Oregon HC Dan Lanning has a lot more at stake Saturday against Ohio State than just winning one football game

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is largely considered one of the great up and coming coaches in all of college football. On paper, there is a lot to like. That resume includes Lanning’s overall 27-5 record, and outstanding efforts on the recruiting trail. There’s reason to believe that the Ducks have a very, very bright future.

Heading into their battle against Ohio State this weekend, there is a lot more on the line than people even realize. This isn’t simply a matchup between No. 3 Oregon and the No. 2 Buckeyes. Coach Lanning has a lot more to prove. Up until now, his reputation has been built on what people think could be the next step. This weekend's battle against Ohio State can showcase that he and this program is ready to truly compete on the highest level.

Over his first two years as the head man in Eugene, Lanning has gone 7-5 against top 25 ranked teams. When you really dive deep into those victories, the context does poke holes in those victories. During the 2022 season, Lanning’s first with the Ducks, they went 3-3 against those ranked opponents.

Those three wins came against (12) BYU, (9) UCLA and (10) Utah. The victory over the Utes was by far the most impressive, but both BYU and UCLA ended up underachieving compared to what people those they were, ending with 8-5 and 9-4 records respectively.

The three losses came against Georgia , Washington and Oregon State. That loss to the Beavers was a big disappointment, especially when you compared the two rosters on paper to the other. Losing to Georgia in your first game as a head coach was nothing to be ashamed about, although a 49-3 throttling is never a great sight.

On paper, the 2023 season was an improvement in the biggest games of the season. The Ducks finished with a 4-2 record against top 25 teams, but once again, context shows that those victories were not as great as they were once thought. Of those four victories, one came against Colorado who was No. 19 at the time of the game. Of course many forget about that ranking, considering they finished with a 4-8 record.

Oregon also beat Utah and Oregon State, both of which finished with a 8-5 overall record. Their best victory, I suppose, was their bowl game blowout over the Group of Five champion Liberty Flames. While Liberty put together an impressive 13-0 record going into that game, their most impressive victory came against… New Mexico State?

Coach Lanning has done a lot of great things during his time with Oregon, and the arrow is definitely pointing upward. We are still waiting for his first victory against an elite college program. He has that opportunity on Saturday.

If Lanning and the Ducks are able to defeat Ohio State , that could send a statement to the Big Ten conference and all of college football. It would be their biggest victory as a new member of the conference, and would send out a signal flare to the rest of the country. Is Oregon truly ready to compete? We will find out on Friday.