When You Play For Wins, You Win More Than Just Clicks

In a lot of ways, the cockiness of Sanders as a player never left him and thirty years later, as Colorado's coach, the bravado as a player exudes every one of Sanders’ actions as a coach. In addition, it's evident that Sanders hasn’t gotten past Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s pregame quote: “They’re playing for clicks; we’re playing for wins.”

“It’s funny how you say that, but the camera was on when you say that,” Sanders said about Lanning on the Full Send podcast. “So who is playing for the click?”

“Did you hear any other speech that he made during the whole season,” Sanders continued the offensive on Lanning. “Who is playing for the click? This is what I really do. In high school, you can date it back on YouTube or whatever, this is what I do with my team, this is who we are. It’s not playing for something or playing for a click, why would I need exposure?”

Once again Sanders misses the forest for the trees and his selfishness and quite frankly, ignorant traits are shown once again.

Why would I need exposure? Why does any coach need exposure?

This generation of young people who lives for the viral moments and for the minute “reels” or TikToks was exactly what Lanning or any coach would want for their program.

Lanning gets the impact a one minute clip can be for the vision of his program. When he and his staff go out to recruit to sell their program, something Sanders is reluctant to ever do, those recruits can buy into Lanning’s style and vision.

That buy-in has Oregon flirting with its highest expectations since 2014, something Mark Helfrich couldn’t replicate and Mario Cristobal couldn’t live up to.

With that, I believe website namesake and Godfather of Recruiting Mike Farrell is off on Oregon. 

In a recent Fact or Fiction column, he acknowledged Oregon as a national recruiting power, but when it came to Oregon’s national title hopes, he had a different tune:

“Oregon isn’t close to a national title just yet but if they keep recruiting this way, they will be a major title contender before too long”

I wonder if Farrell is spending too much time on a middling coach who thinks he is a superstar, and missing the mark on Lanning, who is arguably the fastest-rising coach in the game.

The Oregon program under Lanning is a far cry from that 49-3 demolition Georgia gave them in Lanning’s coaching debut in 2023.

Since that game, Oregon is 21-4 and its losses to Washington three times, all by a field goal, and Oregon State (38-34 in 2023).

In each of those contests, Kalen DeBoer and Jonathan Smith were able to take advantage of Lanning’s aggressive nature, something that is baked into his DNA as a coach, and take advantage of in a critical situation.

Grant you, Oregon has a tougher road in joining the Big Ten.

Early season encounters against Boise State at home (the Broncos are 3-0 all-time against Oregon), and traveling to Reser Stadium to take on Oregon State in the Civil War will be true indicators of how good Oregon is.

Prior to Ohio State’s visit to Autzen Stadium, Lanning welcomes a familiar coaching foe in Smith, now with Michigan State, to Autzen.

The final month consists of visits to The Big House and Camp Randall, and we find out if Lanning has a Washington problem or a Kalen DeBoer problem when the Ducks host the Huskies in the annual Cascade Clash to close the season.

With the expanded playoff starting this year, I cannot imagine a 10-2 Oregon team not making the playoff.

This is where I feel Farrell is off, and maybe it is just him and many others adjusting their barometers, all you gotta do is get into the playoffs.

Oregon is built for this run now. Lanning will continue to maximize key moments to advance his program, something Sanders did as a player to maximize his worth.

On the other hand, what Sanders doesn’t appreciate is the taste of someone giving him his own medicine.

Lanning did that to Sanders with his quote and how Oregon dismantled Colorado in a 42-6 rout was like what Sanders did to the Falcons thirty years ago. 

After the slap fight with Rison was broken up, Sanders had arguably his most well known career highlight. A 93-yard pick-six where he seemingly high-stepped for 30 yards to the end zone, fueling a rout by the eventual Super Bowl champion 49ers over a Falcons team on the reload.

This time, it was Sanders on the receiving end of being slapped by someone who is more talented at his craft, something he did to opposing offenses for years, and that bruise to Sanders ego hasn't yet mended.

When you win, you win with style like Lanning did against Colorado and seemingly everyone else not named Washington last year, you dominate recruiting, the transfer portal, become that destination program, and then you get the right kind of clicks.

The only clicks Colorado gets is when Sanders opens his mouth, and that hasn’t, and will not translate into much winning.