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The No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders face the No. 5 Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals Thursday at 12pm ET. Both teams are 12-1 this season, with the Red Raiders’ only loss coming when quarterback Behren Morton was injured.
Oregon vs. Texas Tech will broadcast on ESPN and stream live DIRECTV (Free Trial).
What: College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
WHO: #5 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
When: Thursday, January 1, 2025
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Streams: DIRECTV (Free Trial), fuboTV (free trial), Sling
Here’s a recent college football story via the Associated Press:
No. 1 Indiana spent several weeks in December reeling off the best season in school history.
They sang the school fight song in a confetti celebration after their first Big Ten championship since 1967 and first outright title since 1945. They were featured on “60 Minutes.” They signed their offensive and defensive coordinators to contract extensions. They even flew to New York and took pictures of quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his brand new Heisman Trophy in Times Square.
And now that they know their Rose Bowl opponent after Alabama’s 34-24 win at Oklahoma, Indiana has spent the last 10 days preparing to prove it deserves to be both the No. 1 seed and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
“We understand that like the Big Ten Championship game, like all the other big games we’ve played this season, that page is now translated, even though I’ll be in the (Heisman) fraternity for the rest of my life,” Mendoza said after returning to campus with the Heisman. “Now we’re focused on winning the College Football Playoff. That would make that trophy that much sweeter.”
Last year was the first in an expanded 12-team playoff, and the top four first-round seeds — Oregon, Georgia, Bosie State and Arizona State — all lost in the quarterfinals. This year’s top seeds — Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech — are looking to prove that last year was a fluke.
Georgia (12-1) faces conference rival Ole Miss (12-1) in a rematch on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl; The Bulldogs handed the Rebels their only loss. The defending champion Buckeyes (12-1) spent the last few weeks getting healthy and made one key change. Coach Ryan Day will call the plays when Ohio State takes on Miami (11-2) in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night.
“There’s not a play that goes by where I don’t participate or listen to every call and make sure it’s what we agreed (to go into the play),” Day said, explaining why he’s taking over the playcalling from new South Florida coach Brian Hartline. “So it’s similar to before.
Big 12 champion Texas Tech (12-1) will face Oregon (11-1) in the other quarterfinal game.
The Hoosiers (13-0) never lost focus in 2025, thanks in part to second-year coach Curt Cignetti, but mostly because the Hoosiers’ returning contingent — linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive end Mikail Kamara and receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. – they didn’t allow it.
Neither did newcomers like Mendoza and starting center Pat Coogan, who immediately embraced Indiana’s mission to avenge the two losses that marred Cignetti’s otherwise flawless first season: at eventual national champion Ohio State and eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.
Outsiders entered this season wondering if the remarkable turnaround of the losingest football program in Football Bowl Subdivision history was nothing more than a one-hit wonder. Yet with each passing week, the Hoosiers have answered the call and turned some doubters into believers.
“For us, it’s not really three weeks off, it’s more about getting better at what you’re doing,” Fisher said. “And when it comes time to scout the next opponent, you’ll be an even better player and in a better situation to do it. I think that’s a big thing.”
Now comes the toughest test yet: a Rose Bowl game against the Crimson Tide, which has won six national championships since 2009. Cignetti is a former Alabama assistant, while Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer is a former Indiana assistant.
“We understand that we have a great football team with Indiana,” DeBoer said. “Coach Cignetti, just what he’s done here the last two years is amazing, building the program as quickly as he did to the level it’s at. We’re really looking forward to diving back into our process here and getting back to work.”
So far, Indiana has weathered each challenge with late scores to win at Iowa, Oregon and Penn State before taking on the then-top-ranked Buckeyes on Dec. 6. Cignetti relied on those lessons to help his team overcome its long layoff.
“Until we knew the opponent, we took it as two bye weeks. Now we have almost two weeks to prepare for the opponent,” he said last week. “Would I rather have played earlier? Yes, I probably would, to be honest with you. But that’s not the case. We’re excited about the game. We’ve had a good start and it’s going to be a huge challenge.”
The Hoosiers expect nothing less from themselves. They intend to be rested and ready – not rusty.
“I believe we deserved these bye weeks,” Mendoza said. “I think it’s a great honor to have a bye week and we still have great momentum going into the playoffs. I think it’s a great opportunity to rest our bodies and stay sharp on our fundamentals.”
Can I bet on the game?
Yes, you can bet on the game from your phone in New York State, and we’ve rounded up some of the best introductory offers to help you navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and others.
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