The College Football Playoff bracket is officially locked in, and history will be made in Eugene.
Oregon earned the No. 5 seed in the 12-team field and will host No. 12 James Madison in the first-ever CFP game at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20.
The matchup marks the Ducks’ third all-time playoff appearance and second straight berth, continuing a run of national relevance under head coach Dan Lanning. Oregon finished the regular season 11-1, with its only loss coming to top-ranked Indiana, and enters the postseason boasting one of the nation’s most balanced rosters, ranking in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
Lanning said besides the obvious anticipation that being on a path to a National Championship brings, another exciting piece is hosting a playoff game at Autzen - the first one ever. “To get the chance to do something here that hasn’t been done before. I know our players are excited about it,” said Lanning.
The game comes at a time when University of Oregon will be on winter break, but Lanning said he still expects Autzen to fill up. “Our fans are going to show out for this game- there’s zero doubt in my mind that they’ll be there,” said Lanning. “If it’s not a student, it will be another Oregon fan that’s in there. They don’t want to miss the opportunity to see the only playoff game at Autzen Stadium- that hasn’t happened before so I think we’ll have a lot of fans ready to support it, and I’m ready to see that myself.”
Oregon’s path to the national championship
If the Ducks prevail at home, they’ll face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl quarterfinals on Jan. 1. From there, a potential rematch with Indiana looms as the Hoosiers and Buckeyes occupy the top two seeds, setting up a possible Big Ten clash for the national title on Jan. 19.
Autzen Stadium has been a fortress for Oregon, with the Ducks posting a 25-2 home record under Lanning and 54-4 since 2017.
First-round CFP action begins Dec. 19 with Alabama visiting Oklahoma. For the full bracket and schedule, visit collegefootballplayoff.com.
Kickoff for the Dec. 20 Oregon vs. James Madison game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 2:00 p.m. Details on tickets and parking are available at GoDucks.com.
