When the clock hit zero on Friday night inside Autzen Stadium and both teams started to congregate at the middle of the field, the scoreboard in Eugene flashed “Vegas Bound” in bright yellow letters.
31-7, Oregon Ducks over Oregon State Beavers. Bo Nix and his teammates had just won arguably the biggest game of the season in emphatic fashion, never leaving the outcome in doubt. From an opening touchdown drive that drained nearly 9 minutes off of the clock, to a last-gasp 4th-down attempt from the Beavers that fell incomplete, the Ducks were in control of this one.
So while fans celebrated their first win over the in-state rivals since 2021, and relished the fact that their team clinched a rematch against the Washington Huskies, many opened up Delta apps to book a flight to Vegas.
[lawrence-related id=52893]
I thought about Dan Lanning. This was a huge win for the team, clinching a conference championship berth and keeping College Football Playoff hopes alive. In my opinion, it was a bigger win for Lanning, though. After the way that the 2022 season ended against Oregon State, and the narrative started to build that he couldn’t win the biggest games against his biggest rivals, the 37-year-old coach needed this victory on his resume.
I would argue that it was the biggest victory of his head coaching career. I’d also argue that they’re only going to get bigger from here on out.
In two years as the head coach of the Ducks, Lanning has won 21 games, and lost four. He’s now clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and pulled even in the series against the Beavers. On Friday, he has a chance to get his first win over the Washington Huskies, a result that would more-than-likely put his team in the College Football Playoff.
[lawrence-related id=52876]
Is obtaining that opportunity something to celebrate?
“It’s hard to celebrate in this profession when you’re always focused on what’s next,” Lanning said after the game. “I expected us to be here. I don’t really know what everybody else thought but I expected us to be in this position because I know what our team is capable of. And we still have some unfinished business.”
In a sport where celebration usually has a 24-hour rule, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lanning and the Ducks have already turned their focus toward that “unfinished business.” For the most part, this has been a dream season in Eugene. 11 of their wins have been emphatic and convincing. The lone loss is remembered more for what could have been than what was.
On October 14th up in Seattle, The Oregon Ducks had 541 total yards, to the Washington Huskies’ 415. They picked up 32 first downs to Washington’s 24, had more than twice as many rushing yards, and had fewer punts in the game. The difference? Oregon was 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions and 1-for-2 on field goals.
I think it’s safe to say that they’d like another crack at that one.
[lawrence-related id=52786]
“Obviously that’s exactly how we wanted it because of the circumstances and because we did lose the first one,” quarterback Bo Nix said after the game.
With the win over Oregon State, the Ducks clinched the opportunity to avenge their only loss of the season. It will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the season, and the biggest game of Lanning’s head coaching career.
A win could bring bronze statues to Eugene, and send the Ducks to the final iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff. They also would have the ability to forever say that they won the final Pac-12 game ever played. It’s safe to say that the stakes are pretty high.
Of course, with a win, those stakes will only continue to get higher.
A CFP spot for the Ducks could bring games against Michigan, or Ohio State, or Alabama. It could even pit Lanning against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, the team with whom he won a national championship back in 2021.
Should any of those things come to fruition, we’ll be sitting here saying that each game is the biggest of Lanning’s career. At this point in the season, every win or loss is highlighted, emboldened, and underlined on a coach’s resume.
For the Ducks, that shouldn’t change anything. They’ve seen throughout this season that the process is working, and what they’re doing on the practice field is leading to success on the playing field. Dan Lanning has proved that he belongs on this stage. He’s proved that he can coach at a high level, beat his rivals, and get his team to a championship opportunity.
Now it’s time to prove whether or not he can beat the best of the best. With each passing week, the test gets harder, and the stakes get higher.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]