Lanning responds after Gundy calls out Oregon's budget: 'We spend to win'

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy compared the Cowboys' roster budget to Oregon's ahead of their Saturday matchup, pointing out how much more the Ducks spend on their team.

"They spend a lot of money," Gundy said Monday, according to Lily Crane of Sports Illustrated. "But they're a good team. There's no doubt about it. ... I think Oregon spent close to $40 (million) last year alone. That was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million."

Gundy estimated that Oklahoma State spent "around $7 million" on its team over the past three years, according to Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.

"Oregon is paying a lot, a lot of money for their team," the Cowboys sideline boss added. "From a non-conference standpoint, there's coaches saying they should (play teams with similar budgets)."

Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said they spend so much because they want to keep winning.

"If you want to be a top-10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win," Lanning said Monday night. "Some people save to have an excuse for why they don't. ... I can't speak on their situation; I have no idea what they got in their pockets over there."

Lanning added, "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."

Oregon kicked off its season with a 59-13 win over Montana State on Saturday, while Oklahoma State defeated UT Martin 27-7.

The Ducks won at least 10 games in each of their first three seasons under Lanning, who joined the school prior to the 2022 campaign. Oregon won the Big Ten last season and finished with a 13-1 record after losing in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Rose Bowl.

Oklahoma State is coming off its worst season of the Gundy era after going 3-9 in 2024, including 0-9 in Big 12 play.