Posted by: Josh Kendall on November 9, 2012

It is "inevitable" that Oregon coach Chip Kelly will one day leave the school to coach in the NFL, Mike Bellotti told CBSSports.com on Thursday.

"Chip is one of the ultimate competitors," Bellotti said. "It actually surprised me he changed his mind (with the Tampa Bay Bucs) last year. Whether they get to the national championship and whether they win the national championship, I don't know. To think he'll stay there when ultimately his idea of top jobs is to get to the Super Bowl, it won't happen, unfortunately, at the college level."

Bellotti coached Oregon for 14 years and hired Kelly to be his offensive coordinator in 2007. Another source, who declined to be identified, echoed Bellotti's sentiments.

When asked about Bellotti's belief, Kelly brushed the question aside.

"I have no reaction," he told the website. "What we do here is all I'm focused on ... We're not talking about where we're going. We have a one-week mission. Our mission this week is Cal. You need to narrow down your focus more nine games in."

Bellotti believes Kelly can transition his spread offense to the NFL, citing former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Ross' move to the NFL.

"They were running some form of the option at Georgia Tech," Bellotti said. "My own thought was, 'How can he be successful?' He didn't run the option in the NFL. He [Ross] was a good football coach."

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Josh Kendall is a staff writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered the SEC for more than 15 years for papers such as the Athens Banner-Herald, Macon Telegraph, and The State. He’s the father of two boys who he’s hoping don’t inherit his wide receiver frame and offensive guard feet. Follow @EyeOnCoaches on twitter and send your feedback to josh@coachingsearch.com