Oregon dominates the regular season, but playoff success hinges on beating elite competition. Can head coach Dan Lanning finally secure a national championship?
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is entering his fifth season with the program.
The Ducks have made significant progress in the last two seasons. In 2024, Oregon won the Big Ten championship and made it to the College Football Playoff.
Last season, the Ducks went 13-2, only losing to Indiana once in the regular season and in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
Still, the loss to IU was humbling in January, as the Hoosiers won 56-22.
With quarterback Dante Moore returning to Eugene instead of becoming a first-round pick in the NFL, Lanning should feel some pressure to make the CFP national championship in the upcoming season.
During his show on Sunday, Josh Pate suggested Lanning was "on the clock" to make a push for a championship.
"There's no job security pressure for Dan Lanning," Pate said. "But it's the same thing. We know you can win a ton of games.
"Now can you show us that you can win in the playoffs? Can you show us that when you go up against other rosters that look like yours, other coaching staffs that are as highly paid as yours, can you get the job done? Can you be better than them?”
Lanning is 48-8 overall during his four years at Oregon. Other programs have shown interest in him, but Lanning remains committed to the Ducks.
Oregon isn't planning on firing Lanning soon, though it remains to be seen how much patience the school will have if they don't make a national championship appearance in the next few years.
Pate thinks Lanning needs to beat an elite team in the CFP to cement his standing at Oregon.
"And all we're looking for here is we're looking for you to continue to do what you've been doing in the regular season," Pate said. "But then when we come up on Ohio State, or maybe in Indiana, or maybe a Texas, maybe a Georgia.
"When we come up on them in the playoff and we got to beat two or three of them, can we get that job done? That's what you're on the clock for at this point. Because all the other questions are answered at Oregon.”
Again, Lanning's overall record pretty much speaks for itself.
With that being said, the blowout losses in the CFP to Ohio State and Indiana are concerning about the Ducks' chances to win its first national championship under Lanning.