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The last time Oregon came to Atlanta, the Ducks and Dan Lanning left with their feathers ruffled.

It was Lanning’s Oregon debut, playing against the No. 1 team in the country — his old team — and the Bulldogs handled the Ducks accordingly, rolling to a 49-3 blowout back in 2022. 

And while Georgia coach Kirby Smart was complimentary of his former defensive coordinator afterward, he also offered some matter-of-fact advice for Lanning and Oregon: Get better.

“He’s gonna do a really good job at Oregon,” Smart said. “He’s relentless. They’ll bounce back from this, and he knows we have better players. He’ll never say that, but he knows we’ve got better players.”

Frankly, it was true.

At the time, 77% of Georgia’s roster was comprised of blue-chip prospects (four-star players or better). Oregon’s blue-chip ratio sat at 54%.

Lanning didn’t argue.

“My job since I got here is to go get better players. That’s the job,” Lanning told me before the start of last season. “I don’t think it’s a secret that we’re a better team now than we were then. That’s because you go recruit.”

Four years after that eye-opening afternoon against Georgia, things have changed substantially.

The Ducks return to Atlanta for Friday’s Peach Bowl against Indiana with a BCR of 78% — fifth in the country behind Alabama (89%), Ohio State (89%), Georgia (84%) and Texas A&M (82%).

Oregon is also the only one of those teams still playing.

Interestingly enough, No. 1 Indiana ranks 45th nationally with a BCR of just 8%.

Since 2011, every national champion has had a BCR of at least 50%. Last year’s champion, Ohio State, won with a BCR of 90%.

So either the Ducks are perfectly positioned to win their first national championship — Miami, at 64%, is the only other team in the Final Four above 50%; Mississippi’s is 40% — or Curt Cignetti and Indiana are going to keep turning college football’s conventions on their head.

Putting a bow on the Orange Bowl

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks celebrate a 23-0 victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, January 1, 2026. Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

It was Oregon’s first playoff shutout since 1917, its first time advancing to the final four of the College Football Playoff since the 2014 season and a win that puts the Ducks a victory away from their third national title appearance in program history.

All that stands between Oregon and a return trip to Miami is a rematch with No. 1 Indiana, a team that handed Oregon its lone loss of the season back in October.

And after a 23-0 win over Texas Tech, the Ducks are ready.

“We just came out and played as hard as we could,” defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei said of their Orange Bowl win. “Respect to them, but I feel like we came out and dominated on defense.”

A win is on the line

Dante Moore (5) of the the Oregon Ducks throws the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, October 11, 2025. Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

In Oregon’s 30-20 loss to Indiana back in October, quarterback Dante Moore was sacked six times.

In the rematch with the Hoosiers, the Ducks know the difference between success and failure will begin with keeping their starting quarterback upright.

Easier said than done, Lanning said.

“In a lot of ways you’d call it an illusion defense,” Lanning said of Indiana. “They show you one thing and they take something else away. They’re really good at post-snap movement, which makes it difficult for the quarterback. Their defensive line plays with relentless effort.”

A final ride

Doug Koke, with the Duck as a passenger, leads the Oregon football team onto the field. Credit: Courtesy of the Koke Family

The Ducks lost a member of their community on New Year’s Eve.

Local businessman Doug Koke passed away at 73. And while some may have known Koke for his time in the printing business, many around Eugene knew Koke as the man who revved up the crowd at Autzen for 23 years on that 1996 Fat Boy Harley Davidson.

“It’s pretty crazy when you start that thing up and (the fans) hear the motorcycle,” Koke told “College GameDay” in 2022.

Read more about Koke’s life here.

INSIDE look

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I know it’s the Adidas campus, but it was still jarring to be driving through Portland this week and see a massive poster for one of the other teams still alive in the playoffs.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We wanted to throw a pool party when we got selected fifth because that means we get to go play and not sit around for 40 days.”
— Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi on not getting a bye in the playoffs this year.

UPCOMING GAMES

  • Men’s basketball vs. Ohio State • 7:30 p.m. • Thursday
  • Football vs. Indiana • 4:30 p.m. • Friday 
  • Women’s basketball vs. Michigan State • 2 p.m. • Sunday
  • Men’s basketball at Nebraska • 6 p.m. • Tuesday

STORIES I’m WORKING ON

I’m currently writing this while on a flight to Atlanta. Make sure to check out LookoutEugene-Springfield.com over the coming days for our full coverage from the Peach Bowl.

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Keep enjoying that January football,

Tyson

Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.