The Oregon Ducks entered last season’s College Football Playoff on a hot streak, having won 13 straight games, including the Big Ten Championship, which earned them a first-round bye.
However, in their first playoff game, the Ducks were dominated by the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Now, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is pointing to the timing of the college football postseason, saying it puts teams at a disadvantage.
Dan Lanning Criticizes College Football Playoff Timing After Oregon’s Early Exit
No one expected Oregon’s collapse in the College Football Playoff. Although many believed Ohio State could win, few predicted the Big Ten champions would fall 41-21 in the Rose Bowl.
Oregon’s blowout loss was likely due to several factors, but one that has been pointed to is the extended time off between the regular season and their first playoff game. The Ducks, who were red-hot during the season, may have cooled off during the long break that came with their first-round bye before facing Ohio State.
On FS1’s “First Things First,” host Nick Wright asked Lanning whether the first-round bye played a role in Oregon not being ready to face Ohio State, which had just come off a win over Tennessee.
Lanning acknowledged that the bye likely did play a role, pointing out that every team with a first-round bye lost its first College Football Playoff game.
“If you look at the four teams that had a bye, all four lost,” Lanning said. “I think there is something about staying in rhythm,” Lanning said.
The Ducks’ head coach isn’t wrong. Boise State, Georgia, and Arizona State all lost their first games after receiving a first-round bye.
According to Lanning, it’s not just the extra week off that hurts. He also believes the current college football postseason schedule, which includes nearly a month of bowl games before the playoff begins, disrupts the rhythm of teams competing for a national title.
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“We’re in a unique spot in college sports where we’re actually trying to juggle keeping bowl games alive, and going to a playoff,” Lanning said. “The reality in mind is that every other playoff system that exists, when the season’s over, next week’s the bye, the next week after that is the game.”
While it may sound like a convenient excuse from Lanning, he did take responsibility for Oregon’s loss. Still, he makes a valid point.
The Ducks beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship on December 7, 2024, but didn’t face Ohio State until January 1, 2025. That long gap between high-stakes games can easily knock a team out of rhythm.
Bowl games have long been a staple of college football, but they’ve lost much of their significance in the playoff era. While it makes sense to have a postseason for programs that don’t qualify for the playoffs, penalizing the top teams by making them sit for nearly a month before competing again seems unfair.
