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Beating the best in this era means beating your best as well. Kirby has struggled now that the field is equal. Saban left before he had to taste it multiple years. That doesn't mean they wouldn't ever raise a trophy. Both those coaches are masters of the game. There are only 4 active coaches that have won a title and have a shot at getting another this year. Let's just take the Power 4 teams. That's 4 out of 68? Let's dig deeper and include only those programs that really test the best. What? Maybe 15? That's roughly 25 percent of the field. You know, the usual statistics (20% of the field produces 80% of the performance). I personally believe the OL that was good enough to win a title was Lanning's first. He had a mediocre defense and nowhere near the WRs he has now. That OL unit put some serious rush yards on one of the best college football's defenses of all time. They pass protected even better. They didn't have guys that could burn teams like Ohio State (circa 2024) and Georgia (circa 2023 and 2022). They had em last year (not a good enough OL) and they have em this year (we'll have to wait and see). So what Lanning has done with the limitations he has had relative to his fellow elite coaches is tremendous. I still believe Ohio State and Georgia have the most talent THIS YEAR. So it will be Dante Moore playing like elite NFL QBs this year in my opinion. He is going to have to throw in some of the tightest windows-on time-before receivers even know they are open. And some of that will be coaching on a level above the NFL's best. My opinion of course. But that is what I see. And believe me-what Dan Lanning has done the past two years with talent I did not believe was capable of accomplishing what they did (to the degree I really thought they had a chance in the Peach Bowl despite the situation) is beyond incredible. They guy is on the trail to winning a title. And I am not fantasizing when I say that.

I also do not believe blame is the correct word (great click bait though-no shade against you-it naturally piques our curiosity). I will always support Dan Lanning. Despite my "distaste" for some of the strategy moves I have seen. I have done quite a bit of study about OBD and other elite teams. There are some very justifiable reasons for what Lanning has schemed. There also are legitimate reasons for staying the course. It is VERY, VERY difficult to adjust to conditions on the ground in a game. Some may even accuse coaches of panicking if they do so- a coach "can't win" no matter what he does-fans are fickle. Which is why I loved it when Lanning put on the FEBU shirt after taking down Ohio State in Eugene. We all want to see OBD win the big ones. I am very spoiled, because I want to see obliteration. Most especially against Ohio State's fan base. We got to USC and the Fuskies-Ohio State in particular is on my radar. Simply because that fan base is horrible. They excoriated Ryan Day despite the guy's effort (and results) to improve the program damn near every year. Not to mention their outright arrogance (we have it to, as well as way too many fan bases in college football). What does that have to do with where OBD are and who is to blame? There simply are too many variables for a coach to control. Indiana really put the pedal to the metal last year and they STILL almost lost their title. It would have been heartbreaking to see them lose had Carson Beck threw his pass 4 to 5 yards deeper. After all the dominance they displayed, and their uncanny ability to execute so well under pressure all year. An illegal procedure penalty and a defensive penalty almost cost Indiana a title. Two simple mistakes almost tanked one of the most unbelievable stories ever. So what Lanning got blown out twice. Do you think he is contemplating his own blowouts? Do you think he is thinking outside the box to get his title(2)? And guess what-if we were in his shoes-oh boy guess how much nonsense we would have to put up with. I knew Casey Brooks-Rich Brooks' daughter. She used to tell me many a horror story of what fans put her and her father through. Brooks kept on chuggin and pluggin. Which is exactly what Lanning will do. I BELIEVE LANNING BRINGS US A TITLE. He is too smart, too determined and too dedicated to furthering the goals of everyone in his program. Those are ingredients that lend to the ultimate success. Sometimes you gotta lose to learn how to win.

Thanks all for your insights. Some good stuff here.

It's definitely a different world. I sort of got over the reality that tattoos are far more commonplace today than they were three decades ago. My son - who graduated from Michigan Law School and worked at an elite Corporate Law firm (Baker McKenzie) and now works at PwC - has one full sleeve. It's jsut a different time.

Dylan Raiola's latest development is exactly what Oregon fans wanted to see"Dylan has gotten a lot better. He looks like a night-and-day different player from when he got here in the spring. With that being said, there's moments already from today that we've got to improve — that's something we've got to attack. And that's the case for every single player on the team, not just Dylan." Autzen ZooDylan Raiola's latest development is exactly what Oregon...When the Oregon Ducks were able to get Dante Moore to return to Eugene for one final season, it quickly eliminated what likely would've been a need at quarterba

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning and Rich Eisen discuss the big expectations for Heisman hopeful and likely top 10 NFL Draft pick Dante Moore this season, explains why moving the College Football Playoff championship game to New Year’s Day is a no-brainer decision, weighs in on the Jayden Daniels/LSU #5 beef and tries to turn TJ into a Ducks fan by enticing him with a rare pair of Air Jordans, and reveals why it’s important for him to maintain relationships with his former players when they move on to the NFL.

Ducks check lots of boxes in fall scrimmage No. 1, still more work to do https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/ducks-check-lots-of-boxes-in-fall-scrimmage-no-1-still-more-work-to-do-288967158/

Everything Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the Ducks' first fall scrimmageOPENING STATEMENT"Overall, good scrimmage. The thing you're always hoping for a coach in this moment is you want to test physicality, the ability to tackle and break tackles, but you also want to walk away healthy, and we were able to do that today. Overall some really good reps from both sides of the ball. We've got to do a better job with ball security at times. We've got to clean up some special teams play and make sure we're able to get the kicks we need to get. But overall, a solid performance. We've got to go back and evaluate the film. I told our players that there's two things that we're looking for when we grade a scrimmage. Are you accountable? And are you capable? Do you do your job when you're asked to do your job and are you capable of doing the job we ask you to do? If you're not, then you're going to get limited reps. If you do, then you'll continue to grow on this team. Those are the things we're going to evaluate as we watch the film. https://247sports.com/college/oregon/longformarticle/everything-oregon-coach-dan-lanning-said-after-the-ducks-first-fall-scrimmage-288966287/

Maybe Terrelle Pryor was recruiting him for Ohio St.

Great bulletin material!

Here are some great X responses.

The staff at Bucknuts, the 24/7 Ohio St. site listed the BIG schedule and asked the followers to list the games easiest to hardest. 1. Sept. 12 at Texas 2. Sept. 26 vs. Illinois 3. Oct. 3 at Iowa 4. Oct. 17 at Indiana 5. Oct. 31 at USC 6. Nov. 7 Oregon 7. Nov. 21 at Nebraska 8. Nov. 28 Michigan Here are the first few answers. Remember to list easiest to hardest. 1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 8, 2, 7 1 Texas..WOW 2 USC..Road games to USC have not be friendly for the Buckeyes 3 Michigan..Still could be the Buckeyes toughest game 4 Indiana..Reportedly the most anticipated home game in Indiana history 5 Oregon...A WOW game but played on Nov 7 in Columbus 6 Iowa...A very dangerous game..Iowa plays like a elite team at home 7 Nebraska..Any other season Nebraska would be higher 8 llinois..Illinois has historically been tough for the Buckeyes 1. @ Texas. This one should be a barn burner. 2. AT Indiana - same coach is still there. 3. @ USC. They are building. 4. Oregon. Same coach. Paying top dollar for players on OSU's radar to try weakening the Buckeyes while Phil Knight's team gets better. 5. Michigan. I think this one is OBVIOUSLY a higher priority. However, it is at Ohio Stadium, and Michigan is not as good without their cheating. 6. @Iowa. Ferentz's teams don't have the talent, but they play fundamentally sound. This would be higher if the Hawkeyes had a QB 7. Illinois. Normally much higher, but considering #1-4 toughest games are all potentially top 5-10 teams with national title hopes... Illinois is no joke. But at Ohio Stadium. 8. @ Nebraska - Day doesn't get upset by unranked teams as a general rule. 1. @Texas 2a and 2b are IU away and Oregon at home 3. scUM 4. @USC 5. @Iowa 6. Illinois 7. @Nebraska 1 - 4 - 6 - 5 - 8 - 3 - 2 - 7 Finally, someone who read the assignment. My order is 2, 7, 3, 8, 5, 4, 6, 1 Am I the only one who read that we should order them from easiest to hardest? YES!!

Well, his dad has a pretty full array of tattoos on his arm in his picture with his son. Maybe this dude has a lot of love and respect for his father, which is a pretty good thing in today's world.

Or an undertaker.

Personally, I'm not big on highlights since these 4- & 5-star guys are men going against boys in many of the films. The coaches get to see film against all opponents and break down techniques, so I'll go with their evaluations. Based upon this "kid's" stature and stats, what does it take to be a 5 star?

Dan Lanning voices support for potential CFP expansionIn an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Lanning backed the idea of playoff expansion because of the financial benefits teams and conferences could receive from television revenue, which largely flows down from the massive television contracts the College Football Playoff has with networks like ESPN. "I'm great with four, I'm great with 12, but ideally, if we're talking about it's a TV problem, you have to generate more revenue," Lanning said. "So if you have to generate more revenue, what does that mean? It means add more teams. We've been in the playoff the last two years. It doesn't necessarily make sense for Oregon to add more playoff teams, because we've put ourselves in that position the last few years. https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/08/15/oregon-football-dan-lanning-supports-potential-cfp-expansion/91310884007/

If you want to wager on the Ducks this season, be prepared to lay a lot of points. 🤑 https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/oregon_ducks_vs_michigan_wolverines_early_betting_odds_turning_heads/s1_16787_44172534?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20260815&mb_loc=right_h

Thank you, AnotherOD, for a deeper dive into Dan's record. Much appreciated. Dan is 15-8 against AP Top 25 opponents. 5-4 vs Top 10, 1-3 vs Top 5. Ryan Day is 27-11 against Top 25 opponents. 16-10 vs Top 10. 8-7 vs Top 5. In seven seasons as the HC at Ohio State, Day has played more Top 25 opponents than Dan did in his two seasons in the Pac-12. Dan's three Top-5 losses: Champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and twice in 2025 to champion Indiana. The one win was against Ohio State in Autzen. James Franklin is 4-21 against Top 10 opponents. Matt Campbell is 4-7. Matt Rhule is 0-11. Kirk Ferentz is 31-60. The reason Nick Saban is the GOAT: Seven National Championships. HC at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama: 48-25 vs Top 10 (.667) and 30-16 vs the Top 5 (.652). It's not easy, but to be the best, you have to beat the best. And today, no program can stack talent like Saint Nick did at Bama. Thanks again!

Perfectly stated, my thoughts exactly!!!

I wrote on recently that kinda goes into some of this stuff. But of bad luck and a bit of unpreparedness. Just How Close are the Ducks From a Championship?During Big Ten Media Days Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning said the Ducks are close to winning it all but is this just fan service or are the Ducks really that close to winning it all?

Name? Mine! Image? Mine! Likeness? Mine, mine, mine!! Yup, no "I" in team, but it is central to NIL

Lanning's record in 2 years of a 12-team PO is 2-2. As noted above, Kirby Smart is 0-2. Every conference and ND agreed that the seeding format in 2024-25 that had Boise State as the 3rd seed was FUBAR. Under today's seeding of teams as ranked, Oregon's Rose Bowl opponent would have been the winner of Boise State at Indiana, not eventual champ Ohio State. Eight teams have had 1st-round playoff byes. The collective record in 2nd-round games is 1-7. As Curt Cignetti noted, Indiana caught Oregon at a good time. It wasn't expected, but Oregon came off a very physical game vs the Texas Tech defense, and Bama quit in the Rose Bowl. And the game should have been called the Hoosier Bowl and not the Peach Bowl. 515 miles from Bloomington to Atlanta. 2619 miles from Eugene, with Oregon coming off of a game in Miami. It also didn't help that Dan's OC and DC were serving two masters. Dan and friends were outcoached by experienced coaches who won championships after the beatdown of OBD, aided by the Buckeyes and Hoosiers having some 'pretty good' players on the field. This is Dan's 5th year at the helm. Smart and Day won their titles in year six. The advantage this season is that if Oregon makes it to the title game, it will be played in Las Vegas, and the hometown team, UNLV, will not be the opponent. Ducks fans will flock to Allegiant Field. However, Dan will be the first to acknowledge the blowout losses, and no one will work harder to rectify the problem. Keep the faith!

Win lose or draw, I love my Ducks. It hurts to see them lose the last game of the season, especially after beating their slate of opponents in convincing fashion. But you know what? MOST CFB teams lose their last game of the season . Half of those who don’t make the playoffs, and all but one of those who do. We are not in bad company. I learned long ago that blame solves nothing. I trust DL to go back to the drawing board, make some adjustments and deliver to us fans the best team these kids are capable of being. I believe DL and OBD will deliver us a Natty at some point under DL, possibly more. There is also the possibility we will always be bridesmaids and never the bride. As fans we need to deal with it. Blaming anyone or anything for the final loss solves nothing. Never did, never will.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/jayden-daniels-reportedly-wants-lsu-to-return-its-copy-of-his-heisman-trophy

Dan Lanning was on Rich Eisen recently and was asked about this. He carefully offered some insights while stressing that he was not making excuses. AgaInst OSU, he reminded us that the Ducks sat for 25 days after playing in the B1G Championship, while OSU played the week before against Tennessee. Last year, running back room devastated, O line injuries compounding and 2 checked out assistants due to open transfer portal while the season was still going on. This context matters to some extent, I'll eave it to each to form their own judgments.