SMQ: 5 teams that could win a first national championship soon

Oregon has reached the national championship game twice over the past decade. The first time came in the 2010-2011 season, when the Ducks went to the BCS national championship game. There, Chip Kelly‘s squad fell by a field goal to Cam Newton and Auburn. It was a painful finish for Ducks fans.

Four years later, Oregon returned to the national title game. This time, it was the inaugural edition of the College Football Playoff championship game. Against Ohio State, the Ducks were unable to remain competitive. The Buckeyes ran away with the 2014-2015 national title that season, claiming the first College Football Playoff crown after a 42-20 victory.

In recent years, Eugene has turned into a revolving door for coaches. The Ducks enter 2018 with their third head coach in three seasons. That is less Oregon’s fault as it is the byproduct of Willie Taggart bolting after a year to return to Florida for the Seminoles job. In Taggart’s place, some semblance of continuity was maintained by promoting offensive co-coordinator Mario Cristobal.

The Pac-12 North has become far more competitive in recent years with the rise of the Washington schools. But Oregon still has the facilities and resources, thanks to donors like Nike founder Phil Knight, to remain among the nation’s best and stay in the hunt for that elusive first national title.