Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten was always going to bring logistical hurdles, but head coach Dan Lanning made it clear this week that the Ducks’ 2024 schedule has tested his patience.
Speaking on John Canzano’s radio show, Lanning noted the program will travel roughly 15,000 miles this season while often facing opponents with more time to prepare.
He openly questioned whether the Big Ten treated Oregon fairly, suggesting the Ducks may not have been welcomed with open arms.
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Lanning questions fairness of Big Ten slate
Lanning explained that Oregon sought advice from NFL teams and sports scientists before deciding how to handle cross-country trips.
“We talked with NFL teams and sports-science people,” he said. “We kind of developed a plan this summer about when these games would be played and our thought process. If it’s a night game, we don’t necessarily need to travel an extra day in advance.”
That plan factored into this week’s matchup at Penn State, where the Ducks will fly in Friday for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
Earlier this season, Oregon arrived a day earlier at Northwestern for an 11 a.m. CT start that felt like 9 a.m. on their body clocks.
The Nittany Lions enter Saturday’s contest after a bye week, giving them added rest. Oregon, by contrast, spent last week preparing for Oregon State, a rivalry game it won 41-7.
According to Lanning, this imbalance is not an isolated case. The Ducks will face seven opponents this year who have more preparation time.
When asked if Big Ten powers Ohio State or Michigan would encounter similar challenges, Lanning hesitated.
“No comment,” he said, before adding, “We’re traveling 15,000 miles this year, and we play seven teams that have more prep time than we do. That’s unique, isn’t it? It’s almost like they didn’t want us in the Big Ten, or something, right? We snuck our way in, didn’t we?”
The Ducks are not alone in facing this adjustment. Fellow former Pac-12 members USC, UCLA, and Washington also joined the Big Ten in 2024, bringing Pacific time zone complications into a conference rooted in the Midwest and East.
Still, Lanning’s frustration highlights just how steep the climb has been for Oregon.