’ 2014 season, of which the Ducks allowed 429 yards per game.

What does this mean? Well, even though Kelly’s an offensive guy, statistics show that his defenses averaged less yards per game than Helfrich’s by about thirty yards. These stats could also be inflated due to the speed of the offense.

Back in 2009, Oregon’s offense, in comparison to the 2014 team, ran a slower offense, as the players were trying grasp the system. A quicker, more efficient offense means more time on defense, thus resulting in more defensive yards. Kelly’s offense did pick up once the players bought into the system, and it carried over into Helfrich’s tenure.

So, saying all this, if Kelly was still the Ducks’ head coach, would they have won National Championship by now?

Maybe, and here’s why:

During Helfrich’s two-year run as the Ducks’ head coach, Oregon has only lost four games, Stanford, Arizona (2), and Ohio State in the National Championship. Would Kelly be the difference in those losses? Possibly.

However, was Oregon the best team in college football last year? If no, does having Kelly make them the best? If no, again, ask yourself the same question about this past season. Would a Kelly coached team beat Ohio State in the National Championship?

Potentially, and I think last year would have been Oregon’s best shot at a National Championship, if Kelly was the head coach.

Kelly is a great coach. He did big things at Oregon, and he could have accomplished much more if he hadn’t left. However, it’s only been two seasons since he last coached for the Ducks, and in my opinion, I think Mark Helfrich is doing a great job.

He may not be recruiting as well as Kelly, but he’s doing well. I fully expect to see the Ducks back in the title game in the near future.

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