Dan Lanning has already found a way to add a little extra heat to Oregon’s trip to Columbus.
The No. 2 Ducks head to Ohio Stadium on Nov. 7 to meet No.
1 Ohio State in a matchup loaded with Big Ten weight, College Football Playoff implications and all the usual trimmings that come with a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown.
But before the teams even get there, Oregon’s coach is reportedly having some fun with a bet that has already taken on a life of its own.
The whole thing started with Barstool Sports personality Ohio’s Tate, who publicly guaranteed that Ohio State would run through the 2026 regular season unbeaten at 12-0. From there, the wager turned into a season-long punishment machine, with different consequences tied to whoever hands the Buckeyes a loss. Oregon, naturally, is part of the equation.
“So I met Dan Lanning when I went to Big Ten Media Days. Hated that I liked him. Way more fun to hate him, but that's beside the point here,” Tate said in a video that has drawn more than one million views.
This isn’t Tate’s first time eating humble pie, either. Two seasons ago, after Oregon beat Ohio State in the biggest upset in Autzen Stadium history, he had to eat 320 Peeps because of a previous bet.
Now there’s a new twist. According to Tate, Lanning came up with another punishment if the Ducks go into Columbus and win.
“If Oregon comes into Columbus this November and beats Ohio State, I will get the Mike Tyson tattoo painted or tattooed or whatever,” Tate said.
He later posted that the addition came courtesy of Lanning himself, and the punishment would be a Mike Tyson face tattoo painted on rather than permanently inked. There’s a catch, though: Tate said he wouldn’t be able to wash it off until he finished the Peeps he already owes. Under the current bet, he has to eat 10 marshmallow Peeps for every point Oregon scores if the Ducks win.
Lanning has not publicly confirmed the story.
The game itself is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on Nov. 7, according to The Athletic, and CBS will carry the broadcast.
For Oregon, that means avoiding the dreaded 9 a.m. PT start that can be rough on West Coast teams.
The stakes on the field are obvious. Oregon and Ohio State could also meet again a few weeks later in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
DraftKings has already opened with Ohio State as a 6-point favorite.
These teams know each other well by now. Ohio State beat Oregon 41-21 in the 2025 Rose Bowl and went on to win the national championship. Earlier in the 2024 season, the Ducks edged the Buckeyes 32-31 in a classic at Autzen Stadium.
Ohio State will bring back quarterback Julian Sayin, who put together a huge 2025 season with 3,610 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season. He’ll also have star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who is expected to be a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
For all the noise around the matchup, there’s also clear respect between the coaches. In an exclusive interview with Oregon Ducks On SI reporter Bri Amaranthus, Lanning praised Ryan Day’s work on the field and his commitment away from it.
“Obviously what he's done with his program is unbelievable. He's done a great job developing, growing, and improving that team year in and year out," Lanning told Amaranthus.
"They work really, really hard as a staff. But I think probably as impressive as anything is the stuff that he's done off the field, whether it's suicide awareness, his relationship with his family, being a good family man."
Lanning’s comments were a reminder that, beneath the jokes and the face-paint talk, this is still a heavyweight meeting between two programs with a lot on the line.
And if Oregon leaves Columbus with the win, one very confident Ohio State fan will be stuck with a temporary Mike Tyson tattoo and a mountain of Peeps.
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