ATLANTA — The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff.
Undefeated and top-seeded Indiana (14-0) and No. 5 seed Oregon (13-1) have turned the CFP semifinal in Friday night’s Peach Bowl into a Big Ten celebration.
Atlanta is home to Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the annual site of the Southeastern Conference championship game. Those conferences will be represented in Thursday night’s first CFP semifinal between Miami and Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Peach Bowl winner may be favored in the national championship game Jan. 19 as the Big Ten looks for its third straight title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning, the former Georgia defensive coordinator who also coached at Alabama and Arizona State, among other schools, says the Big Ten has made a strong claim to national supremacy that will be on display in the semifinal game. Oregon or Indiana will have an opportunity to give the conference its third different national champion in three years.
“I’ve been a part of the SEC, just like Coach (Curt) Cignetti has,” Lanning said of the Indiana coach, who also is a former Alabama assistant. “I’ve been a part of the old Pac-12. I’ve been a part of a bunch of different conferences, and it’s hard to argue that anybody is doing it better right now than the Big Ten. There’s some quality from top to bottom.”
Added Cignetti: “Oregon is a great football team. But the Big Ten is a great conference, a lot of good teams top to bottom. And that’s a great thing about the playoffs. You give 12 teams a chance to win it all, and at the end of the day there’s one standing.”
Rematch
Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones (46) celebrates with linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) after an interception against Oregon on Oct. 11, 2025, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Indiana won 30-20 at Oregon on Oct. 11 to hand the Ducks their only loss. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.
“We just didn’t play up to our standard,” running back Noah Whittington said. “It’s simple as that. We’ve just got to come out, play our brand of football, and we’ll take care of business.”
Hoosiers winning with balance
Cignetti guided the Hoosiers’ surprising climb with the impressive combination of a powerful defense, strong running game and the leadership of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who led the nation with 36 touchdown passes.
The Hoosiers rank 10th in the nation with 220.7 rushing yards per game. They rank third in scoring with 41.6 points per game. The defense ranks second with its averages of 10.3 points, 242.6 yards and 73.7 rushing yards allowed.
CFP momentum
Oregon defensive back Brandon Finney reacts after an interception against Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Each team is coming off dominant wins in the CFP quarterfinals.
Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks shut out Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl as freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Going for it
Lanning has become known for his bold play-calling, including a proclivity to go for it on fourth down.
The Ducks converted 4 of 8 fourth-down attempts in the win over Texas Tech. Oregon successfully faked a punt on fourth down in the first half. Late in the game, Jordan Davison scored on a 1-yard run on fourth down to pad the final margin.
Earlier this year, Oregon converted 5 of 7 fourth-down attempts in a double-overtime victory over Penn State. Through 14 games, the Ducks have been successful 14 times in 30 fourth-down attempts. In contrast, Indiana has converted 8 of 16 attempts through 14 games.
Lanning solidified his reputation for unconventional plays last year in the Ducks’ 32-31 regular-season victory over Ohio State, in which the young coach exploited an illegal substitution penalty late in the game to take time off the clock. Soon thereafter, the NCAA issued guidance to close the loophole.
Ducks’ RB depth takes a hit
The Oregon depth chart at running back took a hit Tuesday when Davison was listed as out on the availability report.
The report didn’t specify why Davison was ruled out. The Oregonian reported he broken his collarbone against Texas Tech.
Davison has rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns. Whittington leads the team with 829 rushing yards.
AP’s Anne M. Peterson contributed.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/08/indiana-oregon-cfp-peach-bowl/
