Ahead of Big Ten transition, Oregon HC Dan Lanning boasts about Ducks’ readiness for a new conference: "Big Ten is going to have to prepare for us"

After two seasons in the Pac-12, Dan Lanning will be competing in the Big Ten in 2024. The Oregon coach has done a fantastic job since arriving at Eugene in 2022 but faces a bigger challenge ahead as the Ducks transition to a more competitive college football conference.

Nonetheless, Dan Lanning is unfazed by the challenge the Big Ten poses. On the "Ryen Russillo Podcast," the coach believes the conference has to be prepared for the exploits of the Ducks rather than the other way around.

“I think at the end of the day the Big Ten is going to have to prepare for us and what we do differently for that league. Great football is great football. I'm glad to be in one of the two conferences in college football that are elite.

“I'm glad to get to go play some of the elite teams. Go look at the national championship, and that was two Big Ten teams that were firing off. I think the challenge in front of us is a lot of fun, and I don't think anybody gets in this profession to say give me the easy road.”

Dan Lanning expects something different about traveling

The Big Ten is also expanding to California in 2024. The Pac-12’s USC and UCLA agreed to join the conference in 2022, marking a great leap beyond its conventional boundaries. This will see the conference members make trips to play in Los Angeles right from next season.

Oregon has shared the same conference with the Trojans and the Bruins over time and has gotten acquainted with trips to Los Angeles. Nonetheless, Dan Lanning expects that there will be some differences in the Ducks' overall travel experiences as they move to the Big Ten.

“There's going to be some things that are different. How about the Big Ten?" Lanning said. "I have to do some studies on travel, what travel would look like and how that might look different.

“There isn't as much travel as people think. It's not. As you know, we travel a good amount in the league we were just in. So, we're going to be going to LA for an away game.”

Will Oregon become a force in the Big Ten?

Oregon has recorded a significant resurgence since Dan Lanning took over the program in 2022. The Ducks are 22-5 under his tutelage, including an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game in 2023, which they lost to Washington.

Considering what the team has achieved in the last two seasons, Oregon is expected to be a top contender in the Big Ten. Nonetheless, the Ducks won't be having it easy considering how stacked the league has become following its latest series of expansion.