Curt Cignetti Reveals 'Edge' Oregon Has on Indiana Ahead of Peach Bowl CFP Semifinal

Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti expressed his belief Saturday that Oregon has a specific advantage entering their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

Ahead of next Friday's Peach Bowl game against the Ducks, Cignetti told reporters, "Hard to beat a great team twice, so edge to Oregon there."

Earlier this season, the Hoosiers handed the Ducks their only loss, beating them 30-20 in Eugene, Oregon, in October.

It is often said when divisional opponents meet in the NFL playoffs that it's difficult to beat the same team three times in one season. Cignetti's comment about Oregon was essentially the college football equivalent.

Entering the CFP semifinals, the Hoosiers are the only undefeated team remaining in FBS at 14-0, they are the Big Ten champions and they have the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Indiana also made a massive statement in the CFP quarterfinals against Alabama, blowing out the Crimson Tide by a 38-3 score.

Those factors make Indiana the clear favorite to win its first-ever national title in football, but beating Oregon for a second time will be no easy task.

The Ducks are 13-1 this season under head coach Dan Lanning after also going 13-1 last season, and despite never winning a national championship, they have been an elite college football program for nearly two decades.

As great as Mendoza has been this season, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has been nearly as good, accounting for 30 touchdowns and leading the Ducks within one win of the National Championship Game.

Oregon is battle tested with wins over James Madison and Texas Tech in the first two rounds of the CFP, and a strong argument can be made that of the three non-Indiana teams remaining in the CFP, Oregon presents the toughest challenge for the Hoosiers.