Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has made it clear he is unhappy with the way college football’s postseason is currently structured. Speaking on "The Joel Klatt Show," Lanning said he believes the College Football Playoff calendar creates problems that could be avoided if the season concluded by New Year’s Day.
“This year, again, the portal will open and the national championship game will be two-to-three weeks after the portal is open, so there’s going to be some teams that are still going to be in a season with players coming and going from your program,” Lanning said.
He added,
“The school year starts. Most schools start their semesters in January. At that time, it’s hard to transition kids. Ultimately, we got down to one portal window, which is a win for the sport, I think. But there’s going to be a lot of guys who aren’t going to be able to join their team yet because they’re not finished with where they’re at in the season or it’s too tight of a window in general.”
The expansion of the CFP to 12 teams last season made roster management more difficult for playoff programs.
Several teams lost depth pieces before postseason games, including Penn State, which saw backup quarterback Beau Pribula leave for the transfer portal ahead of its semifinal matchup.
Lanning calls for higher-seeded teams to host playoff games
On Wednesday, the NCAA announced a change to those rules, replacing the two previous windows with a single 10-day transfer period in early January.
Still, Lanning said the schedule is not just about roster moves but also about the extended breaks between games.
“Saturdays, to me, are sacred. They belong to college football,” Lanning said. “Every other great situation in sports that has playoffs has some consistencies in those playoffs. You don’t need 22, 25, 28-day windows of no playing. We should play the championship games in our conferences. Then, the next Saturday, there should be a playoff game.”
Oregon faced a 25-day gap before meeting Ohio State in the Rose Bowl following the opening round. Entering as the top seed and the lone unbeaten team, the Ducks were knocked out
“Playoff games, in my mind, should be at home for higher-seeded teams, just like they are for the NFL and FCS football,” Lanning said. “And they should be played every weekend until the season is done without these long extended periods in between where we’re trying to satisfy bowl games and satisfy a playoff. Those are two worlds that can’t really exist in the same place.”
In his view, only a streamlined schedule can solve the issues that threaten the integrity of the College Football Playoff.