After just three years, Dan Lanning ranks No. 5 in the CBS Sports/247 2025 ranking of head coaches.
His Oregon team won the Big Ten title in their first year in the league, finishing the regular season with a 13-0 record, ranked No. 1 in the polls for seven straight weeks.
The playoffs turned out to be another thing. Lanning and the Ducks fell hard to No. 8-seed Ohio State at the Rose Bowl, losing 41-21 after trailing 34-0 late in the first half.
A year ago at this time Lanning ranked No. 9 in the same poll.
The 2025 poll, according to CBS's panel of experts:
1. Kirby Smart Georgia
2. Ryan Day Ohio State
3. Dabo Swinney Clemson
4. Steve Sarkisian Texas
5. Dan Lanning Oregon
6. Marcus Freeman Notre Dame
7. James Franklin Penn State
8. Brian Kelly LSU
9. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
10. Matt Campbell Iowa State
11. Kyle Whittingham Utah
12. Lane Kiffin Ole MIss
13. Lincoln Riley USC
14. Chris Klieman Kansas State
15. Lance Leopold Kansas
16. Josh Heupel Tennessee
17. Jeff Brohm Louisville
18. Kenny Dillingham Arizona State
19. Kirk Ferentz Iowa
20. Mario Cristobal Miami
21. Curt Cignetti Indiana
22. Rhett Lashlee SMU
23. Brett Bielema Illinois
24. Eli Drinkwitz Missouri
25. Mike Norvell Florida State
Norvell, Leopold and Whittingham made the list despite a losing record in 2024. Lincoln Riley is 15-11 over his last two seasons at USC.
Mario Cristobal makes the Top 25 despite missing the playoffs last season at 10-3, 5-7 and 7-6 in his first two years at Miami. Fomer Oregon assistant Kenny Dillingham debuts at No. 18 after coaching the Sun Devils to the playoff after being predicted to finish last by the Big 12 media.
Lanning cracked the Top Five even though the Ducks have yet to break through in the post season. In 2023 they lost to DeBoer and Washington twice; in 2024 a magical run ended with a quarterfinal disaster. He's 35-6 in three seasons, with three top ten recruiting classes.