The Oregon Ducks football team is preparing for their first year in the Big Ten, one of college football's biggest conferences. The university moved into the conference along with former Pac-12 members Washington, USC and UCLA, and officially begins play this fall. Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning has been busy preparing his team for the transition, but he did speak with Fox Sports' Joel Klatt about how his program's makeup of players from all over the country should help them with the move.
“Every one of these guys was the best player for their high school team,” Lanning stated during the interview. “Every one of these guys was the best player where they're from. And you come here, you have a lot of the best players and now competition ensues. But within that competition, still having the connection in the family piece that we're able to create here, that I think makes it really special.”
The Oregon program has become a powerhouse in college football, and Lanning is looking to continue winning games as they move to the Big Ten.
Oregon Football, Dan Lanning embark on new Big Ten journey
The move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten is a pretty big one, and college football fans all over are interested to see how the new four west coast schools transition to a conference based in the Midwest. Lanning will undoubtedly have his team ready for the change though, and based on the discussion he had with Klatt, his “special” group of players are hungry and want to win.
You could make the argument that with the addition of Oregon, Washington and USC, the Big Ten now has at least six schools that have the ability to compete and win a national championship. Including the West Coast pickups, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan are perennial contenders, with the Wolverines having just captured the College Football Playoff national championship. They defeated the Washington Huskies in the title game to capture the trophy.
Lanning's coaching background shows drive and commitment
The coaching carousel rumors were intense this year, as a couple of big openings attracted a flurry of reports and insider tips. Michigan and Alabama, two of the biggest programs in college football, needed new coaches. Jim Harbaugh left the Michigan Wolverines for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, while Nick Saban, arguably the best coach in college football history, retired from running the Alabama Crimson Tide's program. Yet, Lanning stayed put in Eugene.
This is significant because, for the longest time, Oregon has been seen as one of the best programs in college sports. But it was never seen as a true long-term destination. With Lanning turning down those overtures in order to stay put and continue to build the Oregon Ducks football brand into one of football's best, the future is certainly bright in the Pacific Northwest. Only time will tell if a few College Football Playoff national titles make their way to Autzen Stadium.
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