The excellence among Oregon's athletic programs seems to be at a record high right now. Numerous teams are contending not just for top status on the west coast, but nationally, and they're doing it in at a higher frequency than ever before.

In the past 12 months alone, the Oregon men's basketball team has been among the last four teams competing, the women's team among the final eight (twice), the softball team among the last four, golf has reached a championship match and the women's track and field team has taken home the ultimate prize. And If you pull back another 12 months, you'll find similar accolades.

There's a noticeable absence from all of that success, and unfortunately, it comes from the program that not only provides the most exposure nationally, but also determines whether the department is in the green or in the red. Yes, the Oregon football program, once the school's crown jewel, has floundered into mediocrity.

Pulling them out of it will be the task of recently promoted head coach Mario Cristobal. There must be some level of urgency too, as at the moment, the school's fans love a winner, and the football team hasn't done enough of that of late to appease them. That's evidenced by the conclusion of the 110-game Autzen sellout streak two years ago.

The good news is that developing a winner in Eugene can be done. And once success' momentum takes hold fans will turn out in droves.

The even better news for Cristobal is that he's inherited significantly more than either Mike White (softball), Dana Altman (basketball) and Kelly Graves (women's basketball). The infrastructure is in place, unlike it was for White (see Jane Sanders Stadium), and, frankly, the talent is much better than what any of these three programs had.

With a Heisman caliber quarterback leading the charge, Cristobal could conceivably win right away. And that's probably how the expectations will form, albeit with some skepticism.

Mario Cristobal's will look to turn around Oregon's fortunes.

That initial skepticism was certainly shared when Graves took over a team one year removed from a 4-win season. Now, four years later, he's reached heights never before seen by the program, and a dynasty that, as DT's Matt Prehm put it after last night's Elite Eight loss to Notre Dame, is "just getting started".

The same could be said for Altman, who brought the school its first Final Four in nearly 80 years just eight years removed from an 8-win season, or White, whose Ducks have become a fixture in Oklahoma City since he took over in 2010 after zero trips in the years prior. These programs have become consistent winners, and have developed a loyal following.

But, those loyal followings will never match what could be with football. That's where the needle is moved. Despite the previously unmatched success of both hoops programs and softball, the Ducks still averaged 2,000 below capacity at Matthew Knight Arena during their Final Four run, the women brought in just over 4,200 fans this season and max capacity for softball is just 1,500.

Those numbers are dwarfed and will forever be dwarfed by the 54,000 possible at Autzen on a fall Saturday.

And, while I have established that Cristobal should feel some urgency to win early, it's also fair to acknowledge that neither Altman, White or Graves reached their peaks in year one or year two. It took Altman six year to reach an Elite Eight, Graves three to do the same, and White three to reach the program's first WCWS.

Still, this will have to be a statement year for Cristobal. Not only does football carry more weight, as mentioned above, the ceiling for Oregon football this fall feels exponentially higher than it did when Altman was carving together a team from scraps or when Graves inherited a program in shambles.

And because those programs have set such a high standard, I truly believe patience for football will grow thin if the Ducks stumble this season under their new head coach. Part of that is the built-in expectations that come with leading a program that has played for two national titles this decade, and the other is that Eugene loves itself a winner, and the taste his peers have provided the fanbase with understanding that the sweet taste of victory can exist outside of football.