Playoffs give Ducks a chance at a sweet revenge tour

It is that time. The final College Football Playoff rankings and bracket were released on Sunday, leaving Ducks fans buzzing with anticipation. After going 11-1 in the regular season, the Ducks were awarded the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, giving Oregon the most favorable path to the National Championship game.

In the first round, the James Madison Dukes will travel to Autzen Stadium to play the Ducks. After Duke beat Virginia in the ACC championship, the committee was forced to take a second G5 school as its final conference champion. In short, the Ducks were expecting to get Tulane at Autzen, but things got crazy in college football, meaning they will now host the Dukes.

As you may expect, the Ducks are favored against the Dukes pretty heavily. Currently, the odds are set with Oregon being 20.5-point favorites. The truth is, Oregon should have zero problems with JMU, as long as they just play ball. Nothing extra, avoid injuries, and feed on the special environment. Now, if Oregon beats JMU, they would advance to play No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.

If the Ducks play the Red Raiders, that would make for must-see TV. It would be a tough battle against the best the Big 12 has to offer. It is completely possible that Oregon could lose to Texas Tech. It is also extremely possible the Ducks could come out on top. If Oregon does win, things start to get interesting. The Ducks could have a shot at revenge against the Big Ten champions.

Indiana is a great, well-coached team but Oregon didn't play their best game

If the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers beat either Alabama or Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks would face them in the semifinal. You bet the Ducks would love a second chance at the Hoosiers after losing to them 30-20, almost two months ago. Oregon was just not in top form that game. If they get the rematch while healthy, things could play out differently. If the Ducks correct their mistakes against Indiana, their next stop in the revenge tour will be in the National Championship.

There are three potential teams that Oregon could hypothetically see in the championship that carry some bad blood. The first one is a long shot, but would be against Mario Christobal's Miami. After the former Ducks head coach ditched Oregon for Miami, a sour taste was left in the mouths of fans. It ended up as a blessing in disguise, leading us to Dan Lanning. Ducks' die-hards would love to beat Christobal in the biggest game possible.

The second of them is the Georgia Bulldogs. Dan Lanning came to Eugene fresh off a national championship with Georgia. In his first season as the Ducks' head coach, the Ducks were embarrassed by the Bulldogs in their first game. Lanning definitely wants to beat his former mentor Kirby Smart, and he could have a shot at doing so for the national title.

Lastly, the most probable team Oregon could face in the national championship game would be Ohio State. The Buckeyes demolished the Ducks in the Rose Bowl last year, 41-21, ending the Ducks' potential dream season early. If the Ducks beat everyone in their path, they could get a rematch with an Ohio State team whose only loss is to Indiana as well. All three outcomes would cap off a sweet revenge tour for the Ducks, but they need to take it one game at a time. Just win and beat the team in front of you.