It’s the biggest time of year in college football. And it has become a circus, with coaches on the move everywhere and in some cases essentially trying to work at two schools at the same time. On top of that, players will be formally on the move as well.<\/p>\n
Oregon<\/a> coach Dan Lanning thinks he has a way to settle things down.<\/p>\n Lanning \u2014 whose Ducks play Texas Tech<\/a> in the College Football<\/a> Playoff quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl \u2014 said Wednesday that he believes changes are needed to try and streamline this time of year, where coaches move to other schools and players start entering the transfer portal that opens on Friday and recruiting is happening and agents are bustling and, while all that is happening, some teams are still playing with hopes of winning a national championship.<\/p>\n “I think there\u2019s clearly a better way,” Lanning said.<\/p>\n Oregon is losing both coordinators when its season ends; defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will become head coach at Cal, offensive coordinator Will Stein will become head coach at Kentucky<\/a>. They are understandably being pulled in multiple directions right now and they’re not alone.<\/p>\n Texas A&M, Tulane<\/a> and James Madison<\/a> played first-round CFP games knowing its staffs were going to look very different in 2026. Alabama<\/a> and Ohio State<\/a> are losing some coaches to other schools as well; the Buckeyes have already seen offensive coordinator Brian Hartline hired to take over at USF<\/a>. And there was the move that had the biggest ripple effect, that being Lane Kiffin leaving Mississippi \u2014 which was about to enter the playoff \u2014 and taking over at LSU<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lanning says it’s time to change the schedule.<\/p>\n [Oregon in the CFP: <\/strong><\/i>Lone Loss Sparked Dante Moore and Oregon Toward CFP Run<\/strong><\/i><\/a>]<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n “Ultimately, in my mind, the vision for this should be every playoff game should be played every single weekend until you finish the season,” Lanning said as his counterpart in Thursday’s Orange Bowl \u2014 Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire \u2014 nodded his head in solidarity and approval. “Ideally, the season, even if it means we start in Week Zero or you eliminate a bye, the season ends January 1st. This should be the last game. This should be the championship game. Then the portal opens and then coaches that have to move on to their next opportunities get the opportunity to move to their next opportunities.”<\/p>\n This season ends Jan. 19, when the CFP title game is played in Miami Gardens. Texas Tech hasn’t played a game in nearly four weeks. The college football bowl schedule has always worked that way, but now in the playoff era \u2014 and amid hints that the 12-team field is going to get bigger before long \u2014 some wonder if it’s time for change.<\/p>\n Lanning wants to play every week, get the playoff done and clear the decks for players and coaches to move on if they choose. Others have offered similar plans, and plenty of people seem to be in agreement that something has to happen.<\/p>\n “I think we\u2019re just in a unique time in college football, both players and coaches, based on the calendar,” said Ole Miss<\/a> coach Pete Golding, who took over when Kiffin left for LSU and has about a half-dozen assistants with him for the CFP quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl against Georgia<\/a> who’ll be leaving for Baton Rouge when the Rebels’ season is over.<\/p>\n “I think from Day One, when that opportunity was created for a lot of these guys, it\u2019s going to be no different than every opportunity created for these players once January 2nd hits,” Golding said. “They\u2019re going to have every opportunity that they want, if they played really well throughout the season. I think coaches are no different. … I think the timeline was unfortunate, and it\u2019s not their fault.”<\/p>\n Oregon already eliminated James Madison, and next it will take on Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. (Photo by CFP\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose team will face Ole Miss on Thursday, doesn’t know what the answer is. He just knows what’s in place now, especially with regard to the portal opening while a season is going on, isn’t the answer.<\/p>\n “We created a system that only allows you to gain advantage if you want to leave,” Smart said. “And that\u2019s not the players\u2019 fault. It\u2019s not the agents\u2019 fault. It\u2019s not our fault. It\u2019s not anybody\u2019s fault. It\u2019s just, you\u2019ve created a system that inherently rewards what defies a team concept. And in a team sport, it just makes no sense. You tear at the culture of every organization by promoting something that doesn\u2019t exist.”<\/p>\n The NFL has added some Saturday games to its end-of-regular-season lineup, and it would seem to make sense for broadcasters to not want CFP games and the NFL to start colliding at this time of year. But Lanning is certain that there’s a way to make things work better for everyone and decide a college champion sooner.<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve got a ton of respect for the NFL, but we\u2019re a prep league for the NFL,” Lanning said. “We do a lot of favors for the NFL. We\u2019re the minor league in a lot of ways. But there\u2019s no money paid from the NFL to take care of college football. In that sense, we\u2019ve given up some of our days to the NFL. We said, \u2018You guys get to have this day, you get to have this day, you get to have this day.\u2019 Saturdays should be sacred for college football, and every Saturday through the month of December should belong to college football in my opinion.”<\/p>\n Reporting by The Associated Press.<\/i><\/p>\n Want great stories delivered right to your inbox?\u00a0<\/i>Create or log in to your FOX Sports account<\/u><\/i><\/a>, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!<\/i><\/p>\n FOLLOW<\/span> Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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