Oregon Coach Urges Overhaul of Playoff Schedule

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is advocating for significant changes to the college football playoff schedule after his Ducks, who went undefeated and won the Big Ten championship, lost to Ohio State following a 25-day layoff. He and other coaches with first-round byes in the new 12-team playoff all lost their quarterfinal games, which Lanning attributes to the extended break disrupting team momentum. Lanning proposes starting the season in 'Week 0,' beginning the playoff immediately after conference championships, and holding the national title game on January 1 to eliminate long byes. He argues that this condensed schedule would improve player performance and aid offseason recruiting, which is currently affected by a late season end. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti acknowledges the logistical difficulties of such changes. The debate occurs amid broader changes in college football, including evolving conference alignments, athlete compensation, and the transfer portal.