ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Mike Bellotti's 14 years atop the Oregon program will come to an end before the Ducks begin spring practices on March 30.

Or he will begin his 15th season.

Bellotti, 58, told the Portland Tribune that his decision on whether to hand over the program to offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting Chip Kelly will "probably" be made within the next two weeks.

When Bellotti steps aside for Kelly, he will then take over as Oregon athletic director.

The linchpin of the Kerry Eggers column is Bellotti's quote when asked if he was leaning one way or the other:

"I probably was after the season, but right now, it's 50-50," Bellotti says. "When you spend a couple of weeks after the season doing the things you do as coach, there is a lot of excitement. We have a chance to be a real good football team next season."

In which direction, I ask, had he been leaning?

"I was probably leaning one way," he says evenly, "but I'm not going to say which way."

The implication here and throughout the column is that Bellotti was leaning toward stepping down after the 2008 season and is now thinking he may want to stick around for at least one more year because he's got a potential top 10 team.

At the end, Eggers predicts Bellotti will "be back for a final hurrah in 2009."

I'm still not sold. Too many things have happened -- staff changes, for one -- that suggest Kelly takes over this spring.

Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if Bellotti came back. How many coaches really say goodbye voluntarily? There's a reason for that: The drive and competitiveness and, yes, ego that fuel all successful coaches don't go away easily.

The image of Bellotti tottering around Europe looking at old cathedrals or sitting by a fishing hole for hours doesn't sustain itself for me. Nor does him kibitzing at football practice while looking over the budget for the Ducks' team stunts & gymnastic team.

There are a couple of issues here, but they all boil down to this: What's best for the program?

Do things get complicated if Bellotti comes back? And what if he realizes that quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is only a junior and that the Ducks therefore might peak in 2010?

Or will Bellotti's return actually make it easier for the Kelly transition? While the chain of command would remain the same, of course, Bellotti could support Kelly gradually increasing his profile in terms of overall team management.

And if he doesn't come back, will the abruptness of the transition tax Kelly's ability to establish his authority?

It's an interesting situation, to say the least.

Because optimism is always the best course -- particularly during these dreary times -- Oregon fans should probably look at it like this: The Ducks either will be led by the most successful coach in program history or by arguably the brightest offensive coordinator in the country.

Things could be worse.