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The Oregon Ducks will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup, which will also act as the Orange Bowl.
The game will be played at a neutral site even though Texas Tech is ranked fourth in the group. It’s an idea that Ducks head coach Dan Lanning had a hard time grasping. With the Playoff format as it is now, only the first round sees home games for the top seeds. The following rounds are considered bowling games, keeping some of the old customs 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, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Lanning also took issue with the timing of the quarterfinal matches. Oregon defeated James Madison, 51-34, on Saturday, but won’t face Texas Tech until New Year’s Day. Texas Tech has not played since the Big 12 Championship on December 6.
“I don’t know if there’s a side advantage. I think it’s more of an indicator that the way we do the playoffs in college football is a disaster. I mean, in my opinion, we’re very excited to go to the Orange Bowl, but this game should be played at Texas Tech. They’re a higher-ranked team. We should play a week like right after the last game. The next playoff game should be next Saturday. The next playoff game should be next Saturday. The next playoff game should be next Saturday and then the playoff game should be next Saturday. championship”.
Lanning said part of the challenge is keeping the same pace for his players even though there is a lack of sequence 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, 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 layoffs. And I think that became clear last year,” he said. “Certainly, now it will be clear. You have a little more time to prepare for this match, but a little different from the last one.
“And that’s the other part that doesn’t really make much sense: 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 to create that rhythm. How do you challenge yourself to say, ‘OK, how can we keep things the same as much as possible for our players?’ And it’s hard when there are big gaps and big ruptures 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 during 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 its only loss coming against Arizona State earlier in the season. The Red Raiders average around 42.5 points per game, which ranks third in the country. The defense allows 10.9 points per game, which also ranks third nationally.
