Eli LedermanJan 1, 2026, 08:07 PM ET

CloseEli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire refused to blame his team’s 26-day layoff for its College Football Playoff exit Thursday.

But conversation over the current CFP format continued to bubble as the No. 4 Red Raiders became the latest program to stumble after a first-round CFP bye.

“If this is going to be what the College Football Playoffs is, then we’ve got to find a way to be better to win that game,” McGuire said after Texas Tech fell to No. 5 Oregon 23-0 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. “But I think more than anything, it was a mixture of playing a really good Oregon defense and us not executing at a high level.”

The Red Raiders’ offense crumbled against the Ducks, committing a season-high four turnovers and finishing with season lows in total yards (215), first downs (nine) and time of possession (22:00). Nearly four full weeks after Texas Tech lifted the Big 12 title Dec. 6, the Red Raiders and the program’s second-ranked scoring offense closed a historic season as only the third team to be shut out in CFP history.

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Texas Tech’s loss dropped teams with a first-round bye to 1-6 in the CFP’s 12-team playoff era, which began in 2024, entering Thursday night’s Allstate Sugar Bowl clash between No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 3 Georgia. Per ESPN Research, the six losing teams entered their respective quarterfinal games averaging a combined 36.4 points per game. Across those six losses, they shared a scoring average of 15.0 PPG.

Oregon’s front seven smothered Texas Tech and constantly disrupted veteran quarterback Behren Morton (18-of-32 passing for 137 yards, two interceptions). Afterward, McGuire called Oregon “the best defense we’ve faced this year” and pointed to inefficient early-down execution and costly turnovers as the primary sources for the offense’s woes.

But the potential effects of the prolonged break and the overall trend continuing to unfold nationally also were difficult to ignore.

“The tough thing is if we use the layoff, then we’re going to use an excuse,” McGuire said. “And we believe in this program you don’t make excuses and you don’t let anybody make them for you.”

Texas Tech’s defeat came only a day after Oregon coach Dan Lanning made his latest plea for shortening the college football season. His proposal, including a Jan. 1 national title game each year, centered on condensing the annual calendar and reducing the length of time between games for playoff teams.

In 2024, Lanning and the top-seeded Ducks were upset by eventual national champion Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals following a lengthy bye. The 39-year-old coach had been vocal about how Oregon’s first-round game against James Madison on Dec. 20 allowed his team to carry continuity and rhythm into Thursday.

McGuire tiptoed on Thursday around the potential disadvantage handed to programs that earn a first-round bye in the 12-team format. Minutes later, Lanning offered a more direct take after the Ducks punched their ticket to the Peach Bowl semifinal Jan. 9.

“The playoff, in my opinion, should have been played in Lubbock, Texas,” he said. “That’s not because we wanted to go play in Lubbock. I certainly didn’t. I’m glad we played here in Miami, and it was good prep for us. But last year, [it was a] very similar situation for us. I feel like that game should have been played in Eugene.

“We’re trying to serve two purposes here and the amount of time in between games, obviously it’s tough for teams. We experienced it last year.”

Texas Tech stormed to its first CFP appearance with one of the most dominant campaigns in college football history. Since 1936, the Red Raiders are one of only five teams to record 12 or more wins by 20-plus points in a single season, joining Nebraska (1971), Florida State (2013), Alabama (2018) and Clemson (2018). Of those programs, three won national titles.

Though Texas Tech’s ferocious defensive unit maintained its dominant form against Oregon, an offense that had averaged 42.5 points per game this fall was anything but Thursday. The Red Raiders went three-and-out on their first two drives for the first time this season and finished the first quarter with minus-13 rushing yards, the fewest in the opening quarter in a CFP game.

Texas Tech followed with a pair of second-quarter turnovers, including the first of Morton’s two interceptions, both of which were picked off by Ducks freshman Brandon Finney Jr., who produced three takeaways in all en route to defensive MVP honors.

Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire didn’t use the team’s layoff ahead of Thursday’s game as an excuse, instead pointing to inefficient early-down execution and costly turnovers as the primary reasons for a loss to “the best defense we’ve faced” in Oregon. James Gilbert/Getty Images

Down 6-0 at halftime, the Red Raiders’ struggles continued after the break. Across the first six drives of the second half, Texas Tech committed a turnover or turned the ball over on downs five times while careening to only the program’s second shutout over the past 25 years.

“We just didn’t execute base plays,” Morton said. “… I didn’t do a good job of settling down and really focusing on the next play. But there was a lot of things that we could have done differently. Can’t give them the ball. We got to keep the ball on our side when we’re on offense. Just a lot of bad football on offense.”

Forty minutes before Thursday’s game, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told reporters that the Power 4 commissioners are continuing discussions over an expanded playoff ahead of the Jan. 23 deadline to complete structural decisions around the CFP format for next season. Among the potential changes under a new system is a shift away from byes for the top four programs in the field.

Minutes after Thursday’s loss, McGuire delivered a clear opinion on the matter while still maintaining his and his players’ responsibility for a disappointing ending to a dream season.

“I’ll piggyback off of Dan and we’ll see what everybody else says: We’re in a world that makes no sense,” McGuire said. “But that’s where we’re at and you’ve got to find a way to be better to win this game.”