Mike Gundy did not sound like he wanted to pick a fight. But his comments about No. 7 Oregon’s spending power clearly landed on Dan Lanning’s radar ahead of Saturday’s matchup on CBS. Speaking on his weekly radio show, Gundy contrasted the Cowboys’ NIL budget with what he believes the Ducks have poured into its roster.
“We spent around $7 million over the last three years, and I think Oregon spent close to $40 (million) last year alone,” Gundy said. “That was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million. What I’m saying is they’re spending a lot of money. There’s some schools that are doing that.”
Gundy described Oregon as one of college football’s wealthiest programs, backed for decades by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Gundy specifically referenced Ducks quarterback Dante Moore, noting the cost to keep elite talent on the roster.
But he also noted some unease about where the sport is headed, especially with non-conference scheduling.
“What I hear, chatter from coaches around the country, is that non-conference scheduling — and I never thought anybody would ever say this — should be based on the financial situation for each school,” Gundy said. “Oregon is paying a lot, a lot of money for their team. So from a non-conference standpoint, there are coaches saying they should play teams that are spending the same amount of money.”
Oklahoma State and Oregon announced the home-and-home series back in November 2018, way before the landscape of college football shifted with the introduction of NIL and revenue-sharing.
When Lanning received questions about Gundy’s remarks, he didn’t dismiss them. Instead, his response had a bit of an edge.
“Like I said, I’ve got a ton of respect for coach Gundy,” Lanning said. “Ultimately, how blessed are we being at a place that’s invested in winning? If you want to be a top-10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning and we spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t.”
Lanning also pointed to Oklahoma State’s opener against FCS opponent UT Martin as a counterexample to the idea of aligning schedules by financial clout.
“I can’t speak on their situation, I have no idea what they got in their pockets over there,” Lanning continued. “I’m sure UT Martin maybe didn’t have as much as them last week and they played, so we’ll let it play out.”
Both teams enter Week 2 off wins in their respective season openers against FCS opponents. Oregon is once again viewed as a College Football Playoff contender, while Oklahoma State, coming off its worst season under Gundy, faces a chance to test itself against one of the nation’s wealthiest programs — a matchup now flavored by some pointed comments in the buildup.
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