I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I love a good alternative history story. These are stories where a crucial piece is changed creating a highly entertaining and thought-provoking ripple effect. It's more commonly referred to as playing the 'What-If' game, and it's one of my favorite pastimes.

Last week we discussed what could have been if a certain shot-blocking prodigy hadn't been lost on the hardwood two years ago. Today, we'll swap back to the gridiron and talk about the event that crushed the visor market in the state of Oregon.

Let's circle back to the early 2010s. This is when Oregon was at the peak of its powers. The program has just elevated a wily offensive genius from play caller to program runner. The move to make Chip Kelly the head coach was met with some resistance, especially in early September of 2009.

But, as Kelly's plans came further into picture it became clear that not only was he the right man for the job, but that he was perhaps the very best man for the job. With Kelly leading the way, the Ducks won the day more days than not over the next four years, a span which is easily the best stretch in program history. The Ducks won Pac-12 titles every year and played for national titles or BCS bowl games every year. Simply put, the Ducks were good... real good.

Eventually, word leaked that Kelly had larger aspirations than slogging through the Pac-12 each season. In 2012 he nearly took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job, and in 2013 he finally took the plunge to the NFL when he became the Philadelphia Eagles coach. The move proved costly in the long-term, but on face value not terribly detrimental over the next few years.

Oregon followed the same path they'd taken with Kelly and quickly promoted Mark Helfrich to head coach. In the first two years, the program went 24-4 and played for its second national title in program history in 2014 (where they fell to Ohio State). The program fell off a cliff over the following two years, and has been through three head coaches in as many years since 2016.

Let's rewind now, and change history. In this reality, Kelly doesn't have professional coaching aspirations. Or maybe better yet, he sees what he has at Oregon as greater than heading an NFL franchise. And to make this easier, let's say those pesky NCAA sanctions aren't mucking up the waters, giving him further incentive to seek out employment elsewhere. So, this week's question is simply, what if Chip Kelly became an Oregon lifer?

Four years of Kelly molding and shaping Marcus Mariota is frankly terrifying. Kelly had Mariota for two: his redshirt year in 2011 and his redshirt freshman year in 2012. But, imagine how darned good the Ducks might be had Kelly stuck around through the conclusion of the Mariota's time at Oregon.

I'm scratching off any possible improvements during the 2013 season. Let's remember that Oregon lost two games in November after Mariota suffered a knee injury in the team's win over UCLA. They were No. 2 nationally at the time of the injury and wound up beating Texas in the Alamo Bowl once Mariota's injury healed up. I'm not going to pretend that Kelly would have somehow healed Mariota or that through some innovative strategic differences a) Mariota wouldn't have been injured or b) they found a way to win those games even with a maligned passer. That season is what it is.

But, where I envision changes occurring is in 2014. First off, I think Nick Aliotti is the team's defensive coordinator. Remember that Aliotti (who ran the Duck defense for 15 or so years) stepped down after the 2013 season, and was replaced by linebackers coach Don Pellum. I'm not sure that happens if there's head coaching continuity.

That change alone, may re-shape the outcome of that season. Aliotti was a veteran coordinator who had headed some of the programs best players and defenses. Pellum had never led a defense, and although he showed fairly well in that season, was clearly a step back from Aliotti. If Aliotti is the defensive coordinator, is Ezekiel Elliott gashing the Duck front-seven down after down after down? Maybe. But it's also possible he finds a solution that was lost on a first-year coordinator.

Furthermore, I think Kelly gets the Ducks closer to perfection. I think they beat Arizona in the Tony Washington bowing game (still an outrageous overreaction by the officials by the way) and earns the top-seed in the inaugural College Football Playoff.

The Ducks then face No. 4 Ohio State in the semifinals. This time they win due the advantages of having a Kelly-Aliotti led offense and defense over a Helfrich-Pellum one. That sets up the matchup that everyone, and particularly those in the Autzen student section, had been calling for with Alabama in the national title game.

That was actually one of the weaker Bama teams of the decade (which is saying something because they finished 12-1). The defense featured NFL stars like Landon Collins and Reuben Foster, but the offense wasn't quite as special. I give Oregon the edge in this one. The Ducks finally break through in 2014 and win the national title.

Mariota takes off afterwards, and is universally revered as one of college football's all-time greats.

From there, Oregon continues to compete at a very high level. As the conference gains ground on them, they aren't walking over opponents every year en route to a College Football Playoff appearance, but they don't dip the way they did in 2016.

Just as Kelly is a lifer, so is the remaining Oregon staff. And while they continue to out-scheme most opponents, the recruiting fades a bit. After all, Kelly was reportedly never fond of this aspect of the job, a fact that has hardly been refuted by the way his UCLA Bruins have begun recruiting in 2019 (four total commitments for the nation's 85th ranked class). Let's put it this way, Oregon isn't sitting sixth-nationally in the 2019 class today if Kelly is the head coach.

Still, the program's national perception has been greatly elevated by Kelly. The Ducks sustain success for nearly a decade and once again enter the 2018 season as they do each season: as favorites to win the Pac-12 and as legitimate national title contenders. Kelly is considered one of the sport's premier coaches. He is ranked right up there with Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.