The SEC announced earlier this year that its in-conference football schedule will expand beginning in the 2026 season, and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is getting some final shots in before that happens.
Oregon remained in the College Football Playoff hunt on Saturday with a huge 42-27 win over USC at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. The Ducks improved to 10-1 on the season, with their only loss coming against an Indiana team that is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Following his team’s win over the No. 15-ranked Trojans, Lanning spoke about how tough it is playing in the Big Ten. He then took an obvious swipe at the SEC.
“We played a good team. We beat them, right? All we can do next week is try to do the same thing. This conference is a really good conference,” Lanning said. “It’s competitive, right? We didn’t play Chattanooga State today like some other places. We competed. That being said, it’s tough playing nine conference games. It’s tough playing in this league. We got to take advantage of playing a good team today and attacking that.”
Dan Lanning shared his thoughts on other CFB teams playing less competitive games this week 👀 pic.twitter.com/M0cqzTryol
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2025
The SEC has long been viewed as the most competitive conference in college football. SEC teams currently only play eight conference opponents per season, however, while the Big Ten and Big 12 play nine. Coaches from rival conferences have accused the SEC of scheduling cupcake games, which gives SEC teams a better chance to reach the College Football Playoff.
Saturday was “cupcake day” for some notable SEC powerhouse teams. Alabama played Eastern Illinois and won 56-0. Georgia beat Charlotte 35-3. That is why Lanning was beating his chest over Oregon’s big win over USC.
The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule next season, so that should eliminate some of the criticism. In the meantime, Lanning wants to make sure to remind the College Football Playoff Committee of the SEC’s perceived scheduling advantage.
