Oregon football: 5 best seasons in Ducks history, ranked

1. Oregon football runs into Cam Newton, Auburn in 2010 BCS title game.

In 2010, the Oregon football team went unbeaten through the regular season. Their high scoring offense carried the Ducks all the way into the national title picture and Chip Kelly’s team appeared fully capable of winning it all during the 2010 season.

The Ducks faced little issue all year as their offense pummeled opposing defenses, and opposing offenses lacked the ability to keep up with Oregon’s ridiculously quick offense. Quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James forced Oregon’s opponents into high scoring, fast-paced shootouts, and nobody was truly equipped to keep up with the Ducks’ speed.

Oregon averaged 47 points per game, the most in the country in 2010, and jumped out to a 4-0 record before facing their first ranked foe. No. 4 Oregon then ran through, around, and over No. 9 Stanford, winning 52-31.

All the way into mid-November, it appeared as if nobody would be able to slow the Ducks down. California found a way to drag things out and kept the score low, but Oregon survived the scare, winning 15-13 in what would be the Ducks’ lowest-scoring game of the season.

But the Oregon football team went 12-0 through the regular season, winning the Pac-10 in the process. And with that undefeated record, the Ducks were rewarded by the BCS with a chance to compete in the BCS Championship Game against the Auburn Tigers.

Oregon was able to send James to New York for the Heisman trophy, but he finished as a finalist, losing to Auburn’s Cam Newton. And then a few weeks later, the Ducks wound up losing to Auburn and Newton.

The Ducks lost in a close contest, falling 22-19. Nine years after Oregon had been snubbed by the BCS, the Ducks fell short in the BCS championship game.

But 2010 still produced a 12-1 record, a national championship appearance, a conference championship, and a Heisman finalist for Oregon. All things considered, that’s a recipe for a great season.

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