Good Luck Ducks, Playoff Semifinal Edition: Peachy Rematch

Oregon takes on the only team that has defeated them this season in the Peach Bowl.

The Ducks did a rare thing last week in their second CFP game this season in holding Texas Tech to zero points. Patrick Mahomes had to wear a Ducks jersey. It was glorious! The defense definitely turned things around after easing up against James Madison in the second half. Unfortunately, things are about to get significantly tougher with Oregon facing off against the only undefeated team in the FBS this season, one they fell short against just a few months back.

Quite a bit has changed in the nearly three months since the Hoosiers beat the Ducks in Eugene. Late breaking news today mentioned that Oregon is down to just a few scholarship players at tailback, a position of tremendous wealth back in September. With starter Noah Whittington questionable tonight and Jordon Davison declared out due to injury, the Ducks have had a couple of players from the defensive side practicing at the offensive position of need. (The postseason transfers of a certain two experienced players here certainly haven't helped.) Oregon has won eight straight since the Indiana loss, however, and there's still a lot of reason for optimism coming off of two strong playoff wins.

This is one that the pundits have overwhelmingly sided with the Hoosiers, and why wouldn't they? It's a team of apparently no weakness, who rolled through their playoff game (albeit against a 3-loss Alabama team that shouldn't have been there.) Most of these people would have you believe that Indiana blew out the Ducks last time, even though the game was tied 20-20 until Indiana took the lead for good with just 6:23 left in the game. My immediate impression from that game is that Oregon just didn't play well. It felt like they had played their worst game, in fact (though that was yet to come, unfortunately.) But when you look at what the Hoosiers have done since, it's hard not to give them all the credit for that win. No one really expected Indiana to be what they are, and that has a lot to do with why they are where they are. It's up to the Ducks to meet them at their level and see where it takes them.

Notes and miscellany:

• The one-sided Orange Bowl exposed something very uncomfortable in the current configuration of football conferences in that you can be a Power Four school and the best in your conference, but you might not measure up to some of the teams in these superconferences. It's yet another reminder of what was lost when all of the schools started making their moves. Ultimately, like most things these days, so much of it comes down to money and how much resources a school has.
• I never in a million years saw Fernando Mendoza as a future Heisman winner when he was getting obliterated by Oregon (63-19!) with Cal as a freshman two seasons ago. Most of these people talking glowingly about what they saw in him back then are probably lying.
• Opponent fun fact: Since I didn't touch on this during their initial match, Indiana's new mascot is Hoosier the Bison. Apparently they brought it back after it was some sort of unofficial student supported mascot in the '60s. In practice, it just looks like some guy found a wooly mask at some sort of Halloween store.
• Opponent history: It's at 2-2 now after Indiana win back in October.
• Game time is 4:30 PM PST on ESPN in Atlanta. Go Ducks!