The No. 5 Oregon Ducks will face off against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Friday for a chance to play for the national championship. The two Big Ten teams clashed in conference play during the regular season, with the Hoosiers beating the Ducks 30-20 in Eugene.
The Ducks (13-1) overpowered the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders 23-0 in the Orange Bowl to book their slot in the Peach Bowl. On the other hand, the Hoosiers, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, blew out the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide 38-3 in the Rose Bowl.
How To Listen to the Ducks vs the Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Channel: 93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, 105.1 FM in Bloomington (Varsity Network), 81 & 84 (Sirius XM)
Streaming: Sirius XM
Radio Stations: Sirius XM, Varsity Network
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
The State of Play Headed Into the Peach Bowl
Neither Indiana nor Oregon has won a national championship before. The Ducks have the edge after reaching the BCS national championship game against the Auburn Tigers in the 2010-2011 season and losing in the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2014-2015 season.
During his pregame news conference before the Peach Bowl, Ducks coach Dan Lanning lavished praise on the unbeaten Hoosiers, who inflicted their only defeat this season.
“Truly an honor to play a team like Indiana,” Dan Lanning said. “They’ve obviously done an incredible job. You look at the body of work of Coach Cignetti and his crew and the way his team plays. They’re playing as good as anybody else in the nation. I can speak to it already.”
During their joint news conference ahead of the Peach Bowl, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was complimentary of the Ducks and broke down why it would be hard to beat Oregon again.
“Really have a lot of respect for Coach Lanning, their team, what they’ve put on tape, what they’ve gotten done,” Cignetti said. “In their recent history, they’re good in all three phases, and they’re a great football team.
“And people, I know I said it’s hard to beat a great team twice. Well, it’s hard to beat a great team, period. So there is a reason for that.”
Despite the outcome of the Peach Bowl, the Big Ten is guaranteed a spot in the national championship game for a third year in a row. The winner of the Peach Bowl will face off against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes, who beat the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.
