Peach Bowl: Indiana vs. Oregon, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 9; TV: ESPN
We’ve seen this before.
The Peach Bowl will mark the second meeting this season between No. 1 seed Indiana and No. 5 Oregon, following the Hoosiers’ 30-20 road win in October.
The Hoosiers wobbled Oregon with their physical play and dominated things up front, pulling down six sacks and eight tackles for loss to the Ducks’ one and four, respectively.
It was more of the same against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and Alabama in the Rose Bowl. IU sacked Julian Sayin five times in a 13-10 win and then creamed the Crimson Tide in a 38-3 blowout, giving up 193 yards of offense and just 1.5 yards per carry.
On the heels of the Rose Bowl, there’s no doubt IU is the favorite to win the national title.
Oregon has righted the ship with an eight-game winning streak punctuated by a 51-34 win against No. 12 James Madison and a 23-0 blanking of No. 4 Texas Tech.
What each team has learned in the months since that October matchup, what improvements each has made and what new quirks and tricks each could unveil at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will determine which team advances to the College Football Playoff championship.
The pressure is on Oregon
But the pressure is almost entirely on Oregon to prove it has what it takes to stop the Hoosiers’ march to perfection. At times this season, the Ducks have looked like the best team in the Power Four; in others, they’ve seemed much less powerful than the team that won last year’s Big Ten title.
The Orange Bowl showed that Oregon’s defense should be up to the challenge. Texas Tech entered the playoff averaging 42.5 points and 480.5 yards per game but was held to just 215 yards and 3.5 yards per play. While not as dynamic and not as good up front as IU, the Red Raiders were still a top 10 offense in most major categories.
It’ll take a balanced game to beat the Hoosiers, though. And Oregon’s offense was wobbly in the Orange Bowl, averaging just 1.4 yards per carry (counting sacks) and converting just 4 of 19 third downs. That just won’t cut it against the most complete team in college football.
At least the Ducks are familiar with this type of playoff rematch. Last year, they earned a bye into the quarterfinals as the unbeaten Big Ten champs but were blown out of the water in the rematch against eventual national champion Ohio State. One year later, is there a takeaway from that result that will help Dan Lanning and Oregon be better prepared for IU?
Balanced Indiana will be hard to beat
The Hoosiers will roll into Atlanta with incredible confidence, and rightfully so. Just in its past two games, IU has toppled mighty Ohio State and handed Alabama its most lopsided loss in nearly 30 years.
The offense is outstanding. Fernando Mendoza had more touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two) against the Tide. Kaelon Black had 99 rushing yards, Roman Hemby had 89 yards and the Hoosiers went for 215 yards on the ground overall behind a nearly perfect game from the offensive line.
And to much less acclaim, the defense might be even better. IU now ranks second nationally in yards (252.6) and points (10.3) allowed and have yet to give up more than 367 yards in a game. Being this good on both sides of the ball gives IU a safety net even against an opponent as talented as Oregon — if needed, the defense can carry the offense and vice versa.
Oregon will need to upend the Hoosiers’ run to 16-0 by taking them out of their rhythm and comfort zone. Anything less won’t stop the best team in college football.
Oregon vs Indiana Peach Bowl CFP semifinal time, date
Date: Friday, Jan. 9
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
TV: ESPN