"Took Nick Saban a decade": CFB analyst jumps to Dan Lanning's defense after Ohio State destroys Oregon

The Oregon Ducks had one of the best teams on paper in college football and went 13-1 this season after their 41-21 loss in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

However, people are beginning to wonder if Oregon coach Dan Lanning is the right man to get this team over the hump from contender to champion with how their season ended.

On3 reporter Ari Wasserman discussed how even though the feeling around Oregon coach Dan Lanning could have soured with their loss, it's difficult for the best coaches in the sport to win the national championship:

"[Dan] Lanning is still a young coach. It took Jim Harbaugh more than 10 years as a head coach to win his first national title. It took Nick Saban a decade. Kirby Smart needed six seasons. Dabo Swinney took eight. Ryan Day still hasn't won one after five years at Ohio State.

"We want instant gratification, but winning a national title is so damn hard, and Saban's unparalleled success has blinded many of us to that."

Dan Lanning has gone 35-6 in his first three seasons with the Oregon Ducks but has yet to make the final four teams competing for the national championship.

What does Dan Lanning's contract look like?

Despite the lack of a national championship, Lanning has already emerged as one of the top names in the college football coaching sphere. Dan Lanning has already inked a massive six-year, $45 million contract extension with the Oregon Ducks that keeps him with the program through the 2028 season.

His yearly salary jumped to $7 million ahead of the 2023 season and increases by $200,000 each year of the contract. The deal also has some kickers in it, including receiving up to three one-year extensions for winning 10+ regular-season games (which he has done in each of the first two years of the extension).

The Oregon Ducks are primed to stay competitive for the national championship for the remainder of his contract and have one of the top coaches in the sport.