I admit that I was wrong.
I have been saying for a couple of years that after Chip Kelly leaves UCLA (after being fired or “asked” to resign) he would either become a head coach in a lower division like his former school New Hampshire, or, if he was able to put his ego aside, become an OC in the NFL where he could dedicate his mad genius skills full-time to what he loves best: offense.
I never imagined that he would accept an OC job at a blue-blood school such as Ohio State to be the No. 2 guy in college.
Some might wonder why I would think he would take a position at a place like New Hampshire, as it would be low profile and low pay. But Kelly, 60, has made his money and loves to teach but does not like all of the other obligations such as recruiting, which is required in big-time college football.
So, why not spend the twilight of his career doing what he loves most? Kelly never struck me as being overly money motivated as he did pass on the Florida Gators job in 2018 to take less money at UCLA to stay on the West Coast.
My NFL OC thinking is because Kelly had already lit up college scoreboards, so I figured he might also like the opportunity to do the same in the NFL without all the distractions and responsibilities that come with a head coach. Just offense 24/7/365.
Chip Kelly and Ohio State will now be a regular opponent for Oregon. (Photo by Tom Corno)
But, Kelly goes to Ohio State to work for his former pupil Ryan Day (Day played for Kelly at New Hampshire). Perhaps, since the rest of college football has long caught up to Kelly’s “ahead of its time” offense at Oregon, which changed the landscape of college football, he would like the chance to add some wrinkles to the college game and go out the same way he arrived — as the best offensive mind in the game.
The 2026 CFP 3-3-2-2-1+3 Model
The 12-team college football playoff model is only locked in for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Big Ten and SEC want to expand to 14 teams starting in 2026. It would be comprised of three Big Ten and SEC automatic qualifiers (AQs), two from the ACC and Big 12, one from the Group of Five, and three at-large bids. And, of course, there are special criteria for overrated Notre Dame (who I don’t like) that are not worth mentioning.
The Big 12 and ACC should accept this in a heartbeat since I believe there will be plenty of years where those two conferences would only have one team good enough to be in the CFP. The SEC-Big Ten’s initial proposal started high with four AQs, as negotiations tend to do, but with three AQs they are most likely getting what they wanted in the first place. And, with three at-large bids, it is safe to say that the Big-2 will likely take up two or three of those each year.
This means that the Ducks will have plenty of opportunities to make the CFP while playing in the top tier of college football.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Tom Corno
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.
Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.
