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.
2000
Otto Greule Jr. /Allsport
Started: Not Ranked
Finished: 7th
The Ducks had a better-than-expected season in 2000 as they finished 10-2 that year and ended the season with a 35-30 win over Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Their highest ranking that season was No. 5.
2001
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Started: 7th
Finished: 2nd
This was the first time in program history where the Ducks could be considered as a true national title contender, but the BCS denied them a spot in the title game. Oregon had to settle for a 35-17 beating over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. They showed that maybe the BCS doesn’t always get these things right. Even after 23 years, the bitterness of this snub still remains.
2002
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Started: 15th
Finished: Not Ranked
It was a transition year for Oregon as Joey Harrington moved on to the NFL. The Ducks finished 7-6 this year with losses to Oregon State and Wake Forest in the Seattle Bowl.
2003
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-oregon-football-finished-every-230837877.html
Author : Ducks Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-09 23:08:37
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
