What a National Title Victory Would Mean for Oregon Football

The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game is more than just another game for the Oregon Ducks.

Sure, the players, coaches and staff would be wise to treat it as such. However, for the students, faculty, former players and coaches, alumni and Oregon fans everywhere, this game means so much more.

The Ducks have spent the better part of two decades building a successful football program from scratch. They’ve spent millions of dollars in an attempt to do so. The ultimate goal? Become part of the national conversation, win Pac-12 titles and win a national championship.

Oregon’s goal of becoming a national brand has been achieved. The goal of becoming a Pac-12 contender has long since been a given. However, a national power? That requires a national championship.

The Ducks first became a relevant part of the national conversation in 1994 when former coach Rich Brooks guided Oregon to its first Rose Bowl in 37 years. Though the Ducks eventually lost to Penn State 38-20, the birth of the modern Ducks had begun.

More importantly, a wealthy alumnus had taken notice.

In 1996, following a 38-6 Cotton Bowl loss to Colorado, five men sat down not far from where the 2015 national title game will be played.

Jim Bartko, an executive athletic director for the Ducks, held a meeting in Dallas with then-head coach Mike Bellotti, UO donor and local businessman Randy Pape, donor and eventual athletic director Pat Kilkenny, and Nike chairman Phil Knight, a UO alumnus and former track athlete at the school.

The meeting would change the course of Oregon athletics forever.

Chris Pietsch/Associated Press

With the support of Knight, Pape, Kilkenny and the Oregon athletic department, the Ducks set out to take their football program—and the entire athletics program—to unseen and, at that time, unimaginable heights.

“We went to the Rose Bowl in the 1994-95 season and I think (Knight) saw that athletics could be a great window to make the University of Oregon great,” said Bartko, according to Sam Stites of The Daily Emerald. “That’s when he said we should look at the logos, uniforms and investment into facilities to make the University of Oregon a national product academically and athletically.”

Oregon’s relationship with Nike began shortly thereafter.

While Oregon’s contract with Nike isn’t all that different from that of other schools around the country—Matthew Kish of the Portland Business Journal reports Ohio State's contract with Nike is actually larger than Oregon's—the Ducks adopted Nike’s mindset and built the most unique identity in college football.

Their identity? Embrace innovation and shun tradition. As the billboard in Oregon's indoor practice facility reads, "Tradition never changes. Champions do."

In 1999, the Ducks teamed up with Nike to totally reinvent their image nationally. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that can be seen on the field each and every week. Oregon began to sport the wildest, flashiest uniforms in college football.

The Ducks ramped up their marketing efforts nationally and, slowly, recruits began to take notice.

By the time Chip Kelly showed up in 2007 as Oregon’s offensive coordinator, the Ducks were known around the country for having the most elaborate uniforms and, with the help of Knight’s enormous financial contributions, had some of the best athletic and academic facilities in the nation.

When Oregon installed Kelly’s “blur” offense in 2007, the plan was nearing completion. Kelly’s offense mirrored what the five men had in mind on that day in Dallas in 1996. It was flashy, fast, effective and, most importantly, it was unique.

Now, with Kelly’s former offensive coordinator, Mark Helfrich, running the show, the Ducks are in a position to finally complete the puzzle.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Ducks are on the verge of something that would validate everything that the players, athletic department, university, coaches, donors and Nike have done over the past two decades.

A national title would justify the thousands of jerseys, the multimillion-dollar facilities, the Joey Harrington Heisman billboard and everything else that has been done to elevate the Oregon program to national prominence.

A national title would add the ultimate substance to Oregon’s sizzle.

Remember, the University of Oregon is a relatively small state school in the sleepy, hippie town of Eugene. Oregon’s football team shouldn’t be a player in the Pac-12, let alone be one of the best programs in the nation. But it is and will continue to be.

However, Oregon is one step short of the pinnacle. Do the Ducks need to win a national title to prove that they’re for real and that they’re here to stay? Probably not.

That being said, I’m sure Oregon fans nationwide are tired of hearing, “Yeah, the Ducks are good, but they don’t have a national title.”

For all of Oregon’s success over the past couple of years—four Pac-12 titles in six years, two Rose Bowls in the past four years and a Heisman Trophy—the thing that has eluded it is the only thing that really matters.

If the Ducks lose the title game for a second time, to seven-time champion Ohio State, it wouldn’t destroy all that has been built in Eugene. The Ducks have lost a national title game before.

The jerseys will still be flashy, the shiny buildings won’t come crashing down and the Ducks will still be national title contenders year in and year out. The perception of Oregon football will not change—it will stick with the status quo. There’s nothing that the Ducks hate more than the status quo.

For the Ducks, this game is all about changing perception and validating their efforts. The stigma against Oregon is crystal-clear. It's also been a source of motivation for the Ducks this season.

As running back Royce Freeman told Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, "We're more than just the uniforms.”

Perhaps it’s telling that Oregon’s frosty, clean national championship uniforms are substantially subtler than their title game uniforms in 2010. The Ducks are coming to North Texas for business. Their uniforms are a reflection of that mentality.

As John Canzano of The Oregonian writes:

"

The Ducks play fast and well. They have mind-blowing facilities. They have countless uniform combinations. They have the Heisman Trophy winner. UO's campus doubles as a testing center for Nike products. There's nothing Oregon needs to do in the next week to prove itself any further except play excellent football.

"

Oregon no longer needs to prove that it’s a cool place to play football. In fact, the Ducks only have one thing left to prove: that they’re the best football team in the nation.

The Ducks are 60 minutes away from football’s version of heaven. If they’re able to finish it off on Monday in Arlington, Texas, the two decades of fighting to the top will have been worth it.

The Oregon plan was hatched in Dallas. The Ducks are hoping to complete the mission a few short miles down the road.

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.