Oregon and head coach Dan Lanning had a season to remember, going 13-0 in their first year in the Big Ten and winning the conference, but they wouldn’t get past the Buckeyes in their first college football playoff game under the 38-year-old head coach.
The Ducks were the best team in the country all season, and they were rewarded with the number one seed and a bye in the first round. Unfortunately, they had to face eighth-seeded Ohio State, which just came off a first-round beatdown against Tennessee.
Dan Lanning Is To Blame
Ohio State would bring its outstanding performance to the West Coast and do the same to the Ducks, scoring the first 34 points and winning 41-21.
Lanning was unprepared for the game and took full responsibility, stating, “They clicked tonight, we didn’t. I didn’t get our team prepared.”
Dan Lanning on the loss to Ohio State: “They clicked tonight, we didn’t. I didn’t get our team prepared.”
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) January 2, 2025
Sometimes, in the coaching world, you throw up a bad performance and have to tip your hat to the other team and say they got us, and this is what happened here.
Lanning was terrific all season, and it sucks that Ohio State got the better of him to end the season, but he is still one of the best head coaches in the sport, and every coach has one of these types of games.
Lanning is undoubtedly a top-five college football coach and will keep the Ducks in the same spot for many years.
Oregon is just starting, and they are nowhere near the finish line. They will reach the promised land one of these days, and Lanning will be the coach to do it.
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