Oregon's Dan Lanning Receives Motivating Coaching Ranking
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
There could be an argument made that the Oregon Ducks underperformed in the College Football Playoff during the last two seasons.
The Ducks were blown out in losses to Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana last season, though those defeats came after milestones for the program. Oregon won the Big Ten championship in 2024 and won two CFP games last season, including shutting out Texas Tech 23-0 in the quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl.
Other than Texas, maybe no other team in the country has a better roster than the Ducks. With Dante Moore returning, Oregon has a potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft under center.
USA Today ranked Oregon head coach Dan Lanning as the No. 5 coach in the country heading into the 2026 regular season. They noted that he won't get more praise until the Ducks play better in the CFP.
"Fair or not, Lanning won’t get his national due until Oregon wins a national championship. The Ducks have been closer than ever since he took over in 2022, including a 26-3 mark in two seasons as members of the Big Ten.
"The 2024 team went unbeaten in winning the conference title and taking the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, while last year’s group advanced to the national semifinals before losing to the Hoosiers. Overall, Lanning is a gaudy 48-6 but will feel unfulfilled until he has greater postseason success."
– USA Today
It's fair criticism, as the Ducks' blowout losses in the CFP have been inexcusable, even if they lost to two programs that wound up winning the national title that season.
Oregon shouldn't be losing to those teams in blowout fashion.
The Ducks enter the regular season in similar territory to how Penn State was hyped before the 2025 season. James Franklin and his team didn't do well with the pressure, and he was fired after a 3-3 start.
Lanning isn't facing the same pressure as Franklin, but familiar questions will start to be asked if Oregon doesn't have a better outcome in the CFP this year with a much better team.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos