"Doesn't matter, who cares": Dan Lanning bullish on Oregon's chances in the CFP
After an unbeaten run through the Big Ten Championship game, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks are flying high heading into the CFP. Head coach Dan Lanning is understandably bullish on Oregon's chances in the playoff despite what some have said is a bad draw for the Ducks. Appearing on "Bussin’ With The Boys" Tuesday, here’s what Lanning had to say when asked about his team's chances and playoff path.
"No, because it doesn’t matter. Who cares? It’s outside noise...At the end of the day, all we can control is what we do with our opportunity, and this is an unbelievable opportunity…Like if we take care of business, we deserved it (the No. 1 seed), we earned it. That’s all we want.
We don’t want handouts…And the fact that you get to play elite teams, what an opportunity for us. And it doesn't mean that it’s going to be easy, man. It’s going to take some hard work. You know, being a part of championship teams in the past, it means the ball is going to have to bounce the right way at times too.
Oregon may have gotten the No. 1 seed, but its road to a championship may be a little bit brutal because of what pundits have reportedly said as a flawed selection process. Boise State and Arizona State were ranked lower than the playoff field, but thanks to both teams winning their respective conference titles, they were given the No. 3 and No.4 seed while the rest of the field below them got shuffled back. Now the Ducks will have to play the winner of Ohio State vs. Tennessee in the 8-9 matchup.
Fox Sports football analyst Joel Klatt spoke out on what he called “a horrendous job” by the selection committee.
“What a horrendous job this committee did...The team that was penalized the most was @oregonfootball and the team that was rewarded the most was @PennStateFball...I guess the Ducks should have laid down in the 4th...Just atrocious"
The Ducks enter the playoff extremely balanced.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the Big Ten this season in passing yards (3,558) and passing touchdowns (28). He'll continue to look for his favorite target Tez Johnson, whose 10 receiving touchdowns also led the Big Ten. Jordan James, who ranks third in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns in the conference, will continue to be the team’s workhorse back. The Ducks have the 14th best offense in the country and are 15th in scoring offense.
Meanwhile, Oregon's defense ranked in the top 5 in the conference for every major category. The Ducks have improved tremendously on that side of the ball since Lanning's arrival, ranking 13th in scoring defense this season. They do give up plenty of yards, ranking 71st in total defense but Lanning's "bend don't break" approach works when the offense is putting up 35.9 points per game.