18 days. That’s all it takes to arrive at Week Zero. It’s still one of the dumbest concepts ever–Week Zero. Makes it sound useless right? At 9am on the left coast, August 24th, the Florida State crying parade finally ends and College Football is officially back. Seminoles and Jackets poured in a pint of Dublin. Let the chaos commence.
College Football is always a wild ride. This year’s Where’s Waldo, math and geography optional version is definitely not sponsored by MapQuest. I am still pissed at my high school geography teacher. Who knew? Not being able to read a map would’ve made me qualified to run the “Used to be Atlantic but now Atlantic-Pacific Coast Conference.”
Saban is gone. Harbaugh is gone. Speed limit signs in Athens are apparently also gone. Loyalty also has left the building. But, if you’re still crying about the New World Order of College athletics, just don’t watch. This is where we are. College Football with its expanded playoff format is in search of a new Captain to steer the ship.
In January, I posted a video on our pages, planting my flag for that face. Like it or not, enter Dan Lanning.
The Ducks have migrated to the Big 18. Yes, math is optional as is geography in this case.
Dan Lanning is brash, confident, and absolutely loved by the school and community he coaches in. He’s got a loaded roster that seemingly just reloads. Oregon has a national name, booster backing for days, and a style of play that is transferable to any and all conditions. That sounds awfully Tuscaloosa and Ann Arbor like doesn’t it? Calm down, he isn’t Saban or Harbaugh…yet. The deck is stacked and loaded the same way. Georgia fans are rolling over in their kennels right now reading this. Kirby Smart is a fantastic coach, he really is. But Lanning’s style of charisma and ability is at a different level.
TJ even said it the other day, Oregon is like Anna Kournikova. Looks great, but hasn’t won a damn thing…yet. He’s not wrong. But what we knew about College football before, is not the same now.
Dabo Swinney has transfer portal allergies. Ryan Day is one bad Michigan game away from unemployment. Coach Prime has the ability and charisma, but Boulder will never be Eugene in this new era. Boulder is an awesome place and I’ve been there a few times myself. Mike Norvell doesn’t move the needle. The only other coach in the country that comes close to the Lanning Level right now is Lane Kiffin. For the Lane Train, this year is huge and they are stacked. At the same time, the Rebels can’t get through the powerhouse SEC to pay dirt either. Brian Kelly can’t figure out which accent to say “Family” in right now either.
That leaves teacher and pupil. Lanning and Smart.
It took Kirby six years to take down Saban. The pupil got the teacher there. It will take Lanning three to get Kirby. In fact, as I said on January 12th of last year. Dan Lanning is the new face of College football. He’s going to sit down at the lunch table and smile at you while he eats your lunch. He’s winning the natty this year, and a handful in the years to come.
Do the math, unless you are Tony Petitti because he clearly can’t. The Ducks are +800 to win it all. Quack that, to the bank. Welcome to the NWO, the New Oregon Order.
Villains like Kevin Nash, Hollywood Hogan, Darth Vader, Don Corleone, and Scott Hall.
In January, ironically in Georgia. Dan Lanning will have it all.
