The No. 23 Oregon Ducks (6-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) are experiencing quite the roller coaster season as the results of the final three games on their regular season schedule could potentially put them as the highest-ranked three loss team in the nation.

Though a winding path to the College Football Playoff is still open for Oregon, the latest announcement of the College Football Playoff committee green-lighting a 24-team playoff for the 2027-2028 season may mean Oregon's story could be written differently in the future.

The New Playoff Guidelines

Here's the short and narrow of what the recent committee vote approved: a 24-team playoff will consist of four Power Four conference champions (as determined by the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC) and one Group of Six champion (as determined by Conference USA, Sun Belt, American, Mountain West, or Pac-12) and 19 of the highest ranked teams as chosen by the committee.

For the games themselves, 16 of the 23 playoff games will be held on campuses of higher ranked teams, with the quarterfinals and semifinals remaining the iconic bowl games of the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Peach Bowl.

Scheduling also includes the Heisman Trophy ceremony happening a week earlier and each collegiate team getting two open weeks and the playoffs occurring throughout the month of December.

Dan Lanning's Thoughts On Playoff Expansion

For fans that avidly follow Oregon and Ducks coach Dan Lanning, a lot of these new points align with the critiques Lanning previously levied at the scheduling and set-up of the modern era of college football.

That's why when Lanning was asked about the changes during his pregame press conference before Oregon's Autzen Stadium match-up against Michigan, Lanning admitted he had "no new thoughts" while also sharing coaches across the nation knew these changes were impending.

"You know I do think that getting closer and closer to a normal playoff model in other sports where, you know, the challenge is the same. We're certainly not the same team we were when we started this season, right. We experienced some adversity, we've seen some different players on the field, we've gone through some coaching transitions," Lanning said, pointing out how Oregon's struggles and marquee win against the Ohio State Buckeyes showed the progression of his athletes and program.

"But the goal is to be able to get teams that are capable of winning at the end. You know, I think it allows a team like ourselves, right. You could say 'Okay, the best team can be in there potentially and have a chance to go complete. So I think you'll see some more of that. I mean you saw last year with Miami that they experienced a couple losses and started playing their best football really towards the end of the season and got all the way to the National Championship," Lanning added.

The Ducks' leader also highlighted that the critiques surrounding who is included in the rankings and who isn't won't fade away as the competitors allowed widens, it'll simply shift to the more fringe ranking numbers.

Dan Lanning On Losing Conference Championships

Finally, there's the loss of the conference championship game with the conferences choosing their own champion based on record. For Lanning, who has critiqued the placement of the conference championship game, held his ground when speaking about its removal from the calendar.

"Obviously the loss of the conference championship games is going to be unique and sad in some respects because that's always a really awesome game, you know? To be a part of. But in reality, its almost a punishment for those teams that they're playing it, because they're playing football when nobody else is. So, it certainly makes sense with the landscape of college football and what its like right now," Lanning said.