Who will Oregon play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals
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Who will Oregon play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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After bulldozing their first-round College Football Playoff opponent, the Oregon Ducks turned in another utterly dominant performance in the Orange Bowl by overwhelming Big 12 champion Texas Tech to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
Oregon took on the No. 4 Red Raiders and stunned the Big 12 champions with a shutout victory, dominating Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl. Texas Tech, which opened its playoff run after a first-round bye, simply had no answer for the Ducks' suffocating defense.
In a showdown that pitted two of the biggest NIL spenders in college football against one another, it was the No. 5 Ducks who decisively punched their ticket to the semifinals, officially ending the historic, high-scoring season for the No. 4 Red Raiders.
The victory sends Oregon to the next stage of the bracket, where it will face the winner of the highly anticipated Rose Bowl matchup. The Ducks' dominant victory has now positioned them to take on either the undefeated Big Ten champions or the storied SEC powerhouse, moving one step closer to a national championship.
Who will Oregon play next in the bracket? Here's a look at the opponent awaiting the Ducks.
MORE: Picks, predictions against the spread for CFP quarterfinal games
College Football Playoff bracket 2026
SN AWARDS: 2025 All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year
Who will Oregon play next?
Oregon will play one of two teams: either Indiana or Alabama.
The winners between Oregon vs. Texas Tech and Indiana vs. Alabama will meet in the Chic-Fil-A Peach Bowl, which will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, the Ducks await the winner of the No. 1 Hoosiers and the No. 9 Crimson Tide.
Should the Hoosiers advance, there would be a Big Ten showdown in the CFP semifinals. The two teams played earlier in the year, with Indiana defeating Oregon 30-20 at Autzen Stadium.
MORE: Ranking the eight remaining CFP teams
When will Oregon play again?
- Date: Friday, Jan. 9
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
After the Orange Bowl win, Oregon will play again on Friday, Jan. 9, the date of the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
College Football Playoff schedule 2026
| Date | Round | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV Channel |
| Dec. 19 | First Round | No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN |
| Dec. 20 | First Round | No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M | Noon | ABC/ESPN |
| Dec. 20 | First Round | No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. | TNT/truTV |
| Dec. 20 | First Round | No. 12 JMU vs. No. 5 Oregon | 7:30 p.m. | TNT/truTV |
| Dec. 31 | Quarterfinals | No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 8 | Semifinals | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 9 | Semifinals | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 19 | National Championship | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
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