Dan Lanning on handing Colorado first loss: 'I'm not hung up on that'

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks handed Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes a slice of humble pie last weekend in Eugene.

There was a huge amount of fanfare for the Pac-12 showdown between Oregon and Colorado on Saturday, but it was Oregon who reminded the college football world why they’re College Football Playoff contenders moving forward. It certainly doesn’t diminish what Sanders is building in Boulder, but it took some smoke out of the hype train this week.

While some have taken to social media to praise the job Lanning has done at Oregon following the victory, the Ducks leader isn’t letting outside noise in. Whether it pertains to Colorado or not, Oregon has their eyes on the prize in 2023.

“I’m not hung up on that,” Lanning responded, pressed about how it felt to hand Sanders and Colorado their first loss of 2023. “If you’re really about substance, what you’re really hung-up on is what’s next. What’s next for our players. I’m glad that we got to put Oregon in the light that Oregon deserves to be in. It’s really not about anything else, other than our team. Getting our team ready to go play. Now, we’ve got to go get ready for the next one.

“We don’t need to be the team that’s reading the newspaper articles. We don’t need to be the team that’s following Twitter. We didn’t follow it this week, so we’re certainly not going to look at it next week. We have to, again, humble ourselves. Including myself, including our staff. Focus on what’s next.”

Alas, that’s the mindset that helped Oregon dismantle Colorado by a score of 42-6. While the Ducks will travel to face Stanford this weekend, the real challenges begin the following week.

A rematch with the Washington Huskies is on the horizon for Oct. 14, and then the Washington State Cougars and Utah Utes await Oregon’s competition, two ranked squads. If the Ducks can survive that onslaught, they’ll certainly plant their flag firmly in the College Football Playoff Top 4, when the time comes.

Leading the way has been quarterback Bo Nix, who’s entering the Heisman race with 1,169 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns, along with 69 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, as well. His talent has really shined in Eugene, and he’s looking like he has an actual NFL future.

Time will tell how far Dan Lanning and Oregon can climb, but it’s obvious the Ducks are only concerned with the opinions of their coaching staff, players and that’s it. That’ll allow them to fly as high as they want.