Oregon Football: Ranking the top 5 quarterbacks since 2000

EUGENE, OREGON - OCTOBER 05: Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks warms up prior to taking on the California Golden Bears during their game at Autzen Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON - OCTOBER 05: Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks warms up prior to taking on the California Golden Bears during their game at Autzen Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
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Oregon football fans may not realize just how good they’ve had it over the past couple of decades. The Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams since 2000 and, more often than not, a constant national title contender.

The Ducks have shuffled through a handful of coaches since the turn of the century from Mike Bellotti who got things kicked off with back-to-back 10-plus win seasons in 2000 and 2001, to Chip Kelly who brought the program to new heights in a new era, to Mark Helfrich who saw the mountain top before a regression, and then a brief pit stop from Willie Taggart.

Now Mario Cristobal is in charge and you could argue that he’s the best recruiter the school has ever seen, rivaling what Chip Kelly did from 2009-12. He is bringing in top talent every year and that means potentially elite quarterbacks to lead the program to greatness like a handful of former Ducks have over the past couple of decades.

Guys like Robby Ashford, Ty Thompson, and Tanner Bailey will hope to one day make a list such as this one, recounting the top Oregon quarterbacks since 2000.

The Ducks have had some truly elite quarterbacks over the past 20 years including a few first-round NFL draft picks, a Heisman winner, and the first Rose Bowl-winning quarterback in almost 100 years.

Here’s how I ranked the top five Oregon quarterbacks since 2000.

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