The No. 4 Red Raiders will play No. 5 Oregon in Texas Tech's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Make what you want about the College Football Playoff now including Group-of-5 teams as eligible bids into the new 12-team bracket, but No. 12 James Madison didn't go down easy against No. 5 Oregon up in Eugene.
In the end, it was the Ducks doing as expected, soaring past the Dukes 51-34 on Saturday to advance to the Quarterfinals and play the No. 4-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens on Jan. 1.
Tech watched in its first-round bye as Oregon, last year's top seed in the postseason bracket, blitzed the CFP newbie JMU by leading 34-6 at halftime. The Dukes then traded scores in the third and fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in each period, but the Ducks always came with an answer.
Oregon's pro-prospect QB Dante Moore threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns, but was intercepted twice in the second-half comeback effort by the underdogs. Freshman running back Jordon Davison broke out with 90 rushing yards on only 10 attempts, fueling a powerful Ducks ground game that rushed for over 200 yards total.
Veteran wide receiver Malik Benson led Oregon (12-1) with 119 receiving yards on five receptions - a staggering 23.8 yards per reception that explained the Ducks' high-powered offense that found the end zone in a hurry throughout the game.
James Madison (12-2) sees its season come to an end after accomplishing its first Sun Belt championship to qualify for its first CFP bid as the fifth highest-ranked conference champ on Selection Sunday. The success is not guaranteed to roll over into next year, however, as head coach Bob Chesney is now off to coach UCLA, with former Florida coach Billy Napier taking over in Harrisonburg, VA.
This explosive Oregon offense will now run into one of the nation's best defenses in Texas Tech, who continues its layover from the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 6. It will be 26 days between the Red Raiders' most recent games when they line up on New Year's Day.
The Red Raiders will look to contain the anticipation of this game being the program's first ever appearance in the CFP, but it will rely on star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, edge rusher David Bailey and esteemed coach Joey McGuire as the steadying forces that have guided Texas Tech through its best season ever this year.
Oregon is no stranger to the Playoff, but returning to the Quarterfinals brings back a sour taste from last season as the No. 1-seed Ducks were upset at this stage by No. 8 Ohio State, who would go on to win the national championship. Almost like Oregon did to JMU, Ohio State built a 34-0 halftime lead in that game to stamp a ticket into the Semifinals.
The Ducks flew through the first round, but now is where the turbulence kicks in. Texas Tech approaches with a bulldozing defense and a unique hunger to extend an extraordinary season.
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