Dan Lanning is leading the Oregon Ducks to the CFP Quarterfinals, but he’s also leading a charge against a playoff system that he feels punishes his team for its geography. The No. 5 Ducks will head to the Orange Bowl to face No. 4 Texas Tech, spanning the entire United States. At this stage, Lanning admits the traveling concerns the Ducks have in the College Football Playoffs.

“It’s not quite that long flight, but it’s a long flight,” said Dan Lanning on the December 23 episode of the Pat McAfee Show. “Pack a neck pillow. We make sure that whenever you hit the ground, we’re gonna get our bodies loose and do a primer, do some moving. But ultimately, we’ve kind of prepared ourselves for it.

We’ve flown to Rutgers this year, we’ve flown to Penn State, and we’ve flown across the country more than any other team at our level. So we’re prepared for those moments. I think it probably is [a weapon]. Sounds like it, kind of like a nunchuck or something.”

Geographically, Oregon is located on the westernmost part of the country, which makes any away games a challenge for them. But reaching Miami Gardens makes it an extremely long flight for them. For Lanning, the game should be held at Texas Tech, since it’s the higher-seeded team. At the same time, he wanted a week for the next Playoff game. He finds that the Playoff scheduling is ‘messed up’.

“I think it’s just more of an indicator that the way we do playoffs in college football is messed up,” said Lanning on the presser before the Orange Bowl. “In my opinion, we’re really excited to be going to the Orange Bowl, but this game should be played at Texas Tech.

They’re the higher-seeded team. We should play the week right after the last game. The next playoff game should be next Saturday, and then the championship game should be next Saturday.”

While Oregon finds traveling and scheduling a drawback, Lanning revealed the superpower that has brought them this far in the College Football Playoff.

Dan Lanning on hosting the CFP game and Oregon’s superpower

Dan Lanning admitted that hosting the CFP game at Autzen was something they had never experienced before. At the same time, he doesn’t want his players to feel the pressure. So he pitched how consistent they were in reaching this point, and wanted them to replicate the same. It eventually worked out, as the Ducks defeated JMU by 51-34.

“It’s weird in a way because we all recognized how different this situation is and how unique the opportunity we had,” said Lanning. “I think you want to recognize in the moment how special it is. But then you want to remind them that the reason you got here is that you were consistent. And you did what you were supposed to do over and over and over again. And that’s how we’re gonna replicate it again and have an opportunity to keep moving.”

Lanning also admitted that this team is special to him, revealing the superpowers he found with the team.

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“I think our superpower is our love for our teammates, the number of guys that make an impact on this team. We had players available. We’ve had guys that you didn’t expect to make an impact, making huge impacts. So I think our superpower is the strength in numbers and the buy-in from our players.”

So, all in all, despite the logistical frustrations, Lanning believes his team’s internal chemistry is the ultimate advantage that can overcome any external challenge.