Dan Lanning Reacts to Playoff Bracket as Oregon Navigates Program Changes

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning are in the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season, but Lanning and the Ducks won't have a first-round bye in 2025. Instead, Oregon will host James Madison in Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Lanning made an appearance on ESPN's CFP Selection Show, and he spoke about how Oregon's dealing with the departures of offensive coordinator Will Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi. Lanning also spoke about James Madison coach Bob Chesney and the Dukes as well as what he expects for a playoff game in Autzen Stadium:

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning college football playoff bracket james madison dukes bob chesney autzen stadium first round — 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

Everything Dan Lanning Said On the CFP Selection Show

On replacing both coordinators:

"It'll never be bigger distractions right now in college football than there are right now with coaches getting opportunities, with the portal, with signing day just wrapping up. So there's a lot of opportunities, and then obviously you're under a microscope now with less, 12 teams, that are playing for this opportunity. But I think everyone understands the excitement and the opportunity that exists right in front of us, and every one of these coaches," Lanning said.

"That's why you come here, and same for players, you come here to create opportunities, and they want to make sure they leave this on the right note," he continued. "They did a lot of things to help us get into get in this position, and now it's about finishing it off."

On hosting a first-round game instead of a bye:

"One, I think there is a huge benefit to get an opportunity to play quick. We have this weekend off, an opportunity for our players to recover, to watch some good football games, but I'm excited to see what Autzen is gonna look like with our our fans. That atmosphere, I think we all saw how special those moments can be last season as some of those opportunities played out, so we're really excited about the chance to pack Autzen and go play some games," Lanning said.

On Oregon's freshmen contributors:

"Well, it's certainly the way that the season started, but that time and that experience makes you a vet, and we have some guys that played really young this year. We always say 'If you're good enough, you're old enough,' and we had some guys that stepped up in big moments, that were ready for those moments. Now they have experience, they were not so young anymore," said Lanning.

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On James Madison's Bob Chesney:

"I got a lot of respect for his path to get to where he's at. Obviously those guys have won everywhere they've been. He's worked his way up, which is really impressive. You got to watch a little bit of their team play throughout the season, and then obviously last night you see them in action. They obviously have a really good team. They play with each other. They really match that mantra, team. mentality, so I know it'll be a fun challenge for us and the opportunity to play against a good team."

On Oregon's team identity:

"I think that's one thing our team's proven this year. We can beat you different ways, right? Whether you have a battle against Iowa, that finishes 18, 16, it's about the team that can run the ball. Or you have a shootout with USC at times. Every phase of our team has really stepped up throughout the year, and our players embrace the physicality that's required to play football at the level you need to play it at. They're excited when they get to put the pads on and go out to practice and work and it's really paid off for us throughout this season," Lanning said.