‘We’re mighty different’: Dan Lanning brags about Oregon football’s uniqueness at Big Ten Media Days

Oregon football is a bit different than most of what the Big Ten has been used to seeing. It’s more than just uniforms or flashy offenses, there are teams in the Midwest that can deliver both of those.

For folks in the Midwest and the South, college football can often be about programs steeped in tradition and doing things for the sake of that tradition. That’s painting with a pretty broad brush, but, generally speaking, there are a lot of places that are set on honoring the past more than they are on innovating for the future. 

As Dan Lanning noted during Big Ten Media Days, the Oregon Ducks have a different sort of way of thinking than many of their contemporaries. And that’s going to be interesting to see as the Ducks make their way into the Big Ten.

"Ultimately, what should the Big Ten know about Oregon? We're mighty different, mighty different in a lot of ways," Lanning proclaimed. 

That extends beyond just the way the team approaches things on the field. It extends into various aspects of the program’s identity. And yeah, some of it has to do with uniforms and the way the Ducks operate on the field, but it is more than just that.

“We're mighty different when it comes to the jerseys we get to wear or the facilities we're in. We're innovative. We've always been on the cutting edge of everything we do,” Lanning stated.

Dan Lanning highlights Oregon football’s innovation as the Ducks enter the Big Ten

But, while that innovation often seems to help the Ducks stand out amongst some of their peers, it seems to have helped the Oregon football program find a home in their new conference. It’s worth wondering all of the ways that innovation helped position the Ducks well to be able to get a spot in the Big Ten.

It’s also worth taking a moment to be grateful that Oregon gets to be in a stable conference moving forward.

“We certainly positioned ourself to be on the cutting edge, and we're grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten,” Lanning explained.

The Oregon Ducks football program making it into the Big Ten is part of some palpable changes to the college football landscape. And while the Ducks have a nice, safe, cozy spot in the Big Ten, there are programs out there that are going to be drastically impacted in negative ways by this shift in this sport.

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