Oregon Predicted to Host SEC School in Newest College Football Playoff Prediction

A new bracket prediction for the 2026 College Football Playoff shows the Oregon Ducks hosting a first round game at Autzen Stadium.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning have been getting used to making the College Football Playoff, as they have been participants in each of the last two seasons. While the CFP is still more than eight months away, that hasn't stopped some analysts from taking a crack at predicting what the field could look like next season.

CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford laid out a new prediction of what teams could make the College Football Playoff in 2026, and the Oregon Ducks made the list. Crawford has the Ducks as the No. 7 seed, hosting a first-round playoff game against the No. 10-seeded Ole Miss Rebels. The Ducks hosted their first-ever playoff game at Autzen Stadium last year in a 51-34 win over James Madison. 

Oregon Ducks Second-Highest Seeded Big Ten Team

Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Ducks as a No. 7 seed, would make them the second-highest-seeded team in the Big Ten, as Crawford has the Indiana Hoosiers as the No. 3 seed above the Ducks. Ohio State is listed as the No. 8 seed, and the USC Trojans at No. 11. 

Oregon-Ole Miss First-Round Matchup Could Break Attendance Record

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore walks off the field as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks' game against Ole Miss could very well break the attendance record at Autzen Stadium and would be potentially the most-watched game of the first round. Ole Miss got a big boost in the offseason as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted another year of eligibility. Ole Miss was the surprise of the postseason as they made a cinderella run all the way to the CFP semifinals, which included them defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinal round. 

Crawford and the CBS staff listed out the potential quarterfinal rounds, and the draw is not too favorable for the Ducks. With the Ducks seeded at No. 7, a win over Ole Miss in the first round at Autzen Stadium would set them up with a matchup with the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. A matchup at the Cotton Bowl with the Longhorns would be a de facto Texas home game, as Dallas is just 221 miles away from Austin, where the Longhorns play their home games. 

Oregon Ducks Could See Rematch Against Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti smiles as he is interviewed on the podium after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Indiana Hoosiers ranked at No. 3, if the Ducks were to beat both Ole Miss at Autzen Stadium and the Texas Longhorns in Dallas, it would set up a rematch with Oregon taking on either Indiana in the semifinal once more, or the winner of the No. 6 vs No. 11 seed if either were to beat the Hoosiers. The No. 6 seed is the Georgia Bulldogs, while USC is the No. 11 seed, which means the Ducks could play USC twice next season. 

While the quarterfinal round may not be an ideal matchup for the Ducks, it would be hard to believe Ducks fans would turn their nose up at a home playoff game at Autzen Stadium. Lanning is currently 2-2 in the postseason, and has taken the Ducks further in each of the last three seasons with him at the helm. 

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