Indiana Hoosiers vs Oregon Ducks | College Football Playoff Semifinals | Preview & Prediction
Fernando Mendoza, Curt Cignetti, Elijah Sarratt, Mar Cooper, Aidan Fisher and the Indiana Hoosiers face Dante Moore, Dan Lanning, Dakorien Moore, Matayo Uiagalelei and the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Peach Bowl. New Years Day showed the strength of the Big 10 as Indiana destroyed Alabama in the Rose Bowl a few hours after Oregon shutout Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
For Oregon, The Evan Stewart injury kept their best receiver off the field in 2025 but their is a possibility for a return in the CFP. Will Stein remains with the Ducks staff to coach them and his presence is important facing a top 5 defense in Indiana with Mario Landino, Mikail Kamara, D’Angelo Ponds, Louis Moore, Isaiah Jones and coordinated by Bryant Haines.
The matchup is fascinating as the Ducks have a high flying offense, the Gary Bryant Jr injury and Dakorien Moore injury have limited their two top pass catchers, but Malik Benson, Jamari Johnson have picked up the slack as great targets and Johnson and Bryant are healthy now. Dierre Hill, Noah Whittington Jayden Limar, Jordon Davison need to keep running well behind Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon.
The matchup of Kenyon Sadiq and Aidan Fisher may be the best of the playoff watching two NFL prospects go head to head in the middle of the field. The collisions of The Indiana backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black with Teitum Tuioti and Bryce Boettcher & Dillon Thieneman will be some of the hardest hitting and physical football play of the whole season just like the original matchup. The Tosh Lopoi defense is a challenge Indiana has seen before and will have trouble with again.
Curt Cignetti and Dan Lanning are likely two of the best 5 coaches in college football and one of them has a chance to win their first National Championship and to give the Big 10 it’s third consecutive National Title. Fernando Mendoza is the Heisman trophy winner and he and Dante Moore are the two highest rated quarterback prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s presumable this could be some of the best quarterback play of the entire season but these top 5 defenses may throw a wrench in that and make this a defensive battle. Indiana is a 4 point favorite in the Peach Bowl with the best odds to win the National Championship.
Enjoy this CFP Semifinal Matchup Preview from Blitz With Blinder Video hosted by Josh Blinder.
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