LAS VEGAS – The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff was meant to crown a true, undisputed champion. Instead, it may have created a new kind of curse, and one of the sport's top coaches is calling for a complete system overhaul.

Following a stunning playoff exit, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is sounding the alarm on what he sees as a fundamental flaw in the new format: the lengthy layoff for top-seeded teams. His concerns come after his own undefeated, Big Ten champion Ducks were humiliated in the CFP quarterfinal, a game they entered after a staggering 25-day break from action.

A Perfect Season Unravels

Lanning's Oregon team was the only squad in the nation to finish the regular season with a perfect record. Their reward was a first-round bye and a prestigious Rose Bowl matchup against Ohio State. But the dream season quickly turned into a nightmare. The Ducks looked sluggish and out of sync, falling into a 34-0 hole before halftime in a game they would ultimately lose 41-21.

"You'd love the rust to be knocked off when you step on the field," Lanning told ESPN, pointing directly at the long wait as a primary culprit for his team's disastrous performance. He argues that momentum and rhythm, crucial elements for elite teams, are completely lost during such a prolonged hiatus.

A System-Wide Problem

Oregon's shocking loss wasn't an isolated incident. In a damning indictment of the current playoff structure, all four teams that received a first-round bye were eliminated in their quarterfinal matchups. The very advantage earned by a dominant regular season appeared to transform into a significant competitive handicap.

In stark contrast, teams like Ohio State and Notre Dame, who played in the first round after a shorter break, advanced with victories. This pattern has led Lanning to advocate for a radical rethinking of the college football calendar.

The NFL Model

Lanning's proposed solution is to make the college season more closely "mirror" other professional sports, particularly the NFL. This would involve a more condensed schedule with limited open dates and no multi-week gaps between crucial games.

Under his vision, the entire season, including the championship, would conclude much closer to New Year's Day, rather than stretching deep into January. This, he contends, would preserve competitive integrity and ensure the teams playing for a title are at their sharpest. As the debate rages, Lanning's critique raises a crucial question: did the CFP's expansion inadvertently create a system that punishes excellence?