On His First College GameDay, Nick Saban Throws Out a Challenge to Dan Lanning, Ducks

In the first international ESPN College GameDay Nick Saban joined the panel, and he had a frank assessment of Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks.

The 7-time National Championship winner challenged analyst Desmond Howard when Howard picked the Webfoots to win the inaugural 12-team playoff.

Saban said, "That's because you like them skill guys. But they do have a great quarterback and they do have some fantastic skill but I still go with the fact that somebody has got to prove that they can beat Georgia."

The last time Oregon met the Bulldogs, they fell 46-3. And a potential National Championship rematch would be at (gulp) Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the site of that previous beatdown.

In another part of the telecast Saban offered a dismissive evaluation of Oregon's championship prospects, stating the Ducks lacked depth in the trenches. The Ducks might get there as one of college football's two best rosters, but in his view they're likely to come up short again in the big game.

Saban's the most accomplished coach in college football history, sure to be elected to the Hall of Fame the moment he's eligible. But he's dead wrong about the 2024 Ducks. In fact, his scouting report sounds more like the 2010 or 2014 Ducks.

It could be that he's throwing out more rat poison to motivate the team for one of his old graduate assistants, but either way his offhand dismissal is wildly inaccurate.

This time, the Ducks are big and deep in the trenches. On defense Tosh Lupoi typically plays 30-33 players a game, even in conference play. They'll rotate the big bodies up front, and the starting front four includes 6-6, 295 Jordan Burch and 6-5, 270 Matayo Uiagalelei at the edges, a pair of 6-5, 320 monsters at the tackles in Jamaree Caldwell and Derrick Harmon.

A'Mauri Washington, Keyon Ware-Hudson, Blake Purchase and Teitum Tuioti will all play valuable roles, and there's depth beyond those guys as well.

Another factor that Coach Saban overlooks or may be unaware of are the tremendous gains the Ducks have made in the strength and conditioning program. Players like Burch and Purchase added 10-15 pounds of muscle this off season. Burch squats 658 pounds. This group is SEC strong and uncommonly agile.

Offensively, the depth is being immediately tested by injuries to guards Matthew Bedford and Dave Iuili. But that challenge will only strengthen the unit: Neither injury is season ending, and in their absence over the first few games the 6th, 7th and 8th players in the rotation will get valuable snaps. Nishad Strother and Charlie Pickard are the first up for additional playing time. Genorris Wilson, George Silva and JacQwuan McRoy will benefit. Iapani Laloulu will demonstrate his versatility, sliding over to guard while Pickard takes over at center.

The offensive line is anchored by the athletic tackle tandem of Ajani Cornelius, 6-5, 315, and Josh Conerly, 6-4, 315, one of the best duos in the country. Laloulu provides the punch inside at 6-2, 325. Ultrareliable senior left guard Marcus Harper II has logged 24 career starts, 6-3, 305.

This group can move people and they are exceptional in pass protection, leading the nation in each of the last two years in fewest sacks allowed, 5 in 2022, 5 in 2023.

Lanning, Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks have far more than great skill guys. In fact, the dudes in the trenches could prove to be the real strength of the team.