Oregon’s 42-27 win over No. 16 USC in Eugene moved the Ducks up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 and placed them firmly inside the College Football Playoff picture.
Dante Moore completed 22-of-30 for 257 yards and two touchdowns, Oregon’s special teams produced a game‑changing 85‑yard punt return, and the Ducks improved to 10-1 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play with the victory.
However, it was coach Dan Lanning’s comments after the game that drew the most attention.
“We didn’t play Chattanooga State today, right? Like some other places. We competed,” Lanning said, comments many viewed as a perceived jab at other conferences’ late‑season scheduling.
On Monday, renowned college football voice David Pollack pushed back on Lanning’s remarks.
“If you want to talk about schedules, we can look, Dan Lanning, right at your schedule and look at who you’ve played. It hasn’t been that impressive. I don’t think you want to play that game,” Pollack said.
“It’s a nice luxury, Dan, when Ohio State can rest their top two receivers. When they’re a little bit dinged up because they play in a league where they don’t have to worry about it. They don’t have to worry about winning every single game. They don’t have to worry about winning to survive because they don’t have to worry about being tested that much.”
“They’re still a great team. Ohio State’s still a great team. Dan’s not wrong that sometimes the calendar lines up late in the season, where SEC teams aren’t playing anybody. But let’s not look at your schedule and look at other schedules and say that it’s comparable because it’s not. You can bring your C game, and you can still win.”
“So it’s a nice problem to have. But you can’t do that in the SEC,” Pollack added.
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Oregon’s season slate has featured several high‑profile nonconference and Power Five tests, including games against Oklahoma State, Penn State (double‑OT win), and marquee Big Ten opponents such as Indiana, Iowa and USC.
However, the strength of the SEC cannot be overstated, as five of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 are from that conference: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Georgia, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 8 Oklahoma, and No. 10 Alabama.
The Big Ten, in contrast, has just three: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, and No. 5 Oregon.
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Oregon’s final game against Washington will be pivotal for CFP seeding.Â
The committee prioritizes on‑field results, conference championships, and head‑to‑head/quality wins when finalizing the 12‑team bracket.
Because the SEC’s depth can produce more résumé‑building wins, that context could hurt Oregon and other teams competing for seeding and at‑large spots.
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