Advantages, challenges for next Oregon coach

There is a lot to like about this Oregon job. There are also significant challenges.

Here is an in-depth look at the pros and cons of the Ducks’ coaching position that was vacated Tuesday night after Mark Helfrich was let go following a 4-8 season.

Many names will be thrown around and there will be many interested parties. Here is a look at what the new coach will have to sell -– and have to work on -– to make Oregon a relevant national contender again.

RELATED: QB missteps led to Helfrich downfall | Oregon commits react | Where top targets stand | Five key recruiting misses for Ducks

1. Oregon remains a hot program.

Everyone knows about the space-age facilities at Oregon and the Nike connection and the fun uniforms and all that, and a lot of prospects see that as one of the many draws, still, to Oregon.

Many teams across the country have copied Oregon in many ways, from unique uniform combinations to state-of-the-art facilities, but there is still something appealing to kids about the Oregon brand.

Autzen Stadium is a fantastic game-day environment. The football facilities have se the standard across the country, and that’s appealing. Numerous prospects have said it’s one of the big reasons why they chose the Ducks. It should continue to be that way under the new regime.

The Ducks are only a couple years removed from the national championship game. All those amenities have worked on getting many top recruits from California and from across the country to play in Eugene, Ore. It should be leveraged to amp up recruiting even more under the new staff.

2. The Pac-12 is wide open

Washington stands on the brink of the college football playoff after back-to-back 4-5 Pac-12 seasons. Colorado went from worst to first in one season in the Pac-12 South. USC hasn’t won the league since 2008 and has only made one Pac-12 title game appearance since the league split into divisions in 2011.

The point here is that things change quickly in the Pac-12 and that means Oregon should not be mired in a years-long rebuilding process. Oregon won the Pac-12 North two years ago. Because of some recruiting misses and some issues at quarterback, the program took a downward slide this season.

Oregon could turn this thing around quickly with the right hire and the right recruiting mentality. Look no further than Washington, Colorado and even Utah, which went from fifth to tied for first in the Pac-12 South from 2014 to 2015.

1. Recruiting will be a challenge

To put it bluntly, there is not enough in-state talent to routinely win Pac-12 titles and be in the national championship hunt. Even the Pacific Northwest alone does not afford teams that level of talent to take on Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson year in and year out.

The Ducks did a bad job with in-state recruiting this cycle, letting four-star defensive tackle Marlon Tuipolotu and four-star defensive back Elijah Molden commit to Washington. Portland Madison linebacker Daniel Green chose USC.

That cannot be accepted by the new staff. Locking up the state’s top players has to be a top priority and then going after some of Washington state’s top recruits must be a priority, too. Losing out on four-star DB Budda Baker to Washington a few years ago hurt as he’s starring for the Huskies.

Getting top prospects out of California -– like five-star De’Anthony Thomas -– must become a major focus again. And then going national in the Midwest, or to Hawaii, or especially to the Southeast, needs to be re-upped as a recruiting priority.

None of these areas will be easy. Washington is a burgeoning Pac-12 North power. Stanford dips into that area regularly for recruits. USC is coming on strong and could keep Los Angeles talent home. Alabama can go anywhere to get anybody, including Hawaii, where they landed four-star QB Tua Tagovailoa just a few years after Oregon propelled another Hawaiian QB to the Heisman Trophy in Marcus Mariota.

This will be a challenge, one that needs to be met immediately for Oregon to return to national prominence.

2. As Oregon slid, a number of Pac-12 teams have improved.

Oregon might have the best facilities and all the trendy uniforms, but the Ducks got their butts kicked by 25 points or more three times this season. There were questions about competitiveness and players saying others didn’t care as much as they should.

The situation wasn’t exactly toxic, but it wasn’t good and not nearly where it should be for a team trying to be among the best in the Pac-12.

To that end, the conference is getting much better. Oregon did not this season.

Washington should be in the College Football Playoff if it beats Colorado on Friday night. That’s a huge recruiting tool and the Huskies have something special going on there with Chris Petersen.

For Colorado to even make the Pac-12 title game should boost recruiting. Utah has eight wins and USC is playing better than almost every team in the country. Then there is Washington State, which had a terrific season, and Stanford, which started slow but finished with nine wins.

Where is Oregon in this conversation? Four-stars Deommodore Lenoir and Langi Tuifua have already de-committed. There could be more. How do the Ducks become a contender in the conference again?

It can be done because Oregon has the appeal and the wherewithal to make it happen. It wasn’t too long ago that the Ducks were the cream of the Pac-12. But there are significant challenges ahead for the new coaching staff to remake Oregon into a contender.