Dan Lanning Delivers Strong Message To Teams Left Out of College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff field is set, and there has been no shortage of controversy. Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning went on “The Jim Rome Show” earlier this week and gave his message to anyone that has a problem with their team not making the 12-team field.

The first team out of this year's CFP were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was the national runner up from a season ago and lost their first two games of the 2025 season to the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies. In the end, Notre Dame did not get in at 10-2.

Dan Lanning's Message To Teams That Didn't Make Playoff

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning College Football Playoff National Championship Format Jim Rome Show James Madison Dukes Autzen — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the sideline as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning was asked about the playoff format by Jim Rome, which he admitted is “flawed.” However, the Oregon coach did add that if there is a team that didn’t make it, in the end it’s their fault.

“I think it’s flawed, but the one thing you control is win,” Lanning said. “Anybody that’s complaining that they’re not in that means they didn’t win enough. It’s your fault if you don’t make it…If you’re in it, it means you won enough. If you didn’t, it means you didn’t win enough.”

Lanning also eluded to if there was another expansion of the playoff, these same conversations about teams getting “snubbed” would still be happening.

“If we made it 24 teams everybody would be talking about who the 23rd and 24th team was,” Lanning said. “It doesn’t really matter. It was no different when it was four. There will always be a discussion there. Ultimately, you always control your destiny if you win enough games.”

"Anybody that's complaining that they're not in, that means they didn't win enough."@oregonfootball's @CoachDanLanning on the CFP selection process. pic.twitter.com/jj0fe9oe7M
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 10, 2025

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Different Formats To Decide Champion in College Football

Lanning is right. Back in the days of the BCS Championship when there were just two teams selected to play in the national championship game, the No. 3 and No. 4 team in the country felt they had a right to be in the game.

The four-team playoff was added for the 2014 college football season and was in place through 2023. The final four-team field had many up in arms because for the first time in this format that an undefeated power conference champion, 13-0 Florida State, did not make the field. Former Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a broken leg agains North Alabama, and the undefeated ACC Champion was ultimately left out.

Now, there are 12 teams. This includes five auto bids that go to the five highest ranked conference champions. It almost assures that any team that goes undefeated will be guaranteed a spot. The seven remaining spots are at large and selected by the playoff committee. Even if this field gets bigger, the debates about who should and shouldn't be in will not stop.