It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest continuing the college football playoff quarterfinals:
2026 CFP Capital One Orange Bowl
Matchup: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Oregon Ducks
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The 2026 College Football Playoff continues on Thursday.
The Orange Bowl returns to the annual tournament for the fifth time, with Texas Tech and Oregon each looking to move on and join playoff winners Clemson (2015), Alabama (2018), Georgia (2021) and Notre Dame (2025).
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Joe Namath (1965), Carson Palmer (2003) and Andrew Luck (2011) are just a few of the notable names who have taken home the game’s MVP.
The Red Raiders and Ducks will look to add someone to that list on Thursday.
Team Overviews
No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Joey McGuire
Record: 12–1
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Texas Tech doesn’t have the most impressive resume in college football — its loss to Arizona State is equally as embarrassing as its victories over BYU are impressive — but they’re the real deal.
The Red Raiders are superb on both sides of the football, with the defense having allowed just 10.9 points per game this season (3rd of 136) while the offense scored an astounding 42.5 points per game (2nd of 136).
Joey McGuire’s squad has improved leaps and bounds with the help of heavy investments from the school’s boosters, which will almost certainly expect postseason success as a result.
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No. 5 Oregon Ducks
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Dan Lanning
Record: 12–1
Oregon is in a similar boat as its opponent, having only secured wins over three ranked teams — No. 3 Penn State, No. 16 USC, No. 19 James Madison — one of which was unranked by the end of the regular season.
The Ducks are also similarly tremendous on both sides, with the defense having allowed just 16.3 points per game this season (10th of 136) while the offense scored an astounding 39.2 points per game (9th of 136).
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Dan Lanning’s squad was demolished as the top seed last season, and will be looking for redemption this season.
Players to Watch
Texas Tech
QB Behren Morton
RB Cameron Dickey
RB J’Koby Williams
WR Caleb Douglas
WR Coy Eakin
DL Romello Height
LB David Bailey
LB Jacob Rodriguez
LB Ben Roberts
DB Brice Pollock
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Oregon
QB Dante Moore
RB Noah Whittington
RB Jordon Davison
TE Kenyon Sadiq
DL Teitum Tuioti
DL Matayo Uiagaleilei
LB Bryce Boettcher
DB Dillon Thieneman
Key Notes
Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State all lost after their first-round bye in 2025.
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Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: Oregon -2.5 | O/U 51.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Oregon -2.5 | O/U 51.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Oregon -2.5 | O/U 51.5
The Pick: Texas Tech +2.5
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images
