Oregon has been planning for this playoff moment since last year and it’s paying off

The Oregon Ducks host a college football playoff game on December 20 for the first time in program history.

Big deal? Yes. Huge undertaking? Not so much.

The No. 5 Ducks hosting No. 12 James Madison in the College Football Playoff isn’t exactly a situation of “been there, done that,” but planning and executing such an event has not created panic within the Ducks’ athletic department.

In many ways, hosting the game is no different from the seven other home games Oregon hosts in most seasons, except for a few tweaks required by the CFP.

Through extensive planning that began last year, Oregon expects to make a seamless shift to hosting the event, with perhaps the only source of trepidation being the weather forecast, which as of Sunday appeared favorable.

“It’s for the most part, business as usual, like any other game,” said Aaron Wasson, Oregon senior associate athletic director, equipment operations and championships.

Planning started in 2024

Oregon received a jump start on learning the requirements for hosting a first-round playoff game last year.

Programs were required to provide the CFP with information, documents and images of facilities and infrastructure to demonstrate preparedness to host a major event. The CFP sent a how-to planning manual to many of the top programs in October 2024, the first year of the expanded 12-team format.

“We started preparing as soon as the CFP announced that as a first-round host, you could host on campus,” Wasson said.

Oregon completed its planning due diligence just in case the Ducks hosted a playoff game last year. The Ducks avoided doing so by defeating Penn State 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship game to earn a first-round bye.

“We went through the entire exercise all the way up until when we won the Big Ten Championship,” Wasson said. “We had to prepare like we were going to host.”

That initial exploratory preparation set the stage for an easy transition into playoff mode this year.

“We certainly had a pretty clear sense of what to expect,” said Jimmy Stanton, UO senior associate athletic director.

The top four seeds in the playoff earn a first-round bye. Teams seeded No. 5 through No. 8 host a first-round game.

Oregon’s probability of hosting ticked up Oct. 11 after the Ducks lost 30-20 to Big Ten Conference rival Indiana, creating a strong possibility that the Ducks would not qualify for the conference title game.

Numerous meetings were held during the season to smooth out communication ahead of Oregon becoming a host site.

“We’ve had a significant number of meetings throughout the fall, internally, as well as with other potential hosts and the CFP,” Wasson said. “Just ensuring everyone is on the same page.”

Each host university receives $3 million to cover expenses other than the opposing team’s travel. Then it’s on them to make the events happen.

Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas A&M also host first-round games.

Setting up game day experience

A key requirement for hosting is the ability to support a major broadcast, which requires a heightened level of infrastructure and technology. Oregon, which has hosted every major network that broadcasts college football games, is well ahead of the game in that area.

This season alone, ESPN’s College Gameday visited Oregon twice before games broadcast by other networks.

“From an operational and logistical standpoint, we’re certainly wired up for a major broadcast,” Stanton said.

The playoff game will air on TNT, truTV, and be streamed on HBO Max.

For the most part, Stanton said, Oregon’s game will feel like an Oregon home game, save for a few exceptions. A few enhancements will be announced in the coming days, he adds.

All sponsorships and signage installed by Oregon must be removed from the stadium.

“It’s a CFP game from that standpoint,” Stanton said.

The field will feature the CFP logo, but both end zones will still include “OREGON.”

In-game activities can remain the same, but cannot include sponsor attachment.

So, expect to hear Mat Kearney’s “Coming Home (Oregon)” and fans getting softer and softer singing “Shout” before cranking up the volume for the crescendo.

“There are a few CFP elements that people will notice,” Wasson said. “Mostly video board game presentation-type pieces like any other postseason championship.”

The CFP controls ticket pricing and keeps revenue from ticket sales. Ticket prices on Tickemaster range from $154 to $661 per seat.

Oregon banks the revenue generated from concessions and parking.

James Madison received 3,500 tickets to sell to fans eager to see the Dukes participate in their first CFP game. That’s the same amount opposing teams receive during the regular season. As of Friday, thousands of tickets remained available on Ticketmaster, including many being sold on the secondary market.

“We’ll have a great crowd like we always do,” Stanton said.

Because the Dukes plan to arrive in Eugene a couple of days before the game, Oregon must provide them with an indoor and outdoor practice space. JMU will have access to the indoor Moshofsky Center, Autzen and an undisclosed offsite venue, kept secret to prevent fans from watching the workout.

Perhaps the most significant shift is that teams must be off the field 30 minutes before kickoff following warmups, rather than the usual 22 minutes — a requirement for all playoff games.

Mild conditions expected

FBS schools hosting football games in late December is new and carries the risk of challenging weather.

But it appears Oregon will avoid such a problem. Forecasts call for a 60% chance of rain with a high of 48 degrees. Wasson said he was crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, but noted that Oregon did put in place a snow plan just in case.

“Looking at the long-range forecast here in eight days, it looks like – knock on wood – we’re going to be okay,” Wasson said.

It’s a stark contrast to three of last year’s first-round playoff games played at Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Snow hit all three sites in the days leading up to the games and temperatures dipped into the high 20s and low 30s.

Minimal local impact

Eugene and Springfield will enjoy an extra weekend of football-generated revenue. According to eugenecascadescoast.org, a game weekend generates between $6-$8 million.

But hosting an eighth football game isn’t expected to create additional headaches.

“UO athletics really take the lead in this and we just kind of offer support and they haven’t indicated to us that they expected anything different,” said Marion Barnes, Eugene public affairs manager for public works.

One potential difference, Barnes noted, is that the playoff game could attract more fans from out of town than a regular-season game.

Those making the trip will face higher hotel rates, as is common on other game weekends. For example, rooms at the Courtyard by Marriott in Eugene/Springfield that go for $171 per night this weekend will run $495 per night during game weekend.

As for hotel operations that weekend, Courtyard manager Eman Berumen said he expected the weekend to go like any other football weekend.

“For the university, it’s a big deal, it’s a playoff game and all that, but for us, it’s just another game weekend,” Berumen said.

Randi Olsen, general manager of the Hop Valley Brewing Company in Springfield, said she expects a booming weekend in line with those seen with major programs visiting Eugene, such as No. 1 Indiana earlier this season.

Most game days generate roughly double the regular business enjoyed, Olsen said, especially those that attract visiting fans staying in nearby hotels.

Hoosiers fans, she said, began rolling in on Thursday and kept business brisk through the weekend. She hopes for the same during playoff weekend, although she would have preferred Notre Dame to be UO’s opponent.

“It’s okay,” she said with a laugh. “It’s still a playoff game.”

More could come Oregon’s way through the years.

Oregon’s program could be in the playoff mix numerous times over the years, making hosting future first-round games very likely.

The athletics department welcomes the opportunity to host next week, despite a few additional weeks of event preparation.

“We absolutely are looking forward to it,” Wasson said. “It’s exciting. There’s a lot of excitement around the complex right now, around the community. So, it is a little bit of extra work but we’re embracing it, and we’re looking forward to it.

No. 12 James Madison (12-1) at No. 5 Oregon (11-1)

• When: Saturday, Dec. 20
• Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
• Where: Autzen Stadium
• TV: TNT/HBO Max