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Dan Lanning says Oregon is close to winning national championship
By David Wasson
Published:
The College Football Playoff national championship is the ultimate goal for every program, every season. But precisely one team reaches that summit per year, while the others search for the elusive combination of talent and intensity and luck to even play for the opportunity.
Count Oregon and coach Dan Lanning in the latter category, as the Ducks have been on the verge of breaking through for their first CFP title for a number of seasons without quite breaking through.
“It takes time. It’s hard. It’s hard to build,” Lanning told On3’s Wilson Alexander on Tuesday during Day 2 of the Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.
“There’s, what, four active coaches that have won national championships (Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti)? We’re close.”
Lanning’s Ducks have been tantalizingly close the past two seasons, earning bids in the 12-team CFP bracket in both 2024 and 2025 before bowing out to fellow Big Ten competition short of the CFP title game.
Oregon has played for the national title twice in school history, as Chip Kelly’s Ducks lost to Auburn 22-19 in the BCS title game in Arizona and then falling 42-20 to Ohio State in the inaugural 4-team CFP title game in 2014.
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.