Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Dan Lanning Sends Message to Ryan Day After Blowout Loss in College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Jan 1, 2025 11:59 PM ET

Dan Lanning and the No. 1 seeded Oregon Ducks suffered a brutal 41-21 loss to the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.

Following the loss for the Ducks, Lanning spoke about Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. He shared high praise for Day, mentioning that he believes Ohio State has the "ability" to win the national championship.

"Coach Day and his staff have done an unbelievable job," Lanning said. "As a team, I think [Ohio State] has the ability to go win it all."

After the quarterfinal win, Ohio State heads into a semifinal matchup against the Texas Longhorns on Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

"Coach Day and his staff have done an unbelievable job... as a team I think has the ability to go win it all." @oregonfootball's Dan Lanning has nothing but high praise for @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/YlmOO2eJHs
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 2, 2025

Oregon's season was cut short after an undefeated regular season. The Ducks entered the game against the Buckeyes with a 13-0 record, having won the Big Ten title in their first year in the conference.

While the Ducks appeared to be the most dominant team in college football all season, they were met by arguably the deepest roster in college football.

"You know, they clicked tonight and we didn't," Lanning added. "I didn't get our team prepared and that's a great team. When you play a great team like Ohio State, you can't not be clicking on all cylinders, and they were."

As Lanning and the Ducks head back to the drawing board, the Buckeyes will look to win their first national championship since 2014. Ohio State enters the Cotton Bowl Classic as a 6.5-point favorite over Texas, per ESPN BET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: