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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Oregon finished the 2025 regular season 11–1 (8–1 Big Ten), earning a No. 5 national ranking and a College Football Playoff berth.
The Ducks advanced to the Peach Bowl semifinal by blanking Texas Tech 23–0 in the Orange Bowl, a defense-driven performance that featured four forced turnovers and multiple game-changing plays.
Oregon now enters a rematch against No. 1 Indiana in the CFP semifinals on Friday, having scored prolifically throughout the season but leaning heavily on its defense in the quarterfinal win.
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In media access events ahead of the Peach Bowl, head coach Dan Lanning framed the rematch as one-possession, detail-oriented football, while noting that Oregon’s best is good enough.
"Every play matters, and our players know that," Lanning said. "They're a very good team. This is not the team you can make a lot of mistakes against. You've got to play your best. But that being said, our best is good enough."
Indiana enters the contest after completing a historic 14–0 run, winning the Big Ten championship with a 13–10 victory over Ohio State in the conference title game and advancing to the CFP semifinals following a dominant 38–3 Rose Bowl win over Alabama.
Under head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have vaulted to No. 1 in the AP and CFP rankings behind an opportunistic defense and an efficient offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
The two teams met earlier in the college football season on Oct. 11 at Autzen Stadium, where Indiana beat Oregon 30–20 in a tight, turnover-influenced game.
Indiana running back Roman Hemby rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while Mendoza passed for 215 yards and added a crucial fourth-quarter score to help seal the Hoosiers’ road win, a result that remains Oregon’s lone loss this season.
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Lanning became Oregon’s head coach in December 2021 and has rapidly turned the program into a repeat CFP participant.
Under Lanning, the Ducks have posted four straight double-digit win seasons, developed one of the nation’s most efficient offenses while strengthening their defensive identity, and compiled an elite 48–7 overall record during his tenure in Eugene.
However, despite the program’s rise to national contention, Oregon has yet to appear in a national championship game, a barrier the Ducks now have a chance to break against the Hoosiers on Friday night in Atlanta.
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