Big Ten’s power on display in Peach Bowl with Indiana facing Oregon
By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA — The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff.
Undefeated top seed Indiana (14-0) and fifth-seeded Oregon (13-1) have turned the CFP semifinal at Friday night’s Peach Bowl into a Big Ten celebration.
Atlanta is home to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Georgia Tech, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the annual site of the Southeastern Conference championship game. Those leagues will be represented in Thursday night’s first CFP semifinal between Miami and Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Peach Bowl winner might be favored in the national championship game on Jan. 19 as the Big Ten looks for its third straight title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning, the former Georgia defensive coordinator who also coached at Alabama and Arizona State, among other schools, says the Big Ten has made a strong claim to national supremacy that will be on display in the semifinal game. Oregon or Indiana will have an opportunity to give the conference its third different national champion in three years.
“I’ve been a part of the SEC, just like Coach (Curt) Cignetti has,” Lanning said of the Indiana coach, who also is a former Alabama assistant. “I’ve been a part of the old Pac-12. I’ve been a part of a bunch of different conferences, and it’s hard to argue that anybody is doing it better right now than the Big Ten. There’s some quality from top to bottom.”
Added Cignetti: “Oregon is a great football team. But the Big Ten is a great conference, a lot of good teams top to bottom. And that’s a great thing about the playoffs. You give 12 teams a chance to win it all, and at the end of the day, there’s one standing.”
REMATCH
Indiana took a 30-20 win at Oregon on Oct. 11 to hand the Ducks their only loss. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw two interceptions and was sacked six times.
“We just didn’t play up to our standard,” Oregon running back Noah Whittington said. “It’s simple as that. We just got to come out, play our brand of football, and we’ll take care of business.”
HOOSIERS WINNING WITH BALANCE
Cignetti guided the Hoosiers’ surprising climb to the top of the AP Top 25 with the impressive combination of a powerful defense, strong running game and the leadership of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who led the nation with 36 touchdown passes.
The Hoosiers rank 10th in the nation with 220.7 rushing yards per game. They rank third in scoring with 41.6 points per game. The defense ranks second with its averages of 10.3 points, 242.6 yards and 73.7 rushing yards allowed.
CFP MOMENTUM
Each team is coming off a dominant win in the CFP quarterfinals.
Indiana overwhelmed Alabama, 38-3, in the Rose Bowl as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks shut out Texas Tech, 23-0, in the Orange Bowl as freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
GOING FOR IT
Lanning has become known for his sometimes bold play-calling, including a proclivity to go for it on fourth down.
The Ducks converted on four of eight fourth-down attempts in the win over Texas Tech. Oregon successfully faked a punt on fourth down in the first half. Late in the game, Jordan Davison scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down to pad the final margin.
Earlier this year, Oregon converted on five of seven fourth-down attempts in a double-overtime victory over Penn State. Through 14 games, the Ducks have been successful 14 times on 30 fourth-down attempts. In contrast, Indiana has converted eight of 16 attempts through 14 games.
Lanning solidified his reputation for unconventional plays last year in the Ducks’ 32-31 regular-season victory over Ohio State, when the young coach exploited an illegal substitution penalty late in the game to take time off the clock. Soon thereafter, the NCAA issued guidance to close the loophole.
DUCKS’ RB DEPTH TAKES A HIT
The Oregon depth chart at running back took a hit on Tuesday when Davison was listed as out on the availability report.
The CFP report didn’t specify why Davison has been ruled out. The Oregonian reported Davison had broken his clavicle against Texas Tech.
Davison has rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns. Whittington leads the team with 829 rushing yards.
PEACH BOWL
What: College Football Playoff semifinal
Who: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana
When: Friday, 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV/Radio: ESPN, 830 AM
BetMGM Sportsbook Odds: Indiana by 3½ points
Key matchup: Oregon quarterback Dante Moore vs. Indiana’s pass defense. Moore threw for 186 yards and a touchdown in the regular-season home loss to Indiana, but he threw two interceptions and was sacked six times. Moore accounted for five touchdowns, throwing for four and running for one, in the Ducks’ 51-34 first-round victory over James Madison and was named the Offensive MVP of their 23-0 quarterfinal win against fourth-seeded Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, completing 26 of 33 passes for 233 yards.
Players to watch: Oregon’s Noah Whittington, who leads the Ducks with 829 rushing yards despite missing two games with an injury, should have a bigger load with Davison ruled out. Davison rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Whittington is a native of Fort Valley, Georgia, who averaged 93.8 rushing yards per game in the last six games of the regular season. … Projected as the potential No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft, Mendoza was named The Associated Press Player of the Year in his first year at Indiana after transferring from Cal. He leads FBS quarterbacks with 36 touchdown passes with only six interceptions. He ran for six touchdowns.
Facts and figures: Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the only venue to host two CFP national championship games, including Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame last year and Alabama’s 26-23 overtime win against Georgia following the 2017 season. … Oregon had four takeaways in its quarterfinal win against Texas Tech. … Following its first Orange Bowl appearance, Oregon is playing in its first Peach Bowl. … The Ducks have won 10 or more games in all four seasons under Coach Dan Lanning. … Oregon has won eight consecutive games since its home loss to Indiana. … Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq leads FBS tight ends with eight touchdown catches. … Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193 in the Rose Bowl. … It was the Hoosiers’ first bowl win since the Cooper Bowl in 1991. … Indiana was the first team to advance following a first-round bye in the 12-team CFP format. … Indiana ascended to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time after beating defending national champion Ohio State for the Big Ten championship.