Overview
- No. 5 Oregon faces No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, a neutral-site quarterfinal under the 12-team format.
- Lanning called the system "messed up" and said the game "should be played at Texas Tech," citing the Red Raiders’ higher seed.
- He criticized irregular gaps between rounds and urged a weekly playoff cadence immediately after the regular season.
- Oregon advanced by beating No. 12 James Madison 51–34 before 55,124 at Autzen Stadium, while Texas Tech enters after a 27-day layoff since Dec. 6.
- Lanning highlighted travel burdens as Oregon heads roughly 2,700 miles to Miami, and no changes to CFP sites or scheduling have been enacted.