The Oregon Ducks have slowly developed a new set of rivalries in recent years as the move from the Pac 12 to the Big Ten has changed a ton for the football program. Oregon no longer gets to face teams like Oregon State and USC on a yearly basis which has cut down on the bad blood year over year.
When you look back on the Ducks' time in the Pac 12, there are plenty of great memories and games that everyone will remember forever. The best runs for the Ducks were typically built on the head coaches who dominated the rivalry games on a yearly basis, setting the foundation for memorable seasons.
The former Oregon Ducks coaches who dominated rivalry games
Mario Cristobal vs Washington
The 2020 season saw the clash between Oregon and Washington canceled as the Huskies dealt with COVID-19. The sad part of the cancellation is that the Ducks dominated Washington under Mario Cristobal as he went 3-0 against the Huskies. The games were never blowouts in favor of the Ducks, but any time that you can leave undefeated against a rival, it's a major win.
Mario Cristobal vs Oregon State
Mario Cristobal set the tone early against Oregon State in The Civil War delivering a massive 55-15 blowout in his rivalry debut as Travis Dye and CJ Verdell ran all over the Beavers. The following season wasn't as exciting, but Justin Herbert delivered a 24-10 win in his final game in Autzen Stadium. Cristobal's lone loss to the Beavs came in 2020 when Chance Nolan scored in the final minute, but the Ducks got revenge in 2021 giving Mario a 3-1 record in The Civil War.
Chip Kelly vs Washington
Giving your fanbase bragging rights every year is a quick way to ensure that you'll stick around as head coach of a team. Every season Chip Kelly made sure that Oregon fans didn't have to hear any smack talk from the Huskies fans as he went a perfect 4-0 over his 4 seasons at the helm. Making the experience even better was the fact that Kelly's teams never even made it close.
LaMichael James went for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a thrilling 43-19 win in 2009 on the road. The 2010 win was even more lopsided as James scored 3 touchdowns in a 53-16 blowout inside Autzen Stadium. The 2011 matchup was closer with the Ducks winning 34-17, but Oregon gave the Huskies false hope in the 3rd quarter before crushing their dreams. The final matchup was an absolute blowout with Marcus Mariota scoring 4 touchdowns in a 52-21 win.
Chip Kelly vs USC
In USC's post Pete Carroll years, Chip Kelly played a major role in the Trojans' tumble toward irrelevance. Kelly met USC 4 times with both teams ranked in the Top 25, and left Oregon with a 3-1 record against the Trojans. Losing in 2011 when the Ducks were the 4th-ranked team in the Country will always sting, but Chip Kelly gave the fanbase so much fun with the 3 big wins over USC.
Chip Kelly vs Oregon State
In Chip Kelly's brief stint as Oregon's head coach, he was dominant against the Ducks'
biggest rivals, including dominating The Civil War. During his 4 seasons at the helm, Chip Kelly went undefeated against the Beavers with a 4-0 record. In Kelly's first season, the Ducks only won by 4 points, but from there he dominated with an average margin of victory of 23 points over the final 3 matchups.
Mark Helfrich vs Oregon State
The first three seasons of the Mark Helfrich era were incredibly exciting, especially when the Ducks faced off against some of their biggest rivals. The first Civil War was a 1-point victory for the Ducks, but the next two matchups were really exciting wins. Helfrich's lone loss came in the disaster 2016 season, but as a whole going 3-1 in those matchups is an impressive mark.
Mark Helfrich vs Washington
In a similar fashion to his matchups against Oregon State, Mark Helfrich had some incredible moments against Washington. The first two games against Washington, the Ducks outscored the Huskies 90-44 with outstanding games from Marcus Mariota. 2015 was far closer with Vernon Adams Jr returning from injury, but Royce Freeman's 138 yards powered the offense. The most memorable of the matchups will always be 2016 for all the wrong reasons, as Oregon was demolished 70-21 in Autzen Stadium.
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