College Football Playoff history made during Oregon-Texas Tech quarterfinal

Oregon and Texas Tech became the first to ever participate in such a feat as part of a College Football Playoff game

Oregon Ducks defensive players during College Football Playoff game vs. Texas Tech | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Following Ohio State's surprising loss to Miami on New Year's Eve, Oregon opened up the 2026 side of the College Football Playoff slate by silencing Texas Tech in a 23-0 Orange Bowl victory. That's not a pretty final tally but it did make some CFP history.

While Oregon is a typically high-powered offense and showed off at times during the win, but a defensive battle was never out of the question. Texas Tech possessed one of the best defensive units in the country and their star EDGE defender, David Bailey, more than lived up to the hype with five impact tackles plus a big sack early. The game was only 6-0 at the halftime break and Texas Tech simply couldn't muster more than a couple of backbreaking turnovers on offense.

The final whistle blew only a few minutes after noon PT and it marked Oregon pitching the first shutout of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field. Alongside last week's 10-3 win over Texas A&M for Miami, Oregon is one of two teams in the 12-team format to hold an opponent under 10 points. Plus, it's the first shutout in any CFP game in 10 calendar years — the most recent prior to Thursday having occurred on New Year's Eve of 2016 when Clemson beat Ohio State 31-0.

Oregon's last shutout came in October of 2024 when they beat Purdue 35-0. As for Texas Tech, the Red Raiders hadn't been blanked since November of 2021. That's a tough outing for a squad that averaged more than 40 points per game, but turnovers and that Duck defense ultimately kept Tech frustrated all day long.

Dan Lanning becomes leader in major stat

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dan Lanning also earned a new honor with the victory. According to the ESPN broadcast, the Oregon head coach is now the active FBS leader in winning percentage. He moved to 48-7 with the victory and will have a chance to increase his lead with another couple of wins and a national championship in his fourth season with the program. He's currently won 87.3% of his contests.

The Ducks are set to face the winner of Alabama and Indiana in the Rose Bowl, which, as of this writing, is just about to kick off from a very damp field out in Southern California. Dan Lanning has his best shot yet at a title, especially since the superpower which dismantled Oregon a year ago, Ohio State, is now out of the picture. However, a rematch with an Indiana team that came to Eugene and won by three could be on the table in the semifinals.