College football: 5 most overrated programs in history

5. Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks don’t have the history of expectation like the Bulldogs but their media hype and fanbase (while very respectful in my dealings with them) expect a national championship. Oregon, however, hasn’t provided one.

The Ducks have found their way to three second-place finishes and a third-place ranking after losing national title games to Ohio State and Auburn while back-door’ing into the second position in 2012 and 2001. The Ducks hype came from Phil Knight, the man behind the of Nike fortune, and their amazing indoor facility and the gaudy uniform combinations. What Rich Brooks built on coaching chops, Mike Bellotti dug in and picked up four double-digit win seasons before retiring and handing over the reigns to Chip Kelly.

The Kelly era is where the hype machine took full effect. The indoor facility, the modifications to Autzen Stadium, and the uniform combinations became the basis of the hype but the gravy was the spread to run offense and quarterbacks like Dennis Dixon, Jeremiah Masoli, and Darron Thomas.

The speedy running backs and the zone option offensive scheme became trademarks of the Ducks. Eugene has produced their fair share of mediocre seasons under Brooks, Bellotti and Helfrich with only Chip Kelly coming out unscathed with a bad record. However, Kelly was also found in violation of NCAA recruiting rules and left Oregon for the NFL.

The Ducks fans expected a big name hire when Willie Taggart left for Florida State and instead missed on names like Justin Wilcox before landing on an internal hire in Mario Cristobal.