Kirk Herbstreit Gives Unfiltered Take on Indiana vs. Oregon

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is set to be a rematch between the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks, and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit gave some of his thoughts on the semifinal matchup during the Rose Bowl broadcast.

What Kirk Herbstreit Said About The Peach Bowl

"We all have a great deal of respect for Dan Lanning and what he's done. It's tough to beat Dan Lanning twice, tough to be good teams twice," Herbstreit said. "But one thing I'll say about Indiana is don't expect them to get out over their skis, as far as thinking in uncharted waters, 'They're gonna get a little bit too big headed, they're gonna get a little bit too many pants on the back.'"

indiana hoosiers oregon ducks semifinal kirk herbstreit college football playoff rose bowl curt cignetti dan lanning — Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Kirk Herbstreit reacts prior to the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Texas A&M Aggies during the first round of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"That already happened, when they were in Indianapolis," Herbstreit continued. "They beat Ohio State in a Big Ten Championship. They got a lot of pats on the back. Did that affect them? They showed up ready to go today, and I expect him to be the same kind of team when they head down to Atlanta against the Ducks."

With Indiana dominating Alabama, Oregon's next opponent in the College Football Playoff was clear before the sun set over the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena, California. The Hoosiers are rolling, but Herbstreit doesn't seem to think that the moment will affect Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and his team.

What Curt Cignetti Said After Winning The Rose Bowl

"It's easy for me to assume we've had a lot of big wins this year, and we know how to bounce back, but it's a process. So, I mean we'll have a nice flight tomorrow. Everybody's off, and the next day will be the Sunday for the staff and Monday for the players the following day. We got to get ourselves ready to go, because we're playing great football team. It's hard to beat a really good football team twice, and Oregon's a really good football team. So it will be a tremendous challenge, but I'm going to enjoy this one tonight," Cignetti said.

MORE: Dan Lanning Doesn't Hold Back On Oregon Ducks' Orange Bowl Performance

MORE: Betting Odds Released for Indiana vs. Oregon Playoff Semifinal

MORE: Oregon Ducks Make College Football Playoff History in Orange Bowl

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Earlier in the season, Indiana beat Oregon on the road, ending the Ducks' 18-game winning streak inside of Autzen Stadium. The Hoosiers also beat Iowa and Penn State on the road before winning the Big Ten title over Ohio State.

Indiana is the favorite to win the National Championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook, with +128 odds. With only four teams remaining, Oregon is next at +320, followed by Miami (+330) and Ole Miss (+570).

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Indiana is favored over Oregon by 3.5 points. The spread originally opened at 4.5 points.

Oregon and Indiana will kickoff on Friday, Jan. 9, at 4:30 p.m. PT from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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