Oregon Ducks to face North Carolina Tar Heels in Holiday Bowl
The Oregon Ducks are headed to San Diego and will close out their season at the Holiday Bowl.
After landing at No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, the Ducks (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) have earned a trip to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4, 6-2 ACC) at Petco Park on Dec. 28. at 5 p.m. PT.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Oregon and North Carolina.
The Ducks were also in consideration for the Las Vegas Bowl. But the No. 14 Oregon State Beavers ultimately got the nod there.
This will mark the fourth time that the Ducks have played in the Holiday Bowl in the game’s 43-year history.
Oregon defeated Oklahoma State, 42-31, under Mike Bellotti in 2008. It lost to Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma Sooners, 17-14, in 2005.
In 2000, Bellotti’s Ducks defeated Texas, 35-30.
A little over three weeks ago, Oregon’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff were very much intact. The Ducks were the No. 6 team in the nation heading into their Nov. 12 showdown with Washington in Eugene.
But they fell 37-34 in that game and saw star quarterback Bo Nix suffer an ankle injury that limited his mobility throughout the remainder of the regular season.
One week later, Oregon topped Utah, 20-17, to keep its CFP hopes alive.
But a disastrous loss to the Beavers in Corvallis in Week 13 spelled the end for the Ducks’ national title hopes.
Later this evening, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning will meet with reporters via Zoom to discuss Oregon’s Holiday Bowl selection.
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Ducks move into top 15 of final College Football Playoff rankings
Despite a tumultuous end to the season, the Oregon Ducks still managed to land inside the top 15 of the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season.
During Sunday’s CFP selection show, it was revealed that the Ducks are the No. 15 team in the nation.
The fell one spot behind the Oregon State Beavers, who dealt the Ducks a season-defining loss in their regular-season finale in Corvallis.
Oregon’s bowl game destination will be revealed later this afternoon, and head coach Dan Lanning is scheduled to meet with reporters this evening to discuss, among other topics, Oregon’s postseason outlook.
It was reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy on Sunday that Oregon State will face Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, which would seem to indicate that the Ducks are headed to the Holiday Bowl.
Final CFP Top 25 rankings
- Georgia (13-0)
- Michigan (13-0)
- TCU (12-1)
- Ohio State (11-1)
- Alabama (10-2)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- Clemson (11-2)
- Utah (10-3)
- Kansas State (10-3)
- USC (11-2)
- Penn State (10-2)
- Washington (10-2)
- Florida State (9-3)
- Oregon State (9-3)
- Oregon (9-3)
- Tulane (11-2)
- LSU (9-4)
- UCLA (9-3)
- South Carolina (8-4)
- Texas (8-4)
- Notre Dame (8-4)
- Mississippi State (8-4)
- NC State (8-4)
- Troy (11-2)
- UTSA (11-2)
