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Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian during their first practice of the spring season on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Updated College Football Playoff Prediction: Oregon Ducks Eliminated By Texas Longhorns?

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Charlie Viehl | Last updated May 20, 2025 5:03 PM ET

The Oregon Ducks were the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff following the 2024 regular season, but Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his team were promptly eliminated by the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl Game, part of the CFP Quarterfinals. How will the Ducks fare in next season's CFP?

A recent prediciton from On3's Ari Wasserman has Oregon as the No. 8 seed. Only the top four seeds receive byes in the current 12-team playoff format, meaning Wasserman's prediction has the Ducks facing the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round:

"Go back to Sept. 3, 2022. It was Dan Lanning‘s first game at Oregon. The Ducks played Georgia and were blown completely off the field. It wasn’t even competitive. But a lot has changed since then and Oregon has closed the immense talent gap that used to exist between itself and the best programs," wrote Wasserman. "The Ducks have spent the entire summer grueling over what happened against the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. In another shot at a top-tier opponent, Oregon gets over the hump and the Bulldogs suffer another early CFP exit."

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Because of Wasserman's seeding combined with the current format, the hypothetical Oregon vs. Georgia matchup would take place in Autzen Stadium as the Ducks are the higher seed. Should the Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart travel to Eugene, Oregon, it could be one of the biggest games in the history of Autzen Stadium.

While Wasserman predicts the Ducks to beat Georgia in the first round of the postseason, he also has Oregon losing to Texas in the CFP Quarterfinals.

The ultimate goal for most college football programs is winning a national championship. Oregon won the Big Ten in 2024, but they fell short of a national title after running into the eventual champion, Ohio State.

“My number one goal is to help my people reach their dreams and goals," Lanning told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. "I wake up every morning and I feel like I've got an opportunity to live a dream. To get to be a head coach at Oregon in a place like this is so special. Now, my goal is to try to help other people recreate theirs. And get that opportunity.”

However, Lanning also revealed another one of his goals:

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“I want to leave here as the winningest coach in Oregon football history" Lanning told Amaranthus. "Mike Belotti has 116 wins, I got a lot of work to do.”

Lanning added 13 wins in 2024, and a run to the National Championship would certainly bring him closer to reaching Belotti, who coached the Oregon Ducks for 14 seasons. Lanning has been in Eugene for three years, and he has a 35-6 record. However, that number could climb closer to 50 should Lanning and the Ducks return to the CFP.