No. 5 Oregon faces No. 1 Indiana, the Big Ten Champion, in a regular-season rematch in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9. The Hoosiers dealt the Ducks their only loss of the 2025 season so far, a 30-20 win at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025. Since then, both ran the table into the postseason; once in the College Football Playoff, Oregon beat No. 12 James Madison University at home and No. 4 Texas Tech University in the Orange Bowl, while Indiana earned a bye with a Big Ten Championship Game win over No. 2 Ohio State and swept past No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks and Hoosiers face off in Atlanta on Friday with a trip to the National Championship Game on the line. The Daily Emerald’s Owen Murray and the Indiana Daily Student’s Dalton James, Quinn Richards and Conor Banks traded three questions each ahead of Friday’s game:

Owen Murray: What are the notable changes Indiana has made since the game in Eugene? The Hoosiers were efficient in that game, ran the ball effectively and hurried Dante Moore regularly — they looked like one of the nation’s best teams. Did they need to change anything? Have they?

Quinn Richards: Truthfully, Indiana hasn’t changed much. It’s still a complete team that features a balanced offense and disruptive defense. The Hoosiers passing attack is flashy, spearheaded by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but their running backs set the tone with chunk gains on early downs. Indiana’s defense remains among the most disciplined units in the country and continues to penetrate the backfield with ease. It’s a recipe that worked the first time and, if it can be replicated, will work again on Friday. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hoosiers show some new looks on both sides of the ball in an attempt to disguise certain playcalls.

IDS: Dante Moore had his worst performance of the season in the first matchup. How has he bounced back, and is he more equipped to handle defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ looks this go around?

OM: Moore just faced the most pressure that he’s seen since that first Indiana game against Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl — he’s been solid outside of that and able to flash his arm a bit more, but the offense really sputtered in the Tech game. He still threw for 234 yards and didn’t have the same issues with bailing from the pocket that he did against the Hoosiers, but the fragility of the offensive line worries me when the Ducks will face one of similar quality and a better offense. I think the fact he’s seen some of the shifts that Haines’ defense makes will let him stick in the pocket longer, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to generate time without a real run game.

OM: How much has the Indiana defense shifted without lineman Stephen Daley? He didn’t record a tackle in the first game between these two teams, but he’s obviously an impactful player who the Hoosiers will miss this time around with a season-ending injury. What did the defense in the Rose Bowl look like without him, and what does Oregon target that weakness with?

Dalton James: A multitude of potential strategies existed to replace Daley’s production, whether it was asking Daniel Ndukwe to slot into Daley’s role or move players like Mario Landino and Mikail Kamara into different alignments on the Hoosiers’ defensive line. However, Haines opted to play more three-linebacker sets, composed of Aiden Fisher, Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy, against the Crimson Tide. The move paid dividends, as the trio combined for 17 total tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Such a dominant showing wasn’t a first this season, though. When the Hoosiers beat the Ducks in the regular season, the three had their collective best game of the season with 34 total tackles, 5.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. Although it may be a weakness without Daley in the lineup, Indiana turned in its best overall defensive performance thus far in the Rose Bowl.

IDS: Receiver Charlie Becker had just four receptions on the season last time Indiana faced Oregon and had no catches in the game. Since then, he’s become the Hoosiers’ primary deep threat, a key part of their passing attack and a go-to late game target. How will his presence alter the Ducks’ defensive gameplan?

OM: Oregon’s secondary has really stepped up — the corners, Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu, have come into their own and Jadon Canady is shining as a nickel. What concerns me is the depth outside of that, even if it won’t be leaned on much. The Ducks have already seen their backup nickel, backup safety and several corners head to the portal, which will affect their ability to put more defensive backs on the field to deal with three-receiver sets. The starters are great, and while facing multiple great receivers — Becker and Sarratt especially — stresses that and opens up opportunities for tight ends to have a huge impact against limited defensive packages, expect Oregon’s five top defensive backs (Finney, Obidegwu, Canady, Dillon Thieneman and Aaron Flowers) to play the vast majority of the snaps on Friday.

OM: What’s one thing that you think has to happen for Indiana to win this game?

IDS: To win this game, Indiana has to steal Ohio State’s recipe for success against Oregon in last season’s College Football Playoff. The Ducks finished that game with -23 rushing yards to the Buckeyes’ 181. Like Ohio State, Indiana needs to wear Oregon down in the trenches, and break its will — something head coach Curt Cignetti has emphasized to his players throughout the season. Against Alabama, the Hoosiers maintained fresh legs in the backfield, cycling through the running back duo of Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black. Both ran efficiently behind an offensive line that was able to consistently generate push up front against a fatigued Crimson Tide defensive front. Indiana needs to replicate this dominance in the trenches to book its trip to Miami.

IDS: Indiana had its way in the trenches in Autzen. How has Oregon’s offensive line adjusted since then and what can that unit do to avoid negative plays in the Peach Bowl?

OM: The line is great, but it didn’t look fantastic against Texas Tech last week in a huge test. The Ducks couldn’t establish the run against the Red Raiders, which was a major issue the last time these two teams faced off, and really leaned on the tight ends to create out of a ton of third-and-long situations. The best thing that the line can do to avoid negative plays is have a great understanding of what Indiana’s line does post-snap — this is where this being a rematch comes in handy, because pattern recognition starts to click faster for players. If Oregon can get a handle on those stunts early and force the Hoosiers to beat players man-to-man, they’ve got a shot.

Kickoff between the Ducks and the Hoosiers is set for 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Jan. 9. The winner will face No. 10 Miami in the National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19.