The next College Football Playoff won’t happen for another eight months, but that doesn’t stop us from projecting what the second edition of the 12-team format might look like.
Although Oregon football didn’t fare so well in the first year of the new format, the Ducks are projected by most to participate in the second year of this postseason. According to On3 writer Ari Wasserman, Oregon, and more specifically, head coach Dan Lanning, will face some familiar faces in mid-December. He has the Ducks playing in between the hedges at Georgia in Round 1 in the 8 vs 9 game.
“Go back to Sept. 3, 2022. It was Dan Lanning‘s first game at Oregon. The Ducks played Georgia and were blown completely off the field,” Wasserman said. “It wasn’t even competitive. But a lot has changed since then and Oregon has closed the immense talent gap that used to exist between itself and the best programs. The Ducks have spent the entire summer grueling over what happened against the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. In another shot at a top-tier opponent, Oregon gets over the hump and the Bulldogs suffer another early CFP exit.”
Picking Oregon to go to Georgia and winning is a bold move. Going to Athens and coming out unscathed with a victory isn’t easy by any means. Sanford Stadium is one of the most difficult places to play in the country for opponents, and winning there would be a huge feather in Lanning’s cap.
But winning in the first round and losing in the quarterfinal isn’t something Oregon would readily sign up for. The Ducks want to win in all. Unfortunately, Wasserman sees Oregon doing just that as he picks the Ducks to lose to Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
“Oregon is hoping this is the year it gets over the hump. But unfortunately for Lanning and the Ducks, they run into the deepest and most talented team in college football in 2025,” he said. “That team is led by Arch Manning, who is fresh off a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. It’s not that Oregon hasn’t gotten better year over year, but the Ducks continue to have an unfortunate path to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Texas wins.”
The Ducks defense might beg to differ.
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