Biggest Winners And Losers From Oregon's Playoff Loss

The No. 5 Oregon Ducks saw their season end at the hands of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in a 56-22 loss in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Peach Bowl. The Ducks came into the 2025 season with the motto of “double down" but couldn’t get past the Hoosiers in either of the times they saw them.

Here are the biggest winners and losers of the Ducks' loss.

Winners

Fernando Mendoza

The Heisman Trophy winner all but secured his spot as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft with the win. Mendoza was 17/20 for 177 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. It was a nearly flawless game from the Hoosier quarterback. Mendoza will now have a chance to complete an undefeated perfect season that could conclude in a national championship.

Curt Cignetti

The head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers has pulled off one of the greatest rebuilds in any sport. The Hoosiers were historically one of the worst teams in the country before Cignetti came to Indiana from JMU. Cignetti is now 2-0 against Oregon coach Dan Lanning and became the first coach to win a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal after earning a bye.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers will now face former Ducks coach and current Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal in the national championship game.

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Losers

Dante Moore

Moore had a rough go of things in the Peach Bowl. The Oregon quarterback was 24/39 through the air with two touchdowns and one interception. Moore fumbled twice as the Indiana defense put the pressure on the Ducks from the jump, opening the game with a pick-six by Hoosiers defensive back D'Angelo Ponds.

Moore, who NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. had named as his No. 1 overall prospect, may have tanked his draft stock a bit. It is yet to be seen whether or not Moore will declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, but if he does, it is possible NFL general managers may feel differently about him after his performance in the Peach Bowl.

Dan Lanning

Unfortunately for the Ducks and Lanning, the Ducks' season has ended in a blowout for the second consecutive season. In the 2025 Rose Bowl, the Ducks were down by multiple scores against Ohio State by halftime, and it was a familiar feeling for Ducks fans and Lanning in the Peach Bowl, as the result of the game was mostly decided by the time both teams went into the locker rooms at halftime.

Lanning will undoubtedly be scrutinized for not having the Ducks more prepared for a rematch against the No. 1 team, but unfortunately, that is the price head coaches pay when they carry a responsibility as great as being the face of a program. Still, Oregon has improved each season under Lanning, one of the youngest coaches in the FBS.