December 30, 2025Dec 30 Author 1 hour ago, TxEx84 said:I seriously don't understand why people want 24 teams in the playoff. Yes, I realize that I am in the minority. I was an avid watcher of college basketball until every team with a pulse made the tournament. The regular season is boring af now. I want every regular season CFB game to matter. Eight was the right number. Twelve was pushing it, but ok. Twenty-four? GTFO.Because NFL fans want CFB to become a bastardized version of the NFL, where the regular season is meaningless and 7-9 teams can and do make the playoffs. Compare the intensity of Texas-Oklahoma or Alabama-Auburn or Ohio State-Michigan to the Dallas-Philadelphia or Bears-Packers. NFL rivalries are no match for CFB ones because half the damn league makes it to the playoffs. NFL fans will literally watch their teams rest starters left and right towards the end of the season to secure playoff berths, and then demand that CFB align to that model while claiming it won't affect the meaningfulness of regular season games 🙄
December 30, 2025Dec 30 15 hours ago, TxEx84 said:I seriously don't understand why people want 24 teams in the playoff. Yes, I realize that I am in the minority. I was an avid watcher of college basketball until every team with a pulse made the tournament. The regular season is boring af now. I want every regular season CFB game to matter. Eight was the right number. Twelve was pushing it, but ok. Twenty-four? GTFO.You were an avid CBB fan until 1985? Did you go to school with armybrat?
December 30, 2025Dec 30 12 hours ago, Zeus said:kids are cooler than me, i'd probably throw my drink at the guy
December 30, 2025Dec 30 I don't understand the "the regular season is boring now" crap. No it wasn't. The regular season this year was pretty god damn fun at times - we got some awesome games. Now, CBB, yes, because 75% of the first 2 months are non-consequential games against Texas Junior College of the Blind, but there have been some bangers regardless between p4 teams, and especially once conf play beginsAnd "The regular season doesn't matter?" Why? There was only 1 team with more than 3 losses in each of the last CFP rankings, the AP top 25 and the coaches poll. 24 teams just means more 10-2 and 9-3 teams make it. It is highly unlikely a 7-5 team is going to sneak in - even ACC Champ Duke isn't ranked.
December 30, 2025Dec 30 2 hours ago, BigHornedLurker said:kids are cooler than me, i'd probably throw my drink at the guyThey were laughing
December 30, 2025Dec 30 5 hours ago, 'stache said:You were an avid CBB fan until 1985? Did you go to school with armybrat?<old man> ah yes, seems like yesterday.</old man> Ha. True. You can probably guess I graduated from UT in '84. So yes, in middle school, high school and in college, the format was great. Once the tournament went to 64, the regular season just didn't mean as much. You just need to pay attention for 3 weeks in March now.
December 30, 2025Dec 30 4 hours ago, Js1 said:I don't understand the "the regular season is boring now" crap.No it wasn't. The regular season this year was pretty god damn fun at times - we got some awesome games.Now, CBB, yes, because 75% of the first 2 months are non-consequential games against Texas Junior College of the Blind, but there have been some bangers regardless between p4 teams, and especially once conf play beginsAnd "The regular season doesn't matter?" Why? There was only 1 team with more than 3 losses in each of the last CFP rankings, the AP top 25 and the coaches poll. 24 teams just means more 10-2 and 9-3 teams make it. It is highly unlikely a 7-5 team is going to sneak in - even ACC Champ Duke isn't ranked.The CFB regular season matters now because there are just 12 teams. Expand it to 24, then you can drop 3 or 4 games and still make it.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 21 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:More proof Cignetti took over a ready made program.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 30 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:Florida number (probably) skewed by IMG Academy.
December 31, 2025Dec 31 Any recommendations for location in Austin to watch the games and drink tomorrow?
6 hours ago6 hr On 12/29/2025 at 10:44 AM, The Dog said:Is it just me, or is everyone getting way over their skis on Miami?Ohio State being favored by 9.5 is a lot, but I think that everyone's overrating the Canes' win over aggy a bit. And last I checked, Carson Beck was still Miami's QB.Thoughts?Idiot.
6 hours ago6 hr Author (Chris Vannini) Miami vs. Ohio State CFP takeaways: Hurricanes stun Buckeyes — and cement status as contenderARLINGTON, Texas — Twenty-three years after Ohio State knocked off defending national champion Miami in one of college football’s all-time classics, the Hurricanes pulled off the feat against the Buckeyes, finally announcing themselves as back in the top tier of college football. lMiami beat Ohio State 24-14 in Wednesday’s Cotton Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal. On the backs of an efficient performance by Carson Beck and a defensive touchdown, the Canes became the first team to shut out the Buckeyes in the first half in eight years, then held off an OSU comeback attempt over the final two quarters.The 10th-seeded Hurricanes (12-2) — who earned the last at-large bid into the Playoff field by moving ahead of Notre Dame on selection Sunday — advance to the Fiesta Bowl, where they’ll face either No. 3 Georgia or No. 6 Ole Miss on Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz., for a spot in the national championship. Miami hasn’t been to the title game since losing to Ohio State in the championship in January 2003, but in beating the Buckeyes (12-2), it looked the part of a team that could win it all this January.The first quarter was all Miami, with a 110-9 edge in total yards. Only a red zone fumble and time kept the Hurricanes off the board. A Carson Beck touchdown pass to Mark Fletcher Jr. put Miami on the board first early in the second quarter. Three plays after going up 7-0, Miami cornerback Keionte Scott jumped an Ohio State bubble screen pass, intercepting it in stride and taking it back 72 yards untouched for a 14-0 lead, sending Michael Irvin and Canes fans into a frenzy.The rest of the first half was evenly played, and Miami took that lead into halftime, as Ohio State missed a 49-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half. But the Buckeyes’ offensive momentum picked up, as it took the first drive of the second half 81 yards, ending with a Bo Jackson touchdown run to cut the deficit to 14-7. Miami responded, and when faced with a similar 49-yard field goal attempt, Carter Davis made his, pushing the Canes’ lead to 17-7. It was a big kick one game after Davis missed three attempts at a windy Texas A&M in the first round. It also made Miami the first team to score 17 points against the Buckeyes this season.But Ohio State’s offense continued to find its rhythm, going on a 75-yard drive, capped by a Julian Sayin touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith on a fourth down to cut Miami’s lead to 17-14. It marked three consecutive big drives for the Ohio State offense, and when the Buckeyes got the ball back with 10:16 to play, it seemed they were poised to take the lead, especially when Sayin found Smith on a third-and-15 conversion. But the Miami defense found its footing again, drawing a holding penalty and forcing the Buckeyes to punt.Beck, Fletcher (90 yards) and the Miami offense then orchestrated a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to essentially ice the game, with CharMar Brown’s 5-yard run putting the Hurricanes up by 10 with just 55 seconds to go. Two plays later, Jakobe Thomas intercepted Sayin, and the celebration could really begin.A 9.5-point underdog entering the game, Miami’s win marked the biggest upset in the 12-year history of the CFP.What this win means for MiamiIt’s always been a running joke to say “The U is back,” but a win over the defending national champion, fueled by defense and physicality, is the truest sign yet that coach Mario Cristobal has finally built the Miami team he always wanted. Last year’s team lit up the scoreboard with Cam Ward but couldn’t get stops when needed. This year’s team was built in the trenches, and when it mattered most, the Hurricanes were the better team up front. The Hurricanes will head to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8, facing Georgia or Ole Miss. If the Bulldogs win Thursday’s Sugar Bowl, it sets up a matchup between Beck and his former team, Georgia. — Chris VanniniBeck deserves more creditBeck has been a lightning rod for criticism dating back to his time at Georgia, for reasons ranging from his sports car to his body language to his disastrous turnovers. Wednesday’s performance showed why the Hurricanes spent much of their time here talking about how he’s misunderstood. His throws weren’t eye-popping, but he looked like an experienced quarterback who has played in and won big games. In the first half, he set a Cotton Bowl record with 13 consecutive completions. He stepped up in the pocket, taking only one first-half sack, and was content to take the easy completions that kept possessions moving. One of them was a second-and-8 conversion in the second quarter when Miami was pinned inside its 15. That pass helped flip the field thanks to a booming punt.Being efficient and avoiding mistakes doesn’t fuel highlight reels. It wins games. And Beck is now 36-5 as a starter heading into the semifinal. — Matt BakerMiami’s defense is title-worthyThe Hurricanes dominated Ohio State’s offensive line for most of the game. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor combined for three sacks through the first three quarters after combining for 4 1/2 in the opening round at Texas A&M. It wasn’t just that duo; on one first-half play, two other Hurricanes had shots at sacking Sayin before Mesidor brought him down. Marquise Lightfoot also had an early sack, and Ohio State had minus-3 rushing yards in the first half. The Buckeyes offense eventually started clicking late in the second quarter and into the second half. But Miami allowed only 3 points at Texas A&M and held Ohio State’s top-20 scoring offense to 14 points through the first 47 minutes. If the Hurricanes can continue to pressure opposing quarterbacks as they did early on, this team is capable of winning it all in its home stadium. — BakerOhio State waited too long to make adjustmentsThe Ohio State offense looked completely lost in the first half. It had 154 total yards at halftime but no rushing attack (minus-3 rushing yards) and no confidence in a passing attack that couldn’t block Miami’s defensive line at all. Led by coach Ryan Day, who took over play calling coming into the game, the Buckeyes couldn’t solve a Miami defense that was flying around the field. Then they went to halftime, and Day finally made some changes. He moved Ian Moore to left tackle, in place of Austin Siereveld, and Josh Padilla to right guard, in place of Gabe VanSickle. Ohio State responded with an 82-yard touchdown drive after halftime and another 75-yard touchdown drive after that.But the problem with digging a 14-0 hole at halftime was Ohio State’s offense had to come out and be nearly perfect to win. It wasn’t. On Ohio State’s third drive of the half, trailing 17-14, it converted a third-and-15 but then committed a holding penalty that backed it up and had to punt. By the time it got the football again, only 55 seconds were left and the game was effectively over. Ohio State is going to be disappointed by the result of its season. It was 12-0 and then lost its last two games. Both losses came because OSU took too long to adjust on the offensive end, and that is on Day.Day, who deserves some benefit of the doubt after winning a national championship last season, is the offensive mastermind of this program. He took over play calling because he didn’t want offensive coordinator Brian Hartline to be distracted while also preparing to be the head coach at South Florida. If that’s the case, Day has to be better at adjusting and helping an offense that Miami shut down for the first 15 minutes. Often, that doesn’t cost Ohio State, but against a team that has as much talent as Miami, it did. Ohio State can only wonder what would’ve happened had it made some adjustments earlier. — Cameron Teague Robinson
6 hours ago6 hr So far in year 2 of the 12 team format, 1st round bye teams are 0-5. Is nearly a month off too much time? In the olden days both teams had to deal with/overcome the long layoff between end of season and the MNC game, now it seems the top teams are being penalized Will be interesting to see if the trend continues or if some of the bye teams can knock off the rust today. Playoffs need to move up closer to the end of season, CCGs should go away and I am personally a fan of 8 or 16, no byes.
2 hours ago2 hr 3 hours ago, Jimbob said:So far in year 2 of the 12 team format, 1st round bye teams are 0-5. Is nearly a month off too much time? In the olden days both teams had to deal with/overcome the long layoff between end of season and the MNC game, now it seems the top teams are being penalizedWill be interesting to see if the trend continues or if some of the bye teams can knock off the rust today. Playoffs need to move up closer to the end of season, CCGs should go away and I am personally a fan of 8 or 16, no byes.0-61-5 ATSBasically non-competitive too. Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by Js1
1 hour ago1 hr But the favorites are 4-2 in these games. They already fixed the issue from Year 1 by not automatically giving byes to conference champions. The next fix is to get the Committee to actually factor in strength of schedule into the rankings. Tech should have been in the field but they were not the 4th best team.
3 minutes ago3 min Author Chris Vannini: Miami is capable of winning a national championship. And yes, Mario Cristobal is whyARLINGTON, Texas — There is a box of notes back in Miami that Mario Cristobal is going to hold onto forever. It represents a moment. A belief. A decision that turned everything around, at a time when everyone had turned on his team. It stems from Nov. 2, the day after Miami lost in overtime to SMU to give the Hurricanes a second loss and all but knock them out of the College Football Playoff picture. The postgame news conference felt like a funeral, with muted voices and dejected faces.That Sunday afternoon in Miami, Cristobal called a typical staff meeting. But looking back now, he calls this one “The Meeting.” In that room, Cristobal didn’t come down hard on his staff, no yelling or pounding of the table. It was the opposite. It was positive. He wanted to raise the spirits of everyone, and he wanted coaches to do the same for the players. Because he knew no one else would.“We are going to have to be our best fans, our best supporters, our best family,” Cristobal recounted Wednesday, thinking back on that moment. “I’m going to lift you up. You’re going to lift me up.” Two months later, back in the Dallas area for the first time since the SMU game, Cristobal and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. lifted each other up. This time, literally, as they hugged, high-fived and dropped a cursory amount of swear words in celebration.Miami upset Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl, punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals and delivering Cristobal a second consecutive marquee playoff win. The win at Texas A&M was nice. But the win against the defending national champion Buckeyes was a different kind of statement. Maybe “The U” isn’t quite back yet, but it’s getting darn close. This is a team that can win it all, and it’s because of the alumnus head coach who built this Miami team the way it needed to be. Tough. Physical. Like the offensive lineman he was. And in the moment they needed something else, Cristobal pushed the right button. “One of the most important character traits of a true leader is to know what the group needs, and he did an unbelievable job in a dark time,” offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said. Cristobal has taken plenty of criticism over the years, whether it be for game management or untimely losses. That SMU loss dropped Miami to 4-9 in November under Cristobal’s watch. He still hasn’t won the ACC, though wonky tiebreakers were a factor this year. But after The Meeting, Miami went 4-0 down the stretch, got into the Playoff thanks to a final-day flip over Notre Dame by the selection committee, and two more wins later, here they are. “He’s done a fantastic job,” said former Miami and Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who was in attendance with plenty of former Miami players, like the animated Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis.Johnson celebrated with the team on the sideline as the final seconds ticked down. After Cristobal lifted the championship trophy on the podium, the two coaches shared some more words, and they each held up a hand to make the “U” signal. Cristobal didn’t play at Miami under Johnson, who had just left for the Cowboys, but it was Johnson who recruited Cristobal and his brother. The sons of Cuban exiles in Miami got their shot.“He changed our lives,” Cristobal said. “We were nobodies. He offered my brother and I scholarships. My parents, they didn’t even know what a scholarship was. They were Cuban-Americans that came over and found a way to make a living. Forty years later, he’s out there on the sidelines supporting us.”Now Cristobal is doing the same for his players. Last October, it was Cristobal and other coaches who informed running back Mark Fletcher Jr. that Fletcher’s father had died in his sleep. Every member of the team went to Big Mark’s funeral. “I’ve still got a father figure every day,” Fletcher said of Cristobal. “I’d run through a wall for him.”Cristobal has taken Miami to consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2002 and 2003. The Canes are the first double-digit seed to win a CFP game, let alone two, and the win against Ohio State as a 9.5-point underdog was the biggest upset in CFP history.They did it the way Cristobal planned when he arrived four years ago. The Canes had five sacks and held Ohio State to 45 rushing yards. The Buckeyes’ minus-3 rushing yards at halftime were their fewest in a game since 2004. Miami led 14-0 at the break thanks to a defensive interception returned for a touchdown, and the Canes did just enough to hold on. When they needed to run the ball and drain clock in the fourth quarter, they got it done.A year ago, Miami’s high-flying offense with No. 1 pick Cam Ward could put up points, but the Canes couldn’t get stops in the big moments. So they focused even more in the offseason on loading up in the trenches. Cristobal wanted a bully. The results were evident Wednesday. “It’s how Mario built the program,” athletic director Dan Radakovich said. “Tonight, you saw the culmination of all that happening inside and out.”As he took in the celebration on the field, Cristobal tried to put on the coach face, giving generic answers, pushing praise to others. But there were moments where the inner lineman came out. He kept pumping his fist. Some f-bombs dropped. Speaking to “SportsCenter” from the field, his true feelings slipped out. “Hats off to our guys for being some tough-ass sons of b——,” he said. After the interview, he apologized to the producer, not realizing the interview was live.He earned the right to gloat. There are still two games to go to win a national championship, but Cristobal deserves respect for what he’s done this year. There is so much that goes into coaching. It’s more than timeout management or a play call. It’s knowing your team, your coaches, and figuring out how to get the most out of them. He has done that. As Cristobal walked toward the tunnel to leave the field, Miami fans chanted “Ma-ri-o! Ma-ri-o!” The coach fist-pumped again. He put his hands up to make the “U.”Twenty-three years ago in Arizona, it was Ohio State who upset the 11.5-point favorite and defending national champion Hurricanes. The Miami program hasn’t been the same since. On Wednesday, with both programs having switched positions, it was the underdog Miami that bullied the defending champ. Now the Canes go back to Arizona, looking to get one step closer to that final glory, led by a Miami man who seems to have finally unlocked what “The U” always needed.(Ralph D. Russo) Oregon vs. Texas Tech CFP takeaways: Ducks stifle Big 12 champs for third shutout in CFP eraMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Oregon successfully completed the first of what it hopes will be three cross-country trips for the College Football Playoff, smothering fourth-seeded Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Ducks advance to play the winner of the Rose Bowl between No. 1 Indiana and Alabama on Jan. 9 in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The national championship game is back here at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. That’s a lot of miles for the Ducks, but there were no body-clock or jet-lag issues on New Year’s Day.Quarterback Dante Moore and the Ducks did have their hands full against a talented Texas Tech defense, led by All-America edge rusher David Bailey, but Oregon responded with four takeaways of its own in a dominant defensive performance. It was the third shutout pitched since the introduction of the College Football Playoff, joining Alabama’s 38-0 win over Michigan State in the 2015-16 semifinals and Clemson’s 31-0 win over Ohio State the following year.Matayo Uiagalelei’s strip sack of Texas Tech’s Behren Morton set up the first touchdown of the game in the third quarter for the Ducks, and Atticus Sappington made three field goals. “We just felt like in this moment it was going to be about chipping away, and eventually it was going to break. It kind of broke open with us creating some extra opportunities there with takeaways, opportunities on special teams. I thought our special teams played really, really well,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.Moore was solid, going 26 of 33 for 234 yards with one interception, while getting little help from Oregon’s running game, which averaged 1.4 yards per carry. After being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Ohio State as the No. 1 seed in the first 12-team Playoff last season, the Ducks are now as close to a national title as they have been since reaching the championship game of the first four-team CFP after the 2014 season.Oregon spent most of the first half in Texas Tech territory but came away with only six points to show for it. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning took a typically aggressive approach, going for it five times on fourth down in the first half — including a fake punt from Oregon’s side of the field that worked. Nothing worked to get into the end zone, though. Texas Tech stopped the Ducks on a fourth-and-goal from the 2 in the second quarter, batting down Moore’s pass at the line of scrimmage.The Ducks struggled to run it all day, and the Red Raiders had eight tackles for loss in the first half, a couple thanks to Oregon ballhandling miscues. Sappington made a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 39-yarder in the second quarter, and the Ducks led 6-0 at the break, despite outgaining the Red Raiders 198-88 and coming up with two turnovers in Texas Tech territory. Bailey was a handful for Oregon’s tackles with two tackles for loss and two passes broken up.On the other side, almost all of Tech’s offense came on a 50-yard run by J’Koby Williams in the second quarter. It was the one drive on which the Red Raiders crossed midfield, but it resulted in Stone Harrington missing a 54-yard field short and wide.After another fourth-down stop by the Red Raiders in their own territory in the third quarter, Oregon got its third takeaway of the day on Texas Tech’s side of the 50. Uiagalelei swiped the ball from Morton’s hand while the quarterback was trying to throw and returned the fumble 16 yards to Texas Tech 6. Jordon Davison took a toss into the end zone on the next play to make it 13-0.Cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. was the Ducks’ defensive star. He picked off Morton twice, the second time in the end zone early in the fourth quarter to protect the shutout. “I feel like our defense is the best at preparing in the nation,” said Finney, who also had six tackles and was tough in run support.Behren Morton’s nightmare day dooms TechThe obvious question Texas Tech fans will have in the aftermath of this loss is whether general manager James Blanchard should’ve spent more money on offense during last offseason’s transfer portal cycle. The Red Raiders clearly got good bang for their buck with 12 of their 19 non-special teams transfers becoming starters, including eight on their vaunted defense. They landed five offensive starters, though one (running back Quinten Joyner) suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.Should Texas Tech have shopped in the quarterback market? Before the portal opened, head coach Joey McGuire assured veteran starting quarterback Behren Morton that he was the Red Raiders’ guy, and they signed him to a new contract. McGuire wanted Morton to take a leadership role given the mass of transfers the team signed and believed that a healthy Morton would take Texas Tech to heights it has never seen.McGuire was right, but it wasn’t enough to get the Red Raiders a Playoff win. Morton had a horrendous performance in Miami, finishing 18 for 32 passing for 137 yards and turning the ball over three times. Hindsight may lead some to wonder why Texas Tech didn’t explore the quarterback market more this offseason, especially given the litany of injuries Morton had dealt with throughout his Tech career. But McGuire and Blanchard felt good about Morton, as well as backup Will Hammond, and clear upgrades at quarterback were hard to come by in the 2025 winter portal cycle.Among the top quarterbacks who entered the portal last winter, several of the best options were spoken for. John Mateer followed his offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, from Washington State to Oklahoma. Devon Dampier did the same with Jason Beck from New Mexico to Utah. Darian Mensah got an offer he couldn’t refuse from Duke. Fernando Mendoza joined his brother, Alberto, at Indiana, and nobody was projecting him as the Heisman Trophy winner at this time last year. Carson Beck wound up at Miami; Tech didn’t appear to express interest in the former Georgia starter.Beyond those options, the top names that would have been available were players like Beau Pribula (ultimate destination: Missouri), Chandler Morris (Virginia), Conner Weigman (Houston), Mark Gronowski (Iowa) and Joey Aguilar (Tennessee). While all good players in their own right, it’s hard to argue they’d be major upgrades from Morton, who finished the regular season ninth in passing efficiency, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,643 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions despite playing through a hairline fracture in his right leg since Week 1 and relying on a walking boot for weeks.And for what it’s worth, only two starters in college football this season won more games than Morton did (26) over the last four seasons, according to TruMedia: Beck (36) and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (31).The Red Raiders will be in the market for a starting quarterback when the transfer portal opens on Friday because Morton is out of eligibility and Hammond is out with an ACL injury suffered in October. They’re the favorite to land Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, The Athletic’s top available transfer quarterback. But it’ll come a day too late, as Tech needed much better quarterback play on Thursday. Had the Red Raiders gotten even a competent performance from that position, it could have been a much different ballgame. — Manny Navarro and Sam Khan Jr.Oregon gets aggressive on fourth down againLanning has never been afraid to go for it on fourth down, and it was clear from the get-go Thursday he was going to continue to be aggressive even against Texas Tech’s vaunted front four.The Ducks converted three times on fourth down in the first half, including punter James Ferguson-Reynolds’ 11-yard pass to linebacker Teitum Tuioti, en route to a 4-of-8 performance on fourth down. None of those first-half conversions led to any points, but Lanning stayed aggressive in the second half. After a Malik Benson 28-yard punt return gave Oregon possession at the Texas Tech 41 on the Ducks’ first drive of the third quarter, Lanning went for it again at the Red Raiders 33. Quarterback Dante Moore, though, missed tight end Kenyon Sadiq wide open down the middle of the field and ended up scrambling a yard short of the first-down marker.Luckily for Oregon, coordinator and future Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi’s defense forced its third turnover of the game on Texas Tech’s side of the field moments later. It led to Oregon’s first touchdown of the game and a 13-0 lead, but Lanning didn’t take his foot off the gas. With Oregon facing a fourth-and-2 at the Red Raiders 46, the Ducks went for it again, and Moore was intercepted by linebacker Ben Roberts.Since Lanning’s arrival in Eugene four years ago, the Ducks have been one of the most successful teams on fourth down. Of the 11 teams to win at least 40 games since the start of the 2022 season, Oregon’s 66 percent conversion percentage on fourth downs ranked third-best heading into Thursday’s Playoff game, per TruMedia. Only Georgia (74.3 percent) and Ohio State (67.5 percent) had better conversion rates, but the Bulldogs and Buckeyes haven’t gone for it nearly as much as Oregon has over the same stretch.The Ducks were 14 of 22 on fourth-down attempts during the regular season, including a season-best 5-of-7 performance in a 30-24 overtime win at Penn State. — NavarroSnubbed?Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein said he was surprised the Ducks’ offensive line did not win the Joe Moore Award, which went to Iowa’s line. The Ducks were a finalist and made a good case. Stein was especially effusive about how the interior of the line, led by center Iapani Laloulu and All-America guard Emmanuel Pregnon, has played. The first half against Texas Tech might have been the line’s worst two quarters of the season. Moore was under constant pressure, and the Ducks running backs had nowhere to run. Even discounting the two sacks of Moore, Oregon backs managed only 31 yards rushing on 15 carries against Tech’s big and active front, led by 330-pound tackle Lee Hunter. It didn’t get much better in the second half. Jordon Davison’s one-yard exclamation point of a fourth-down touchdown run in the final seconds brought the Ducks’ final totals to 64 yards on 47 carries. With either a rematch against Indiana or a matchup against Alabama looming, the Ducks offensive line will need to regain its regular-season form for Oregon to advance further. — Ralph Russo
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.