Has Oregon football ever gone undefeated? Ducks chasing history ...

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Oregon's Dan Lanning on rivalry game vs. Washington Huskies

Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning talks about the rivalry matchup against Washington on Saturday and what it means to the Ducks.

New conference, no problem for Oregon football.

The No. 1 overall Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) are in the middle of one of the best seasons ever in program history, despite playing in their first season in the Big Ten Conference. With its 49-21 win over rival Washington last weekend, Oregon secured its status as the only undefeated team of the 2024 college football regular season, which marked second time the Ducks have started 12-0 in school history.

The win was significant for coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, whose only two losses during the 2023 season came against the Huskies, who eventually fell in the College Football Playoff championship game. It also marked Oregon's first win over Washington in three seasons, and the first for Lanning.

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With last season's losses avenged, Oregon will play No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten Conference championship game Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Ducks will seek their first conference championship since winning the Pac-12 in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020.

Here's what you need to know about Oregon's best records and undefeated seasons:

When did Oregon last start 12-0?

Oregon started the 2010 season 12-0, punctuated by a 37-20 regular-season finale win over rival Oregon State in Corvallis. Since the Pac-12 did not start playing a championship game until the following season, the Ducks' regular season concluded at 12-0 before they advanced to the 2011 BCS national championship game.

Oregon entered the game vs. Auburn as the No. 2 team in the country in the BCS rankings and AP Top 25 poll. The Ducks were ranked No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. Led by quarterback Cam Newton, the Tigers were ranked No. 1 in the BCS and AP Top 25, and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll.

Oregon and Auburn swapped leads for the first half of the championship game. With 2:33 remaining in the game, quarterback Darron Thomas hit running back LaMichael James for a 2-yard touchdown and completed a 2-point conversion to Jeff Maehl to tie the game at 19.

However, Newton led the Tigers down the field to the Oregon 2-yard line to set up kicker Wes Byrum for a game-winning 19-yard field goal as time expired. Auburn pulled off the 22-19 win, claiming the national championship and dropping Oregon to 12-1.

Has Oregon ever gone undefeated?

The Ducks have never finished a season unbeaten and untied in the modern era of college football. According to Oregon's 2024 record book, Oregon went 4-0-0 in 1895, the second year the university hosted a football program. The Ducks then went 5-0-1 in 1906, and 7-0-1 in 1916.

The Ducks did not have a double-digit-win season until 2000, when they went 10-2. Since then, and including that season, Oregon has 15 seasons of at least 10 wins.

Best Oregon seasons

Here's a look at the best Oregon football seasons in program history:

• 1895: 4-0-0
• 1906: 5-0-1 (tied Oregon Agricultural Aggies 0-0)
• 1916: 7-0-1 (tied Washington 0-0)
• 1933: 9-1 (lost 26-0 to USC)
• 2001: 11-1 (lost 49-42 vs Stanford)
• 2010: 12-1 (lost 22-19 to Auburn in national championship)
• 2012: 12-1 (lost 17-14 in overtime vs Stanford)
• 2014: 13-2 (lost 31-24 to Arizona in Week 6 | lost 42-20 to Ohio State in CFP championship)

Best finish in Oregon football history

Since the start of the modern college football era in 1936, Oregon has never finished as the national champion. However, the Ducks finished No. 2 in the country twice:

• 2014: No. 2 finish in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25, College Football Playoff
• 2001: No. 2 finish in Coaches Poll, AP Top 25