The College Football Playoff is pretty much business as usual for Oregon, which is more accustomed to playing at this level.

The story is different in several ways for James Madison, a newcomer to the playoff.

James Madison coach Bob Chesney will lead the Dukes in Saturday’s first-round game — and possible beyond if the Dukes win — but he’s already been hired as the new head coach at UCLA. His replacement, former Florida head coach Billy Napier, was hired by JMU last week.

“There’s going to be a little juggling that’s going to occur here in my life,” Chesney said in his introductory news conference at UCLA.

So an already challenging situation for a first-time participant will be made even more so by the logistics.

Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) was seeded fifth going into the game at Autzen Stadium. The winner will go on to play fourth-seeded Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl.

James Madison is the No. 12 seed after finishing 12-1 this season and 8-0 in the Sun Belt, capping it off with the program’s first-ever conference championship. The Dukes’ lone loss this season came to Louisville, the team’s only Power Four opponent this year.

“We’re really proud to be one of the 12 teams in this College Football Playoff. It’s rare for teams in the Group of Five to make it and I think to have two in here is pretty exciting,” Chesney said. “Certainly a lot of work went into it, a lot of commitment over the years from our university. We’re excited to get out there, to have a chance to play one of the best teams in the country and we certainly understand the opportunity and the excitement around it.”

In contrast, the Ducks have been in this position before. Oregon went to the CFP quarterfinals last season but fell at the Rose Bowl to Ohio State. So while the Ducks are hoping to improve on that outcome, nothing is changing about their usual preparation — except they’ve had some 21 days in the run-up to the game.

“I mean, ultimately, the process is the part you have in place,” coach Dan Lanning said. ”The process has to be very similar to a normal game, but the stakes are certainly really high, knowing that if you don’t take care of business, you don’t get a redo, you don’t get another opportunity. So there is a difference, but I think that the piece for us is to focus on what allows you to have success and what creates the result you want. And that’s maintaining that process.”

More juggling

Chesney isn’t the only one balancing a new job while sticking around for the playoff. Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein is the new head coach at Kentucky, while defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi has been hired to coach California. Both will be with the Ducks through the playoffs, however long they might last, while also acclimating themselves to their new jobs.

Stein told reporters he’d feel like a “complete fraud” if he bailed on Oregon as it mounted a playoff run. “The last thing I’d ever do would be to leave these players,” he added.

Respect

James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III has thrown for 2,533 yards with 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 544 yards and 14 more TDs. Named the Sun Belt’s Player of the Year, Barnett has nothing but respect for Oregon.

But that doesn’t mean he fears the Ducks.

“You can’t psych yourself out and lose the game before you start the game,” Barnett said. “You have to remember from day one why you started playing this game as a kid. I think if you were to ask everybody on this team, especially this generation, who was your favorite football team growing up, people would probably say Oregon. They had the flashy jerseys, Marcus Mariota, Darron Thomas, Kenjon Barner. I was one of those kids who grew up watching Oregon. This is one of those environments you dream about playing in. If you are who you say you are, you can’t shut down when the lights are bright.”

Ducks receivers returning?

The layoff between games has given Oregon’s depleted receiving staff some time to get healthy, although what that will mean on Saturday remains to be seen.

Dynamic freshman Dakorien Moore has missed four games with a knee injury, while Gary Bryant Jr. has missed three. Each has caught four touchdown passes from quarterback Dante Moore. Evan Stewart has been out all season.

“Everybody is closer than they were yesterday,” Lanning said, without tipping his hand. All three were at practice earlier in the week, although it was unclear how much they participated.

Despite the absences, Dante Moore has thrown for 2,733 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, and is facing questions about whether he’ll stay at Oregon or declare for the NFL draft in the offseason.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/18/oregon-vs-james-madison-college-football-study-contrasts/