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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has continued to campaign for the college football season to end on Jan. 1 each year in an effort to address multiple issues.
Lanning highlighted the challenges of coordinators taking on head coaching positions and being forced to juggle their responsibilities, and said he prefers to cut back on long breaks between games. The 39-year-old has been talking about ending the college football season early since the summer.
“All playoff games must be played every weekend until the end of the season,” Lanning said during his news conference Wednesday. “Even if that means we start Week 0 or you eliminate a bye, the season ends on January 1, and then the portal opens, then the coaches who have to move on to their next opportunities can move on to their next opportunities.”
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Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning watches during the fourth quarter against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on December 20, 2025. (Craig Strobeck/Image Images)
Lanning reiterated during his press conference that he thought playing in the first round allowed his team to keep pace. Last season, Oregon was the No. 1 seed and lost in its first College Football Playoff game to Ohio State.
The NFL plays games on Saturdays throughout the month of December, something Lanning disagrees with. I would prefer that Saturdays remain exclusive to college football so we can pick up the pace of the College Football Playoffs and finish the season before January 1st.
“I have a lot of respect for the NFL, but we’re a prep league for the NFL,” Lanning said. “We do a lot of favors for the NFL. We’re the minor league in a lot of ways, but the NFL doesn’t pay money to take care of college football.
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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks at the scoreboard during the first half of the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff against James Madison, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
“We’ve given up some of our days to the NFL. We said, ‘Oh, you guys are going to have this day, you’re going to have this day, you’re going to have this day.’ The Sabbath should be sacred to college football, and every Saturday through December should belong to college football.”
Oregon’s offensive and defensive coordinators are trying to navigate their dual responsibilities. Offensive coordinator Will Stein took the Kentucky job, while defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi took the California job.
If Oregon advances beyond the quarterfinals, both coaches will be busy navigating the transfer portal, which opens Jan. 2, as they try to coach the Ducks to a national championship.
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“Our national championship game this year is Jan. 19, and that’s really hard to imagine as a coach going out and trying to join a new program and build a staff,” Lanning said.
“It’s hard for players to understand what continuity looks like and where they’re going to be and manage that with visits, the portal, everything else that exists. The clear way to do that is to improve the season and make sure these playoff games go much faster.”
Oregon will face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on January 1 at noon ET.
