The College Football Playoff semifinal offers no shortage of intrigue, but any Oregon vs. Indiana prediction must begin with the quarterback matchup. Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore represent the consensus top two picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and scouts will be glued to every snap in Atlanta.
Mendoza, the Heisman winner, has Indiana’s offense operating at peak efficiency after a bye week and a 38-3 demolition of Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Moore, meanwhile, orchestrated the Ducks’ suffocating 23-0 shutout of Texas Tech to punch Oregon’s ticket to the Peach Bowl.
The rematch factor looms large after Indiana won 30-20 in Eugene back in October, but this is a different stage entirely.
Oregon vs. Indiana Details
- Date: Friday, January 9
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GAÂ
- Predicted weather at kick: N/A
- How to watch: ESPNÂ
Oregon vs. Indiana Head-to-Head Record
The Oregon vs. Indiana series history reads like a story told in decades-long chapters. The Ducks claimed both early meetings in 1963 and 1964, then the programs simply stopped scheduling each other.
Forty years passed before they met again, with Indiana earning its first win against Oregon in 2004. Another 21-year gap followed, during which Oregon joined the Big Ten, making future matchups inevitable, before the Hoosiers travelled to Eugene this October and left with a 30-20 victory.
The all-time series now sits level at two wins apiece, and Friday’s Peach Bowl will serve as the tiebreaker on the biggest possible stage.
Oregon vs. Indiana Grades
- Oregon (86.6, B)
- Indiana (93.7, A)
- Oregon (85.1, B)
- Indiana (97.8, A+)
- Oregon (91.4, A-)
- Indiana (82.7, B-)
- Dante Moore, Oregon (85.9, B)
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (93.2, A)
- Jordon Davison, Oregon (82, B-)
- Khobie Martin, Indiana (79.7, C+)
- Malik Benson, Oregon (79.2, C+)
- Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana (82.9, B-)
- Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon (82.2, B-)
- Riley Nowakowski, Indiana (80.5, B-)
- Teitum Tuioti, Oregon (81.9, B-)
- Stephen Daley, Indiana (81.8, B-)
- A’Mauri Washington, Oregon (79, C+)
- Tyrique Tucker, Indiana (81, B-)
- Bryce Boettcher, Oregon (79.2, C+)
- Rolijah Hardy, Indiana (83.3, B)
- Brandon Finney Jr., Oregon (84.9, B)
- D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana (86.9, B)
- Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (85.5, B)
- Louis Moore, Indiana (90.1, A-)
Oregon vs. Indiana Prediction
Besides this season’s Peach Bowl featuring two of the top teams in the nation, another major focus will be on all the future NFL talent that will be on the field. Both teams are projected to have multiple players selected in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, with this game providing another opportunity for them to showcase their capabilities to scouts and fans in attendance.
For the Ducks, the same stifling defense that held Texas Tech to zero points will need to show up yet again if they want to slow down one of the best offenses in the country. While the trenches will be a focal point in this game, the matchup between the duo of Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. against Oregon’s secondary will be one of the more interesting battles to look out for.
Freshman corner Brandon Finney Jr. and senior transfer Jadon Canady will have their work cut out for themselves against the air raid of Indiana. The Hoosiers will also need to bring their A-game on the defensive end, as Oregon proved capable of stringing together scores against a talented Texas Tech defense, which many thought would give the Ducks a hard time.
If Indiana can control Oregon’s tempo and prevent trips to the red zone where Jordon Davison can punch it through, then perhaps the Ducks will have finally met their match against this Curt Cignetti-coached team. With the Hoosiers looking like a well-oiled machine with no plan of slowing down, my edge for the Peach Bowl goes to Indiana.
Prediction: Oregon 10, Indiana 28
Texas Tech defense dominated the Oregon offense. The Texas Tech offense sat on a grenade and blew up, making many things their fault.
The quarterback played the worst game of his life. The offensive line forgot to be offensive… they stunk… and were humbled.