Dan Lanning on Oregon being ranked No. 1: 'Who cares?'

Oregon is the new No. 1 in college football heading into Week 9, but it’s business as usual in Eugene as the Ducks prepare to host No. 20 Illinois on Saturday.

Since his arrival on campus, head coach Dan Lanning has preached to his team that blocking out the noise is key for success. So when he was asked his reaction to the Ducks’ new ranking over the weekend, his answer wasn’t very surprising.

“Who cares?” Lanning said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “Our messaging hasn’t changed. You don’t sit halfway through a meal and say you’re done eating. There’s a lot we still want to accomplish.”

Regardless of what Lanning’s reaction was on the surface, it must be gratifying to know his team’s hard work has paid off. Not only that, but also remaining undefeated midway through Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten puts them right in the mix for the national title conversation.

The Ducks slide into the latest AP Top 25 poll’s No. 1 ranking as the Texas Longhorns were defeated by Georgia 30-15 in Austin on Saturday. The Ducks pitched a 35-0 shutout against the 1-6 Boilermakers — its first road shutout since 1992. Although the outcome was expected, it’s another feather in the cap of Lanning, whose team is playing at an elite level through eight weeks.

This isn’t the first time the Ducks have appeared atop the AP Top 25 poll, however. Oregon is 6-1 all-time as the No. 1 team in the land. Their single loss came against Stanford in overtime during the 2012 season.

Lanning’s group will defend that top ranking in a top 25 matchup against Illinois in what appears to be, on paper, the toughest matchup left on the Ducks schedule. They’re 21.5-point favorites against the Fighting Illini at home with matchups against Michigan, Washington and more still to come before the end of the regular season.

Kickoff between Oregon and Illinois is schedueld for 3:30 p.m. ET live on CBS and Paramount+.