"Dan Lanning and the players have been zero dark thirty": CFB world reacts to Oregon HC posing with roses before Ohio State rematch 

Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday in the second round of the College Football Playoff. To add to the significance of the game, this will be the Rose Bowl, one of the most historic bowls in college football.

In the buildup to the game, Lanning posed with roses, which are commonly given out to the winners of the game.

Here is how college football fans reacted to the picture on social media.

These fans have made a comparison of both teams' social media approaches before the game.

"The calm before the storm. Dan Lanning and the players have been zero dark thirty on social media. I don't think that's by accident," a fan tweeted.

"Meanwhile the suckeyes have been busy bitching about their 2 losses," another fan wrote.

These fans are happy to see Dan Lanning.

"Love to see it! 🌹," a fan wrote.

"That’s our coach!!! 💚💛🦆🙏," another posted.

This fan is considering the consequences of an Oregon win on the career of Ohio State coach Ryan Day.

"this man can literally get Ryan Day fired tomorrow," the fan commented.

However, this fan does not have a lot of hope in Dan Lanning.

"This man is probably about to piss down his legs and squander his best chance at a title. I dont trust him in big games," the fan tweeted.

Dan Lanning on Oregon's improvements

Dan Lanning spoke during Oregon's availability on Monday:

"Our team's about growth. We hammer that a lot in our meetings. I'd like to think there's a lot of things we've improved on since that moment."

"That moment" directly refers to the last time the Ducks (13-0) faced the sixth-ranked Buckeyes (11-2, No 8 seed in the CFP). Oregon won 32-31 on the final possession on Oct. 12 as the Ducks defense stopped Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard at the Oregon 20-yard line as time expired.

However, it needs to be noted that the then-No. 2 Buckeyes were the best team that top-ranked Oregon faced all season long. While the Ducks may have improved, they did so against weaker opposition. Oregon faced just two ranked teams, beating then-No. 20 Illinois 38-9 on Oct. 26 and then-No. 3 Penn State 45-37 in last month's Big Ten championship game.

The Rose Bowl game will be a chance to see how much the Ducks have really improved. They will be facing a Buckeyes side that recently dismantled an SEC side, so Dan Lanning is going to have to get his Ducks to play at their best if they are going to be able to hold the roses again.