"There's a clear-cut balance": Dan Lanning explains how Oregon has maintained its stability despite roster changes

Dan Lanning’s Oregon is arguably the best team in college football this season. The Ducks ended the regular season undefeated before going on to win the Big Ten championship in a game against Penn State. They remain one of the favorites for the national title.

This is a testament to what Dan Lanning has done since arriving at Oregon in just three seasons at the program. In his appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Thursday, the coach explained how he’s made that possible despite the massive annual changes in a college football roster in recent times.

“A lot of that credit lies within our players and our staff,” Lanning said (timestamp 2:26). “They've created a standard, and I get to work with great people every single day. I think there's a clear-cut balance of what we really want, what kind of people we want to bring into the organization.”

“Our players are upholding the standard of what great football looks like, what being a great teammate looks like. Our guys have really attacked that … We truly have a player-led team here.”

Dan Lanning appreciates his team’s ability to always get a win

While Oregon has been fantastic in many games this season, there were a few games they didn’t play so well but ended up with victory anyway. Dan Lanning took time to appreciate his team’s resilience on the gridiron while speaking with Colin Cowherd.

“I think what excites me most about this team is being able to win in different ways,” Lanning said on “The Herd” (timestamp 3:40). “And you don't ever want that as a coach. You always want your A game in every phase.”

“When we played Boise State early in the year, we struggled, and we won special teams. We had a punt return and a kickoff return to create that win. We played Wisconsin, we really won on defense. You go to last week, play Penn State in the Big Ten championship game, our offense was clicking on all cylinders.”

Finding a way to get a win in all games this season is what makes Oregon a real national championship contender. With zero defeats so far, many college football analysts are touting the Ducks to claim the title.

Seeded as the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff, Oregon has a bye in the first round of the postseason tournament. The Ducks are now scheduled to face the winner of the game between Ohio State and Tennessee. Without a doubt, this is a huge challenge for Dan Lanning and his team on the way to the ultimate goal.