The team was led by second-year head coach Mark Helfrich and played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 48th straight year.

The first Duck to declare that he would be leaving school early and pursuing a career in the NFL was starting cornerback Terrance Mitchell (Jr.), many considered it to be a poor decision, and that another year in college would boost his potential draft status.

Nonetheless, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys and did not end up making the final roster, he was signed by the Chicago Bears as a member of their practice squad prior to the 2014 NFL season.

He would go on to be drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs and would make the final 53-man roster, showing off his value to the team in his first NFL appearance, returning a punt 80-yards for a touchdown.

[5] Other notable departures due to graduation included record breaking receiver Josh Huff who would be drafted by Oregon's former head coach Chip Kelly to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as three starting defensive tackles Taylor Hart, Ricky Havili-Heimuli and Wade Keliikipi.

In between the first and second quarters a group of soon-to-be soldiers took the oath of enlistment in the west end-zone and at half-time an American Flag was presented by the Oregon National Guard to the University President Michael R.

After their 59–20 win over FSU in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks met the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship, where they lost 42–20, finishing their season ranked #2 in both the AP and the Coaches polls.

[42] To fill the opening at outside linebackers coach Oregon hired former graduate assistant Erik Chinander who at the time was working for the Philadelphia Eagles.

[47][48] To open the game the Ducks won the coin toss, elected to receive and marched down the field on a four-play, 74-yard drive lasting 94 seconds, which ended in a 62-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to Dwyane Stanford, followed by a successful two-point conversion run in by Taylor Alie.

[49] South Dakota retained possession from the end of the first quarter into the beginning of the second and would finish their drive with a punt, downed at the Oregon 29-yard line.

[49] Oregon couldn't get things going on their first possession of the second quarter and had a 3 and out on a negative running play from Thomas Tyner, two incomplete passes and a punt which was returned to the 50-yard line.

[49] The Ducks then recorded the final scoring drive of the first half, going 76-yard on 10 plays, finishing with a 1-yard run from Mariota, only to have the point after attempt fail due to a bad snap.

In the first game between non-conference top ten teams in the history of Autzen Stadium, Oregon defeated the seventh ranked Michigan State Spartans 46–27.

[52] While driving down the field during their third possession of the game, Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook was intercepted at the Oregon 38 yard line by Erik Dargan.

[51][52] Oregon turned the interception into points two minutes later off of a hard driven 1-yard run by Thomas Tyner, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Taylor Alie to DeForest Buckner.

[52] While the Spartan defense did allow a 70-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota to track star Devon Allen early in the quarter, they forced the Ducks to punt the ball twice in as many possessions, while also getting two quarterback sacks.

[52] Oregon stumbled out of the gate and was forced to punt from their own end zone to start the half, with Michigan State scoring a field goal not long after.

[52] The Oregon defense again showed their talent by intercepting Connor Cook again, giving their offense back the ball to close out the game.

[53] During the game Marcus Mariota threw for 3 touchdown passes, improving his career total to 69, breaking the Oregon record previously held by his predecessor Darron Thomas.

The Cowboys tried to score on their final possession, a 14 play drive going 55-yards and lasting nearly seven minutes, however the Duck defense forced a turnover on downs with ninety seconds to go.

[54] In the third quarter both teams missed relatively short field goals, though Oregon scored on a pass from Mariota to Pharaoh Brown following a Washington State fumble, forced by DeForest Buckner.

[55] They would travel home facing a bye week in which to work on inconsistencies and heal followed by a Thursday night game against the Arizona Wildcats, a team they lost to in 2013. at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR

[60] Additionally, during the playing of the National Anthem the Oregon Marching Band paid tribute to a former trumpet player who lost a battle with cancer during the summer.

In their sixth game of the season the twelfth-ranked Ducks defeated the eighteenth-ranked UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.

The Ducks again completed a long drive down the field, this time 80 yards, ending a play that made Marcus Mariota looking more like a point-guard than a quarterback.

[62] From their opponent's three-yard line the Ducks ran their staple zone-read play, this time Mariota kept the ball, attempting to run it in for a score.

[62] The Ducks put in their second string and tried to run out the clock, however UCLA forced a punt and almost succeeded in achieving what would have been one of the greatest comebacks in school history.

In winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship the Ducks all but assured themselves of a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff, the seeding of which will be announced two days after the game on Sunday December 7, 2014.

Many in the media have stated that following this dominant win Mariota has guaranteed that he will become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Oregon Ducks history, possibly becoming the first ever unanimous selection for the prestigious award.

Ohio State turned the ball over on their first possession of the half on a Cardale Jones pass intercepted by Danny Mattingly returned to the Oregon 30-yard line.