Dan Lanning didn't hold back about College Football Playoff reform after he and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks shut out the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders 23-0 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday afternoon.
Lanning and Oregon crashed out of last year's tournament despite having a first-round bye. This time, they didn't have as they placed fifth in the bracket. They took care of business in the first round after beating James Madison 51-34 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Lanning reflected on the Ducks' CFP success so far after shutting out the Red Raiders. He likes the notion that the team plays much sooner instead of getting a week off that places the risk of crashing out in the tournament early.
“I guess it works, right? I’ve been a proponent for games to be happening much quicker for a long time. I think that’s best for college football. Again, I felt like this game — the Orange Bowl, first off, was unbelievable. I should have really given kudos to the Orange Bowl because it’s been a great experience, but it’s not the same bowl experience anymore when you talk about playoffs. Our guys didn’t leave the hotel. They had a mindset that we can celebrate when this thing is all over with and they were really focused, but the hospitality here was unbelievable,” Lanning said.
“But we’re trying to serve two different purposes here, and this is a playoff. A playoff in my opinion should have been played in Lubbock, Texas. I’ve said that before. That’s not because we wanted to go play in Lubbock; I certainly didn’t. I’m glad we played here in Miami, and it was good prep for us, but last year very similar situation for us. I feel like that game should have been played in Eugene. There’s a lot of people that do playoffs. I feel like the playoffs have looked a certain way for a long time, and we’re trying to serve two purposes here. The amount of time in between games, obviously, is tough for teams. We experienced it last year.”
Dan Lanning continues to speak on the CFP format and the success @oregonfootball has had without a first-round bye this season 🦆 pic.twitter.com/7RSXgoMMwS
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 1, 2026
How Dan Lanning, Oregon played against Texas Tech
Dan Lanning made it clear that the CFP needs more adjustments so it can be the best format possible.
In the meantime, Oregon is rolling to begin this year's CFP. Taking down No. 12 James Madison and No. 4 Texas Tech, it is apparent that the squad has a serious chance to make a run to the championship game if they maintain their level of play.
The No. 5 Ducks will look forward to their semifinal matchup of the CFP. They take on the winner between the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
