Lanning says Gundy’s spending comments fueled No. 6 Oregon in win over Oklahoma State

Oregon coach Dan Lanning suggested that comments Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy made this week about the financial disparities between the two teams contributed to the Ducks’ 69-3 rout of the Cowboys on Saturday.

“I told our team right before the game that, it never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass, but it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire,” Lanning said.

Earlier in the week, Gundy talked about Oregon’s apparent NIL resources, saying the Cowboys spent “around $7 million” on their team over three years while claiming the Ducks had spent close to $40 million last year alone — while admitting that he might be off a few million.

“Oregon is paying a lot, a lot of money for their team,” he said. “From a nonconference standpoint, there’s coaches saying they should play teams that are spending the same amount of money.”

Lanning responded in his Monday news conference.

“Ultimately, how blessed are we to be in 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, right?” Lanning said.

For his part, Gundy said Saturday after the most-lopsided loss of his Oklahoma State career he meant no offense.

“There’s nothing wrong with saying that teams you’re playing are good teams,” Gundy said. ”When I made that comment, I was complimenting Oregon for what they’ve done. The second thing is, which I said later in the week, we’ve made commitments also, all right.”

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Lanning says Gundy's spending comments fueled No. 6 Oregon in win over Oklahoma State | iNFOnews.ca
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, right, greets Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, center left, after an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)

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