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The Oregon Ducks will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal that will also serve as the Orange Bowl.
The game will be played at a neutral site despite Texas Tech being the No. 4 seed in the bracket. It’s a notion that Ducks head coach Dan Lanning had a hard time wrapping his head around. With the Playoff format as it is now, only the first round sees home games for the highest seeds. The next rounds are considered bowl games, keeping some of the old ways intact.
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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning calls his team during the first half of the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff against James Madison on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Lanning also took issue with the timing of the quarter-final matches. Oregon defeated James Madison, 51-34, on Saturday, but does not face Texas Tech until New Year’s Day. Texas Tech has not played since the Big 12 Championship on Dec. 6.
“I don’t know if there’s a side benefit. I think it’s more of an indicator that the way we do the playoffs in college football is messed up. I mean, in my opinion, we’re really excited to go to the Orange Bowl, but this game has to be played at Texas Tech. They’re a higher-seeded team. We should play a week, like the next playoff game should be the next, right after the last game on Saturday. Saturday The next playoff game should be Saturday, then a championship game.
Lanning said part of the challenge is keeping the same rhythm for his players despite the lack of order in playoff games this part of the year.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks at the scoreboard during the first half of the first round of the NCAA College Football Playoff against James Madison on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
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“There’s definitely a skill and an art to making sure your team is prepared when you have long breaks. And I think that was clear last year,” he said. “Of course it will be clear now. You have a little more time to prepare for this match, but a little bit different than the last one.
“And that’s the other part that doesn’t make a lot of sense is the sequence of days between each game and each playoff. There’s just not really a rhythm. And for us as a coach, it’s about how do you create that rhythm? How do you challenge yourself to say, ‘OK, how can we keep things going as much as possible for our players?’ And it’s hard when you have big gaps and big breaks like that.”
Oregon will certainly have a challenge on its hands against Texas Tech.
Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Ben Roberts (13) and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) celebrate an interception against the BYU Cougars in the second half at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 6, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
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Joey McGuire’s team is 12-1 with their lone loss coming against Arizona State earlier this season. The Red Raiders average about 42.5 points per game. game, which is ranked third in the nation. The defense allows 10.9 points per game. game, which also ranks third in the nation.
