Autzen Zoo
Fansided

Oregon Football: 3 head coaching candidates who’d lead Ducks to national title

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 18, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda looks on during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda looks on during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Nov 8, 2019; Corvallis, OR, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen walks the sidelines during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2019; Corvallis, OR, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen walks the sidelines during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Chris Petersen

Alright, time to pick your jaw up off the ground. Yes, the enemy could become the hero, and it would be a fantastic hire for the Ducks.

Chris Petersen coached Washington as recently as two years ago and he had the Huskies at the top of the Pac-12 for darn near his entire tenure. Petersen went 55-26 during his time as Washington head coach and didn’t finish any lower than second place in the Pac-12 North in his final four seasons.

Petersen was 0-3 in New Year’s Six bowls, including a playoff appearance in 2016, but he knows how to get there and he’s won big games before. He has a history of success at Washington and Boise State and he absolutely could excel with the resources at Oregon.

The real question is would he come out of retirement to lead the Ducks? He’s just 57 years old so it’s not like his career would be over in a couple of years, but he retired for a reason. It’s definitely worth kicking the tires because I think he’s a championship-caliber coach. It’s not easy to lead a Pac-12 team to the playoff and he did just that.

Petersen was born in California, spent six seasons as Oregon’s receivers coach back from 1995-2000, and has plenty of recruiting ties to the West Coast. This would be a great fit.

Home/Oregon Ducks Football