Well, the Big Ten Conference might not be having the best season on the field, but off the field? The drama just keeps brewing. And of all teams, this time it involves … the Michigan Wolverines and Oregon Ducks?
The two teams, both having varying degrees of disappointing results thus far in 2026, face off on Saturday in Eugene, and despite the lack of history between the two programs, there’s some bad blood rapidly brewing.
It started thanks to already-embattled Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham. His first season in Ann Arbor has been, to put it mildly, well below expectations. While at Utah, the 66-year-old was known for being a calm, steady voice of leadership who seemed to always win the games he needed to win. The Utes punched well above their historical weight, and his penchant for stability. Whittingham was in Salt Lake City for 32 years, looked like a perfect fit for a Michigan program coming off years of turmoil.
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But the Wolverines’ struggles started almost immediately. Whittingham dismissed the importance of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game, which put him on the wrong foot with most fans. Then the Wolverines required some questionable clock management from the replay review crew to pull out a miraculous 13-12 comeback win over Western Michigan. They rebounded to beat Oklahoma the following week, but lost to Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana from late September to late October.
Their offense has been dismal all season, culminating in an awful 15-6 loss to Michigan State last on November 7. Instead of progressing in his second year as a starter, Bryce Underwood has ranged from disappointing to unacceptably bad. To the point where Whittingham benched him for backup Tommy Carr. All this has led to speculation and outright discussion around Michigan that boosters are preparing to pull together enough to buy Whittingham out after just one season. It also might explain why the normally uncontroversial coach is making headlines.
At a news conference ahead of this weekend’s game, Whittingham praised Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, then took a shot at the Ducks’ immense financial resources.
“Outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach. That’s his background. Tireless recruiter. He really does a great job recruiting, and it doesn’t hurt that you have $50+ million dollars at your disposal to, in essence outbid everybody,” he said. “Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault. That’s a credit. I mean, that’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have. NIL is the name of the game in recruiting these days. It’s shifted so much.
“It used to be the facilities you had and the tradition and all these other things, and now it’s, ‘Oh, this is all great, but these guys have a hundred grand more for me. So that’s a little bit of a factor to say the least. But not to take anything away from Dan, because he is an outstanding recruiter.”
Maybe there’s some personal animus there, stemming from a fight between the two over a recruit or recruits? Regardless of the motivations though, Whittingham’s right that the Ducks have significant advantages over other teams. Lanning though, unsurprisingly heard about it and, well, didn’t love it.
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On Wednesday, Lanning said he had “nothing to say,” then said something back.
“I’ve got nothing to say to Coach Whit other than I think he’s an unbelievable coach, and I get it,” he said. “They’re spending more of their money right now on their coaches that they’re letting go, so maybe it makes it hard to sign players.
“But I know they’ve signed a couple of guys that we weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do, and maybe a lot of that money is tied up for them in another player. I don’t know. But Coach Whittingham is an unbelievable coach. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”
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That is definitely more than “nothing” to say!
Both coaches are right about their fronthanded criticisms and backhanded compliments. Lanning deserves a ton of credit for helping keep Oregon’s season (mostly) on the rails, recovering after losses to UCLA and Illinois to beat Northwestern and then Ohio State in Columbus. But the Ducks entered 2026 with championship aspirations in large part because of their very expensive roster.
Yes, Dante Moore got hurt against USC, but that came after Oregon was thoroughly dismantled by Oklahoma State. And the money they have allowed them to sign Dylan Raiola, who started at Nebraska in 2025, as a backup. A luxury few other teams enjoy. They can outbid almost anyone if they really want to, or if they value a player more than the other team.
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So Whittingham is right that Lanning is a great recruiter, a very good head coach, and also has immense resources at his disposal.
Lanning is right to take a pot shot at Michigan’s coaching staff problems, including the $10 million buyout owed to Jason Beck after just a few months of a three-year deal. And he’s also right that Whittingham has been a great head coach his entire career. Just an incredible exchange of mutual praise, admiration, and sarcastic criticisms.
Before the season, Oregon-Michigan seemed like one of the big games on the calendar, must-see TV for college football fans. Most of the shine is off, now that the Wolverines are buried and Oregon is clinging to hopes of reaching the Big Ten Conference Championship, but the war of words off the field has made the on-field game must-see TV all over again.
