One of these two universities, Indiana or Oregon, is set to compete for its inaugural national football title on January 19th.
For the Hoosiers, this marks their most significant advancement towards a championship, whereas the Ducks are vying for their third national final participation over the past sixteen years. Oregon previously contended for the title following the 2010 season and was a participant in the initial College Football Playoff championship contest in January 2015.
Peach Bowl: First-Ranked Indiana Against Fifth-Ranked Oregon
Indiana (14-0): The Hoosiers currently stand as the sole squad in the short existence of the 12-team College Football Playoff to receive an initial-round exemption and secure a victory in a quarterfinal match. Indiana also accomplished this feat with apparent ease. The Hoosiers decisively overpowered Alabama with a score of 38-3 in the Rose Bowl, leaving the Crimson Tide outclassed in almost every aspect of play.
Indiana executed 66 offensive plays, accumulating 407 yards—an average of 6.2 yards per play—whereas Alabama managed 50 plays for 193 yards. The Hoosiers’ ground game alone accounted for 22 more yards than Alabama’s entire offensive output. It was a thorough defeat, a magnitude of loss that had not been witnessed by the Crimson Tide in recent memory.
Oregon (13-1): The Ducks similarly asserted dominance over their quarterfinal adversary. Oregon’s defensive performance, by the numbers, surpassed Indiana’s in their 23-0 Orange Bowl triumph against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders committed four turnovers and gained only 215 yards across 62 plays. The 23-0 scoreline conveyed a stronger disparity, feeling more like 40-0, particularly in the latter half, as Texas Tech’s offense clearly struggled to gain momentum.
Oregon’s offensive unit executed 81 plays during the contest but encountered difficulties advancing the ball against a Texas Tech defense recognized as among the country’s elite. The average of 3.8 yards per play achieved by Oregon represented their lowest offensive production in any single game this season. Prior to this, their poorest showing was 4.2 yards per play during Indiana’s 30-20 regular-season victory in October.
A Look at the Quarterback Matchup
It is highly conceivable—perhaps even probable—that this contest will showcase the top two selections for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza secured the Heisman Trophy and is broadly anticipated to announce his entry into the professional draft following the conclusion of the current season. This expectation is reinforced by the Hoosiers’ recent acquisition of former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover from the transfer portal for the 2026 season.
Mendoza demonstrated his high effectiveness throughout the game against the Crimson Tide. While Indiana ran the ball 50 times, he attempted only 16 passes. Mendoza successfully connected on 14 of these for a total of 192 yards and three touchdowns. This marked the fourth occasion this season where his touchdown passes outnumbered his incomplete throws.
Encompassing the postseason, Mendoza has achieved a 72% completion rate on his passes this season, tallying 3,172 yards and 36 touchdowns against only six interceptions.
Oregon’s Dante Moore is regarded as the premier draft prospect, aside from Mendoza, should he opt to declare. Moore completed 26 of 33 passes for 234 yards and threw an interception when facing the Red Raiders. This was only the third occurrence this season where Moore concluded a game with more interceptions than scoring passes. Indeed, one of the other two instances was during their defeat to Indiana.
Including his pair of playoff appearances, Moore’s statistics show him completing 272 out of 373 passes for 3,280 yards, alongside 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has achieved these figures despite Oregon contending with a depleted roster of wide receivers for a substantial portion of the season. Evan Stewart has been sidelined for the entire year due to a knee injury, and both Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. have been absent for considerable periods.
Key Athletes to Observe
Indiana Running Backs Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby: It is unfeasible to single out one over the other in anticipation of the Peach Bowl. Hemby surpassed the 1,000-yard milestone against Alabama and currently boasts 194 carries for 1,007 yards and seven scoring plays. Black has accumulated 157 carries for 898 yards and eight touchdowns. There’s a strong possibility he could reach the 1,000-yard threshold when facing the Ducks.
Should he achieve that, Indiana would find itself in a highly advantageous position. With Indiana gaining 215 rushing yards against Alabama, these two running backs collectively contributed 188 of those yards on merely 33 carries. Both also registered a touchdown. While Mendoza has garnered much praise throughout the season, the significant impact provided by Black and Hemby—in conjunction with the offensive linemen clearing paths for them—must not be underestimated.
Oregon Running Back Noah Whittington: The significance of this sixth-year senior increased considerably with Tuesday’s announcement that Jordon Davison would be absent from the upcoming contest. Davison managed two scores against Texas Tech but reportedly sustained a fractured clavicle during the game against the Red Raiders.
Whittington stands as the team’s top ground gainer, having accumulated 829 yards on 129 carries. He recorded only four carries against James Madison before totaling 13 carries for 31 yards against Texas Tech.
Davison is not the sole running back who will be absent for Friday evening’s match. Jayden Limar is also opting to enter the transfer portal. He holds the position of the team’s fourth-highest rusher.
Whittington has been predominantly utilized as an interior runner. The question remains whether Oregon can achieve effectiveness through the center against Indiana’s defensive line. Should the Ducks aim to spread their offense horizontally, Dierre Hill Jr. would likely represent their most promising option.
Crucial Aspect of the Matchup
During October, Indiana intercepted Moore on two occasions and restricted the Ducks to just 81 yards on the ground from 30 attempts. Davison served as the team’s primary rusher in that contest, tallying eight carries for 59 yards; Whittington, Limar, and Hill together managed 41 yards from 11 carries.
The unavailability of Davison renders it exceedingly difficult to favor Oregon in the upcoming contest, particularly considering the offensive struggles the Ducks experienced against Texas Tech. While it is true that Oregon benefited from a few favorable starting field positions due to turnovers, the team’s average yardage per play remained below four. Indiana’s defensive unit exhibits a level of play comparable to that of Texas Tech.
The Ducks cannot rely solely on Moore to dissect Indiana’s secondary through a relentless barrage of quick passes. However, this might be the predicament Oregon faces due to its abrupt shortage of depth at the running back position.
