Dan Lanning Suggests Overhaul to Improve College Football Playoff Schedule

On the eve of New Year’s Day, Oregon coach Dan Lanning has stirred up the College Football Playoff (CFP) schedule debate again. With his Ducks set to take on Texas Tech in the quarterfinals, Lanning’s proposing some pretty big changes to a system he sees as, well, kind of broken.

He’s pushing for fixes to the long layoff between games for teams with first-round byes. He also wants the season to wrap by January 1 and for the playoff schedule to better fit the new realities—think transfer portal chaos and coaching moves.

The Problem with the Current College Football Playoff Schedule

The CFP schedule gets a lot of flak for its awkward gaps, especially for top-seeded teams. Take Texas Tech—they grabbed a first-round bye and haven’t played since December 6.

That kind of downtime? It can kill momentum and mess with performance. Lanning says every playoff game should happen each weekend, no big breaks, just keep things rolling until it’s over.

Impact on Players and Coaches

The drawn-out CFP schedule makes things tough for players and coaches, too. The national championship isn’t until January 19, and coaches who land new gigs have to juggle a lot.

Lanning’s in the thick of it himself, with both his offensive and defensive coordinators leaving for head coaching jobs at Kentucky and Cal. Oregon’s not the only one dealing with this—it’s happening all over, and it just adds to the chaos and instability for teams and players.

Proposed Solutions for a More Efficient Schedule

Lanning’s main idea? Start the season earlier, maybe ditch bye weeks, and finish up by January 1. That way, the playoff process gets smoother and doesn’t clash so much with the NFL schedule.

Ending earlier would also mean the transfer portal could open on January 2, so coaches and players could move on without all the overlap and confusion.

Benefits of an Earlier Season Start

Starting sooner could help in a few ways:

• Consistency: Playing every weekend keeps teams sharp and in rhythm.
• Stability: Coaches can stick with their teams, instead of getting pulled away by job offers mid-playoff.
• Player Development: A set schedule makes it easier to plan and prep, which is always a win.

Challenges and Considerations

Of course, it’s not all sunshine. Kicking off the season earlier could bump into academic calendars and other sports.

And with talk of expanding the CFP, scheduling could get even messier.

Potential Conflicts with Academic Schedules

Starting earlier might mess with the school year, making it harder for student-athletes to juggle classes and games. Universities would have to get creative to keep academics on track.

Impact of Further CFP Expansion

If the CFP grows, more teams mean more games, which could stretch the season even longer. Playing every weekend, like Lanning suggests, might help, but honestly, it would take a total system overhaul to pull it off.

Conclusion

Dan Lanning wants the College Football Playoff schedule to change. He says it needs to be more efficient and better for the players.

He’s pushing for the season to start earlier, with games played every weekend. That would make things more consistent and, honestly, probably more exciting for fans.

But making these changes isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are academic schedules to juggle, and then you’ve got possible clashes with other sports.

There’s also the question of how further expansion would shake things up. It’s a lot to think about.

If you want all the details on what Lanning’s suggesting, check out the full article on Sports Illustrated.