NCAA Football
2026-01-01 - Oregon Ducks at Texas Tech Red Raiders
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Quarter Final
Thursday 1st January 2025 - Scheduled 12pm
5pm (British Time)
Preview
Out of the four Quarter Final games to be played in the College Football Playoff, this is the one with the shortest spread and there is every reason to believe it could come down to a final possession to separate the two teams.
Last year the Oregon Ducks (12-1) were the Number 1 Seed as the unbeaten Big Ten Champions, but they were placed in the First Round in 2025 and crushed the James Madison Dukes. The final score is much closer than the game panned out, although the Ducks will feel there is still room for improvement if they are going to move into the Playoff Semi Final Round and get the better of the Big 12 Champions.
All season the Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1) have been overlooked and that is going to give this team a lot of motivation.
The one loss was in a game where they had to play with a backup Quarter Back, but Texas Tech look ready to go, although they will note that the teams that were Seeded higher were all beaten in the Quarter Final Round last year. This is something that everyone will be keeping an eye on with some believing the lay off between games is a problem for the Seeded teams, especially as they are going up against an opponent that has played at least once in December in the First Round.
In this one the Oregon Ducks- the lower Seed- have been set as favourites, but that could be partly down to the familiarity people have with a school that has been operating at a much higher level than Texas Tech in recent years.
However, the era of the transfer portal has been exploited by Texas Tech and others to quickly change the fortune around any team and the Red Raiders have the personnel on both sides of the ball to spring the upset.
Oregon have gotten the better of the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the past, but it feels this game is going to come down to how they can perform Offensively against one of the best Defensive units in the College Football picture.
An immediate problem could be at the Line of Scrimmage with the Ducks unlikely to rip off big gains against this Red Raiders Defensive Line and that will mean Quarter Back Dante Moore needing to make plays with his arm. He will be confident in doing that, but Moore struggled in the loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the regular season and this is a Texas Tech team that really gets after the Quarter Back when they have pushed an opponent into obvious passing situations.
You do have to expect the speed and talent in the Oregon Offensive unit to come to the fore and make some big plays, but Dante Moore will have to be very aware of the capabilities of this Secondary in taking the ball away. This is another area where the Red Raiders have to be the stronger of the two teams if they are going to pull the upset, but there is a lot of confidence in Texas Tech about the strength of the team on the Defensive side of the ball.
The Red Raiders Defensive unit are the focus in this one as people want to know how they can step up to the elite of the Big Ten level.
However, it would be foolish to ignore the Offense and what they may be able to do in this game to give the Big 12 Champions an edge.
Behren Morton has really played efficiently from the Quarter Back position and he is going to be hugely encouraged by some of the passing numbers allowed by the Oregon Secondary in recent games. Most importantly, the Red Raiders Offensive Line may feel they can at least keep Morton in third and manageable spots by having some success at the Line of Scrimmage and that will be key to ease the Ducks pass rush pressure and give the Quarter Back some time to make plays down the field.
The expectation around this game is that it is going to be really close and it would be a surprise if it is anything else.
You have to like the Oregon Ducks with the experience they have in both Coaching and playing at this time of the year, but Texas Tech Red Raiders have been having a strong season and are perhaps underestimated.
If the Defensive front can do what they have been, Texas Tech may just have enough to edge to the victory and just remind the Big Ten and SEC that they are not the only Power 4 Conferences with legitimately strong teams playing within them.
Prediction
Take the points with the narrow underdog.
The Pick :
Texas Tech Red Raiders 27-24 Oregon Ducks
