Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are preparing for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in the Orange Bowl on January 1 against Texas Tech.
No. 5 seed Oregon defeated No. 12 seed James Madison, 51-34, on December 20 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. The game against No. 4 seed Texas Tech will be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. on New Year’s Day, and Lanning was not afraid to call out the poor formatting when asked whether or not Oregon has an advantage due to Texas Tech not having a game for a month.
“I think it’s just more of an indicator that the way we do playoffs in college football is messed up. We’re really excited to be going to the Orange Bowl, but this game should be played at Texas Tech,” Lanning said during the press conference on Monday.
Texas Tech last played on December 6 in the Big 12 title game against BYU, which was why Lanning was asked whether or not he feels Oregon has an advantage.
In the new 12-team College Football Playoffs format, the top-four seeds get first-round byes, and the No. 5-8 seeds all host first-round games at their respective stadium.
The quarterfinal round games are the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl, meaning none of the top-four seeds get to host a College Football Playoff game.
The semifinal games are the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, and the national title game is played this season in Miami, Fla.
Whether or not the College Football Playoff format changes remains to be seen, but as of now, Lanning isn’t too thrilled that the higher-seeded team doesn’t get to play a home game.
