If there’s one coach USC fans want to defeat this year, it’s Dan Lanning of Oregon. Let’s start by giving him his props. He has roasted USC and Lincoln Riley a few times. Oregon is the best program on the West Coast right now. Lanning has made two straight playoff appearances, winning a Big Ten title and making the semifinals last season. He’s a very good coach who has made USC look bad. Give him credit even if you don’t like him. However, as College Sports Wire notes, Lanning seems to be overselling what Oregon has achieved. The Ducks have been good, and they’ve been much better than USC, but the coach seems to be overstating how close Oregon has come to winning a national championship:
“We’ve played as good of football as anybody in the last few years outside of the team that won the national championship,” Lanning said to ESPN during Big Ten Media Days. “So we’re close. Let’s go attack 2026. New season, new team, let’s see if we can become the best version of us. Look, the ball bounced the right way (for opponents) a couple times, but you create some of your own luck, too, as you get down to the end of the season.”
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That last sentence is a real hoot. The ball bounced the right way for opposing teams? Oregon got its doors blown off by Ohio State in the 2024-2025 playoff and by Indiana in the 2025-2026 playoff. Those games weren’t decided by bounces of the ball. They were thumpings. Oregon is a lot closer to the national title than USC, but Dan Lanning doesn’t have to embellish. Why he felt the need to is very interesting.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Dan Lanning says ‘ball bounced the right way’ for Oregon playoff foes
