The Oregon Ducks’ Playoff Path And Opponents Are Clearer Than Ever

With the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers' win over the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes as well as the Duke Blue Devils' win over No. 17 Virginia, the College Football Playoff bracket is nearly official. The No. 5 Oregon Ducks' potential path through the CFP is an interesting one.

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning smiles before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff bracket was released on Sunday, and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks are expected to set to host No. 12 James Madison in the first round in Autzen Stadium.

Thanks to Duke's win over then-No. 17 Virginia in the ACC Championship Game, two teams from the Group of Five made the 12-team field in the end.

The No. 11 seed went to Tulane, meaning Oregon draws James Madison. The first-round CFP game in Eugene, Oregon, will either be on Dec. 19 or Dec. 20.

Sep 21, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; James Madison Dukes quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) reacts in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 bracket will then square off against No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. If Oregon advances, the Ducks could set themselves up with a rematch against No. 2 Indiana in the semifinals.

The Hoosiers beat then-No. 1 Ohio State to win the Big Ten title, putting Indiana in the Rose Bowl against the winner of the No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama

College Football Playoff Seeds

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Alabama
10. Miami
11. Tulane
12. James Madison

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Alabama Out, Miami In?

Dec 6, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer gestures on the sidelines after a dropped pass in the end zone against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 3 Georgia beat No. 9 Alabama in the SEC Championship game, putting the Crimson Tide at risk of missing the CFP entirely. With Tulane and James Madison expected to fill the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds, only the No. 9 and the No. 10 seeds were available to Notre Dame, Alabama, Miami, and BYU.

Alabama stayed put at No. 9, but the biggest move of the day came from No. 10 Miami jumping over Notre Dame.

Oregon's Ideal Playoff Path

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore warms up as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks have to take care of business, but Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his team have a rather favorable draw. Oregon will likely be heavy favorites in the first round at home, and the Ducks would avoid projected No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Georgia on the other side of the bracket.

If the Ducks want to have a chance at avenging their only loss against Indiana, however, a few things have to go right. Lanning and company first have to win at Autzen followed by a potential trip to the Cotton Bowl against a Texas Tech team that forced four second-half turnovers against BYU.

The Red Raiders have the No. 3 scoring defense in the country behind Indiana and Ohio State. Meanwhile, Texas Tech's scoring offense is also ranked No. 3 in the FBS, averaging 42.5 points per game.

After Oregon's final regular season game, Ducks coach Dan Lanning addressed the playoff.

“I’m excited. Very excited. I'm going to enjoy the moment here for a little bit, probably through the rest of the night, and then start worrying about what our prep plans are moving forward. Our team's banged up. It'll be big for us to get healthy. I think everybody at this point in the season is dealing with that, but there's only 12 teams in the nation that get to keep playing. I mean, some others can play, but in the real one, and we get an opportunity to do that. So, I'm excited about that,” Lanning said after beating Washington.

College Football Playoff Seed Prediction

1. Indiana
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Miami
11. Tulane
12. James Madison