Even after Oregon destroyed CU, Dan Lanning will ‘never get close’ to Coach Prime

When it comes to Dan Lanning’s feelings about Coach Prime, does the Oregon coach hate him because he ain’t him?

Well, no, not in a literal sense, but when it comes to Lanning’s aggressive rants calling out Colorado’s Pac-12 tenure and the way Deion Sanders has done things in Boulder since his infamous arrival, it’s hard not to at least consider a hint of jealousy of the “Prime Time” spotlight as a possibility. Mike Farrell of the Mike Farrell Sports brand acknowledged that even after his Ducks knocked off the Buffaloes in blowout fashion, Lanning will “never get close” to basking in the glow Coach Prime enjoys.

“Does Lanning truly believe the Buffs are playing for clicks and not for wins? Of course not,” Farrell prefaced before saying, “But if he didn’t use that popular online theory against them, he wouldn’t be doing his job. It obviously wasn’t needed to secure a blowout win, but it was smart. And Lanning is no dummy either, he allowed cameras in the locker room for his pre-game speech for a reason. He wants some of that flash as well. But even with the win, he’ll never get close to it. So he’ll have to take shots at Deion and the Buffs like everyone else. And they’d be dumb not to.”

Coach Prime will have the spotlight regardless of results from here on out

There was only one way the legend of Coach Prime would’ve faded away: a disgraceful 2023 season that didn’t look different from 2022 in Boulder. In knocking off a ranked College Football Playoff runner-up in TCU Week 1, that was off the table. Beating Nebraska and Colorado State at home to bring the Buffs within one win of surpassing their preseason over/under win total solidified Sanders and Colorado as relevant and top-20 ranked.

Now, whatever happens next won’t matter. Whether Sanders wins a CFP title in Boulder, in Tuscaloosa, in his home state of Florida, or never, he will have a significant role in college football’s story until he walks away from it for good.