One loss might erase all glory from Dan Lanning’s championship season. With Indiana’s top championship win odds and 14-0 record, this game is Lanning’s chance to prove Oregon’s dominance on the field and key to cementing his legacy in college football.

“Last year when Penn State went up against Notre Dame, they lost,” ESPN’s Josh Pate said on his college football show. “And afterwards, what did people say? Nobody gave James Franklin credit for winning those two playoff games. Why? Because, oh, he should win those games. Once he got to a game that was a coin flip, that’s the one he lost.”

“More of James Franklin being James Franklin. Well, you can bank on this. If Dan Lanning loses this game, no one’s remembering the two playoff wins. I’m not saying this is fair.”

Indiana is at the top of the odds to win college football in the FanDuel Sportsbook list. Indiana holds +128 odds to win the finals, then there’s Oregon with +315 odds, then Miami with +320, followed by Ole Miss with +580 odds. Looking at this, Josh Pate instantly launched a tough reality check to Lanning. And Pate was not wrong, as the odds were clearly favored Oregon in both its playoff games.

They entered the game as a 20.5-point favorite as per SportsLine odds. Winning against a G5 team, James Madison, was something everyone expected from Dan Lanning’s team. The same goes for Texas Tech, where the Ducks entered as 2.5-point favorites despite going up against a 12-1 team. As the Red Raiders’ offensive struggles became evident against Arizona State, the same happened against Oregon’s top defense.

But here against Indiana, they are underdogs. As the Hoosiers are a 4-point favorite to win the semifinals, and have an undefeated status despite going against Ohio State and Alabama. This is the moment that gives Dan Lanning a huge chance to make an impact on every fan by making a statement win against the No. 1 team.

With this win, Dan Lanning will not just take Oregon to the playoff finals under him for the first time but will also break the curse of losing badly in the final games. In 2024, Oregon beat Ohio State in the regular season, but in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks lost. That game was the only time in playoff history where teams were playing a regular-season rematch. So, a win against Indiana can turn that around for him this season.

On top of it, Lanning gets another chance to get his revenge against Indiana after their October 20-30 loss. Dan Lanning isn’t taking the loss lightly as he stresses key areas where Indiana executed better than the Ducks.

“I think when games don’t go your way, you’re always trying to look for answers and reasons why,” Lanning said. “And it’s really simple. They blocked better, they tackled better, they moved the ball, and they controlled the clock. They converted third downs, you know; it was all relatively close going into the fourth quarter, and then we turned the ball over.”

With semifinal pressure, Dan Lanning’s team is also going through portal chaos.

Dan Lanning loses key players to the portal

With a major playoff warning, Dan Lanning’s roster takes another hit. With Indiana’s game nearing, Oregon lost three players to the transfer portal. First to enter the portal is wide receiver Kyler Kasper, who left the team due to having less time on the field.

Appearing sparingly in the 2025 season, Kasper recorded two catches for 51 yards with a 40-yard reception against Montana State and an 11-yard catch against Northwestern. However, he couldn’t find his footing within the deep receiving group with Dakorien Moore, Malik Benson, and Jeremiah McClellan.

Running back Jay Harris also entered the portal and finished the year with 26 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown. His best game came against Minnesota at Autzen Stadium. With true freshmen Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordan Davison emerging as major offensive pieces, Harris couldn’t find a definite spot for him on the team.

Defensive back Daylen Austin also entered the portal after logging five solo tackles and one interception, which came against Wisconsin. Depth becomes the problem here, too, as Austin joined other defensive backs, including Jahlil Florence, Solomon Davis, and Sione Laulea, who also opted to explore other options, after younger players like Brandon Finney Jr. climbed up the depth chart.

Now, with everything at stake, Dan Lanning must win their game against Indiana: not just to define Oregon’s season, but to establish his legacy in the sport.