One of the more exciting games in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff has to be the Orange Bowl being played in Miami, Florida. 

The Oregon Ducks put up 51 points in their opening CFP game against James Madison to play Texas Tech, who had the first-round bye as the No. 4 seed. This is a game between two offenses that can really put up the points, so there should be plenty of excitement. Dan Lanning and Joey McGuire could both benefit from a big win here, so let’s get into the predictions. 

Oregon 34, Texas Tech 30 

Oregon and Texas Tech are matching up with playmakers on both sides of the ball overall. Texas Tech hasn’t lost since its mid-October slip-up against Arizona State, and Oregon’s only loss came around the same time against No. 1 Indiana. Since then, Oregon has lost both coordinators to outside jobs, though both will stick around through the playoff run. The Ducks are getting healthy at the right time, getting two wideouts last week back on the field against James Madison last week. While I think this is going to be a close one down to the very end, I’ll take the better quarterback and better head coach to come out on top in the end. If there’s a play to be made late, I’ll take Oregon’s Dante Moore over Red Raiders QB Behren Morton.  — Brandon Little

Texas Tech 31, Oregon 27

The last time these two teams faced off was the Tyler Shough bowl, when Oregon scored a pick-six to beat the Red Raiders 38-30 in Lubbock, Texas. This will be a similar, yet different matchup to that 2022 game. Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders have been playing at an insane clip, finishing the season 12-1, but they aren’t just winning, they have beaten every opponent by 20+ points, some of those were a lot worse than the scoreboard indicated. The defense is suffocating, while the offense finds a way to create explosives with quarterback Behren Morton.

The Ducks put boots to asses to the James Madison Dukes, as they are getting healthier with the return of Dakorien Moore. Dante Moore and the running game will be huge for the Ducks to get the win in the Orange Bowl, but can they do so against a dominant front seven? That will be the key to the game, and I think Jacob Rodriguez and David Bailey will vault Texas Tech to the semifinals. — Tyler Forness

Oregon 30, Texas Tech 24

The Oregon Ducks are somehow sitting quietly at 12-1 heading into the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. After they lost at home to Indiana earlier in the season it seemed as though many wrote them off as real title contenders this year, but that was likely a mistake. The Ducks have only had one game finish within one possession since the Hoosiers loss and quarterback Dante Moore and company are looking just about better than ever now. They’re also healthier now than they have been for essentially the entire season. Meanwhile, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have dominated their schedule even more so than Oregon has, allowing nine or fewer points in six of their last seven games.

Both of these teams boast elite defenses, ranking inside the top ten in EPA per play, success rate, and yards per play allowed on the year. Texas Tech has perhaps the best pass rush duo in the country in David Bailey and Romello Height. Oregon has one of the deepest, most dynamic, attacking defenses in the nation. The difference here will likely come down to the offensive advantages for the Ducks. They’ve been the far more efficient offense through the air and especially on the ground. Texas Tech has an elite run defense, but if the Ducks find any success there at all, their first round quarterback Dante Moore should be able to take advantage when the passing game opens up late in the game. Close game, but the Ducks win by about a touchdown. — Travis May

Oregon 31, Texas Tech 20 

Oregon-Texas Tech is my favorite type of game, as it’s a game that will be decided by the trenches. Both teams have strong defensive lines and are excellent at dialing up pressure and creating splash plays. Texas Tech led the country in havoc rate this season thanks to the play of defensive linemen David Bailey, Lee Hunter, and Romello Height, and Oregon will have their hands full trying to block those three all game long. However, I think Oregon is simply the more talented team with a significantly better quarterback, and that will be the key difference-maker in this one. Dante Moore is too good to be denied, and he’ll make enough clutch plays to ice this one for the Ducks. — AJ Schulte