And then there were four... After Curt Cignetti led the Indiana Hoosiers to their first national championship in program history last season, he joined the ranks of Clemson's Dabo Swinney, Georgia's Kirby Smart, and Ohio State's Ryan Day as the fourth active head coach to win a College Football Playoff. Oregon has never won a national championship before, Dan Lanning could do it.
So it should come as no surprise where Joel Klatt has him listed among the best in college football.
- Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti
- Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day
- Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
- Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman
- Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian
- Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham
- BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake
- Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal
- LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin
Klatt having Lanning ranked after Cignetti, Day, and Smart in that order puts a ton of pressure on him.
Thoughts on @joelklatt's Top 10 head coaches in college football? pic.twitter.com/FYULiDqCvM
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) February 23, 2026
While the order could be reshuffled a bit, Lanning being ahead of other strong coaching contemporaries without a ring is signifcant. Having him ahead of the likes of Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Texas' Steve Sarkisian, and last year's runner-up in Miami's Mario Cristobal should not be overlooked. Oregon is one of four programs to make the 12-team playoff both years of its existence.
It is no coincidence the coaches of the other three teams are the ones who are rankead ahead of him.
Joel Klatt has placed national championship pressure onto Dan Lanning
Heading into the 2026-27 college football season, Oregon feels like one of six teams who made last year's playoff that are more likely than not to be back in it. Miami and Texas Tech are the two other teams along with Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon. Obviously, Cignetti, Day, and Smart have all won a national championship previously. Cristobal just led his alma mater to the national title bout.
Over the last several years, Oregon has recruited at a top-six level at the high school level. The Ducks normally get so many of its best players drafted. They are always a player for top-tier talent out of the transfer portal. Yet a national championship evades them. Lanning seems to cut through the nonsense and may very well be the one to deliver what none of his predecessors could do before.
Right now, Lanning falls into a similar bucket to that of Freeman, Sarkisian, and arguably Alabama's Kalen DeBoer. These top-eight-caliber coaches have all coached playoff teams before, but have yet to deliver upon what they promised to their respective fanbases. Frankly, it is probably Sarkisian's time to shine more so than anybody, but if you are down on Texas' chances, then it must be Lanning's.
The real question in all this is how will the national media view Lanning if he does win one at Oregon.