Oregon's Dan Lanning Proposes Bold New CFB Schedule That Would End Season on Jan. 1

College football has undergone a plethora of changes in recent years with perhaps the most significant being the adoption of a playoff that is gradually expanding. Last season brought us the first iteration of the 12-team model that concluded with Ohio State knocking off Notre Dame in the national championship. That contest took place on Jan. 20, which is the deepest a college football season has ever stretched into the new year and a far cry from the New Year's Day conclusion the sport had for decades.

If Oregon coach Dan Lanning had his way, though, there would be some changes. And a champion would be crowned much sooner.

"I'd be in favor of creating our playoff system to mirror every other playoff system in sports," Lanning told ESPN on Wednesday. "The season's over, and the playoffs start shortly after. The long break is something I'm not crazy about. I wish we played every single Saturday in college football. I wish college football ended Jan. 1."

The Ducks' season did end on New Year's Day this past year in an embarassing lopsided loss to the eventual champion Buckeyes. Though he made it clear that a prolonged layoff between the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl dud wasn't the reason Oregon lost, Lanning it'd be great for "the rust to be knocked off when you step on the field."

He also pointed out that wrapping things up sooner would allow those in the playoff to lock in while everyone else on the outside looking in could focus on all the offseason work required. With the transfer portal and NIL, there has never been a longer to-do list for college coaches.

One way to do this would be to start earlier and have everyone begin in Week 0, which currently features a smattering of games. They'd probably need to rename it Week 1 but that's a problem for another day.

Any change this significant would take some time to gain support and eventually be enacted. But it's definitely worth considering whether Lanning's idea would be an improvement. One benefit for college football would be that it wouldn't be conducting its playoff concurrent with the NFL. Another would be that even the biggest football fans can get a little inundated by the time mid-January rolls around, whereas they are hungriest in August.