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Dan Lanning has the Ducks in a position of strength going into the back half of the 2024 season. Oregon (7-0) controls its own destiny in the Big Ten title race as well as in the quest to secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks beat Ohio State on Oct. 12 to move up to No. 2 in the country. After shutting out Purdue last Friday, Oregon was able to watch on Saturday as the top-ranked Texas Longhorns were handled by the visiting Georgia Bulldogs. As a result, Oregon ascended to the top spot in the AP poll, marking the first time since 2012 the Ducks have held the No. 1 ranking.
At his press conference on Monday, Lanning shrugged off the significance of the poll.
“Who cares,” he asked.
Who cares. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/CZfS37lpvO
— Alex Stimson (@AlexStimson) October 22, 2024
Ever the motivator, Lanning has no doubt made his team aware of the last time Oregon held the No. 1 spot in an AP poll. A 10-0 Ducks team blasted Cal on the road on Nov. 10, 2012, to move up to No. 1 in the national ranking. A week later, they lost at home to No. 14 Stanford.
Oregon fell to fifth in the BCS rankings and settled for a spot in the Fiesta Bowl while a 1-loss Alabama team earned a trip to the national championship.
This week, Oregon hosts No. 20 Illinois. The Illini are 6-1 on the season and fresh off a 21-7 win over Michigan at home. They already have a win over a ranked opponent on the road on their résumé — Nebraska, in overtime, on Sept. 20 — and will be seeking their fourth win overall this season over a ranked opponent.
Bret Bielema has an Illinois team that believes. Tennessee is the only other team in the country with 3 wins over ranked opponents at this juncture of the season, and the 6-1 start is tied for the best through 7 games at Illinois in 70 years.
“Coach Bielema has done an unbelievable job there at Illinois,” Lanning said. “I’ve always felt like watching his teams, they have a clear identity. They don’t beat themselves. They play really hard. They’re physical. I think all those things show up with this team as well. They’re playing really good football right now.”
Lanning says the Ducks aren’t satisfied with what they’ve done to this point. They want more. That will serve as the motivation this week.
“You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating when there’s still a lot of food left on the plate. That’s where we’re at,” said Lanning. “We’re at the midpoint of the season. We’re not done yet. There’s a lot of things that we still want to accomplish, so that (ranking) doesn’t really matter for us.”
Oregon kicks off against Illinois at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS this Saturday. The Ducks are a 21.5-point favorite in the game, via FanDuel.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
