Bellotti Now Out as Ducks Head Man, Good or Bad Idea? | College Football Lives Here

Today it was announced that Mike Bellotti is resigning as Oregon Ducks head football coach to take over as athletic director. Bellotti, who went 116-55 as Ducks head man, turns the reins over to offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting Chip Kelly. This will be Kelly's first head coaching job, that is, when it starts on March 30. So, the question is, is this a good move? I say yes...and No.

The move to name Kelly as Bellotti's replacement is good. Kelly is one of the most notable offensive coordinators out there, and it was a matter of time before another school offered him the head coaching job. I believe that Kelly will be able to pick up where Coach Bellotti left off, and most fans won't notice a big difference.

Here's where my no part of my answer comes from. It is waiting until March to name Kelly the head coach. I would hope that Kelly had a huge part in recruiting, because if not it could mess with the recruits Oregon signed and future classes. Why did they wait until now to do this? It's like Bellotti was thinking "You know, I want to recruit this class" then he did and said "Yeah, that was fun, but here, you can take over". I believe he had trouble making this decision, but still this is a mistake waiting until March. Still, no worries for Oregon fans, as the Ducks will be fighting for the PAC 10 title once again.

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March 14, 2009 01:52 AM ET

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I think that it is good for any team still in the running for Bryce Brown.

CenLA Tiger

Tigerland, LA

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August 11, 2009 01:44 PM ET

I think it is only a good move if Chip Kelly helps the Ducks turn in a solid season. If they truly don't miss a beat, or even out-perform, I think it would remove any uncertainty that future recruits would have had if a new coach would have been named prior to the recruiting season.

However, if they underperform, I think they're in the same recruiting trouble as any underperforming coach with no real track record as head coach (whereas a head coach with a winning record can recover from one bad season).

I think they picked a good time to make the transition with some solid talent that is sure to turn in a respectable season. There seems to be fewer positions in question this season as have been in the last couple of years and, provided players stay healthy, they can really focus on winning ballgames.