American Conference rebrand drops ‘Athletic’ for stronger identity
The American Conference rebrands by dropping ‘Athletic’ to clarify its identity and boost recognition
While there’s plenty of talk of changes to expand the College Football Playoff, Oregon coach Dan Lanning wants one thing fixed: the schedule.
Lanning told ESPN at the Big Ten media days he wants the playoff to mirror the NFL with a shorter layoff from the end of conference championship week to the postseason and the national championship game to be played on Jan. 1.
“I’d be in favor of creating our playoff system to mirror every other playoff system in sports,” Lanning said. “The season’s over, and the playoffs start shortly after. The long break is something I’m not crazy about. I wish we played every single Saturday in college football. I wish college football ended Jan. 1.”
It’s something that Lanning can certainly attest to. Last season, the Ducks finished the regular season undefeated and won the Big Ten championship game. They were the No. 1 seed in the playoff, but had a first-round bye. Oregon waited 25 days before facing Ohio State in the quarterfinal match at the Rose Bowl, and the Ducks trailed 34-0 and were soundly beaten by the Buckeyes. All teams that received first-round byes in the new 12-team playoff lost in the quarterfinals.
Lanning didn’t excuse the season-ending defeat, but noted “it’s almost a month” between playing games.
“That’s a long time,” he added.
Lanning’s ideal schedule involves starting the regular season at the current Week 0, which starts Aug. 23. By starting the season earlier and starting the playoff the week after conference championships, it would lead to the national championship game on New Year’s Day.
In the first edition of expanded playoff, the national championship game was played on Jan. 20. Lanning…
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2025/07/23/dan-lanning-college-football-playoff-schedule-change/85345827007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-23 20:44:00
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