Urban Meyer Delivers Concerning Verdict on $10.4M Head Coach’s Playoff Hopes

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With the College Football Playoff race heating up, expectations are beginning to clash with reality for many programs. Urban Meyer has now weighed in on the playoff prospects of Dan Lanning’s program. However, he doesn’t seem to be very hopeful that they can keep championship hopes alive.

“Oregon, I think they’re cooked,” Meyer said on the Triple Option podcast on October 14. “I just watched Dylan Raiola. I watched the coach’s copy of it. They’re not playing very well right now. I know that’s a rather obvious statement, but sometimes when you watch a coach’s copy, you can say, “Okay, they’re losing, but they’re playing okay.” They’re not playing very well. They’re at seven turnovers, I believe, and it’s trouble in River City there.”

After almost 4 years, Oregon was dropped from the AP Poll after this loss. UCLA defeated Oregon 17-15, with the Bruins’ defense forcing seven turnovers. Oregon struggled to hold on to the ball and committed seven turnovers, including five fumbles and 2 interceptions.

After 5 games this season, their total turnovers have now reached 9. Last season’s CFP team recorded just 2 fumbles in five games.

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Dylan Raiola took the field as the starting QB after Dante Moore was ruled out because of a concussion he suffered against USC. Raiola went 6-of-19 for 43 yards with two costly interceptions and even lost a fumble. Even Lanning was furious after the game he saw.

“He wasn’t good enough today. I think he can acknowledge that. But we didn’t prepare him to be good enough today,” Lanning said, as reported by ESPN. “We didn’t put him in positions to have the success he needs to have. We need the best version of Dylan moving forward. Two weeks ago, he was phenomenal.”

The Nebraska transfer QB had some hope riding on him after he blasted the Trojans for 289 yards and two touchdowns. His struggles continued throughout the game, ultimately leading to him being benched in the fourth quarter.

The third-string QB, Brock Thomas, took his place on the field and completed 11 of his 15 passes. When your starting quarterback is sidelined by injury, and even his backup gets benched, the warning signs become impossible to ignore. But what exactly was in those tapes that made Meyer think this year’s Ducks won’t make it to the CFPs?

“It’s un-Oregon,” Meyer added on the podcast. “When I see a Dan Lanning team play, I see a marginally superhuman effort. I see people flying around the ball. However, I don’t see that. I see fundamentals and ball security, and I don’t see that. So, I don’t know, but something’s going on there.”

There is no secret that their performance over the last 2 seasons has taken a huge dip. Oregon began its season with a narrow 34–27 win over Boise State. Then lost to Oklahoma State 39–31. However, they bounced back with two consecutive wins. They then won 84–0 over Portland State, followed by a 41–27 victory over USC.

Instead of building momentum with a winning streak, Oregon’s inconsistency has raised red flags for Meyer, who even plans to call the $10.4M HC to ask him what’s going on with the Ducks.

The program, which had a 13–2 record in 2025 and a perfect 5–0 start, is now struggling at 3–2. Under Lanning, they finished the regular season 11-1 and even made the semifinals, where they unfortunately lost to Indiana.

Across those two seasons (2024-2025), the Ducks compiled a combined 26–3 record in the regular season and postseason. Even in the 2024 season, they were impeccable with a clean 9-0 record in the Big 10. They were even their conference champions that year. However, they lost to Ohio State in the quarterfinals. The same team they need to defeat if they want to get close to the CFPs.

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