Former Georgia Bulldogs coach and current Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has acknowledged how there seems to be SEC favoritism by the media. While discussing the state of the campaign in an interview, Lanning explained how to defeat this potential bias: Winning.
What Did Lanning Say About His Former Conference and the Ducks?
Between 2018 and 2021, Lanning was a coach in numerous roles for the Bulldogs. He spent the 2018 season as the outside linebackers coach before receiving a promotion a season later. Lanning was named the defensive coordinator in 2019 before ultimately being hired by the Ducks as their head coach. To say he’s had success during his time in Oregon would be an understatement.
With that experience in the conference, Lanning explained how there was a clear SEC bias by the media.
“That’s how it works,” Lanning said. “Let’s not pretend it doesn’t work different than that.”
ESPN’s contract is with the SEC.
Dan Lanning: “That’s how it works. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t work different than that.”
Also, a message for three-loss teams whining and complaining: “They can’t deny you if you just win… If you lose three games, shame on you.”
Watch: pic.twitter.com/GQGHu0ZGdM
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 6, 2024
However, Lanning did discuss how, despite this clear bias, there were ways of overcoming this and earning the respect of the nation, the selection committee, and the media.
“They can’t deny you if you just win,” Lanning added. “You can’t complain if you just win. If you lose three games, shame on you.”
How Is Lanning Doing With the Ducks? Is He Overcoming the SEC Bias?
Lanning and the Ducks finished as the only undefeated team in college football, winning the regular season Big Ten title and punching their ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game two weeks prior to Penn State. Despite not being a member of the SEC, Lanning is certainly doing his part to overcome the media bias by having terrific success with the Ducks this season.
However, Oregon has a massive matchup this weekend against the Penn State Nittany Lions for the Big Ten Championship. Penn State snatched the second-place finish following Michigan’s defeat over Ohio State, finishing with an 11-1 record and an 8-1 mark in conference play. Their lone defeat: to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who the Ducks beat earlier in the year.
READ MORE: Penn State vs. Oregon Prediction — 2024 Big Ten Football Championship Game
As is clear, Lanning and the Ducks are doing their talking on the football field this year and are not worrying about the potential ramifications of not being in the SEC. A win against Penn State would further show that they are not only one of the top non-SEC programs, but arguably the top team in the country.
Talk about a target they’d have on their backs in the College Football Playoffs in that case.
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