The winter transfer portal opened just a few weeks ago on Dec. 9 and it has already closed, officially speaking. However, teams that are in bowl games or the College Football Playoffs get a hall pass of sorts.
So, because the Oregon Ducks won't see any postseason action until Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl, the No. 1 team in the nation and its players have a significantly longer transfer portal window than a majority of the country.
Each team that has a postseason matchup gets an extra five days to utilize the transfer portal, starting the day after their bowl game – even Louisiana Tech who went 5-7 in the regular season but was substituted into the Independence Bowl after Marshall had to bow out due to 25-plus players entering their name in the portal.
So, with the Ducks' final game of the season not taking place until (at least) the 1st of the New Year, Oregon players will be able to enter their names into the transfer portal until (at least) Jan. 7, 2025.
Also read: Oregon winter transfer portal tracker: Which Ducks are leaving in 2025?
Oregon will have to face the Ohio State Buckeyes once again when the Ducks fly down to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. The now-No. 1 Ducks defeated the now-No. 8 Buckeyes in October, during the regular season, when Ohio State quarterback Will Howard slid to the ground too late and time expired, leading to Oregon's one-point victory.
The Ducks and the Buckeyes are scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. On Dec. 31, the Boise State Broncos and Penn State Nittany Lions will play the first College Football Playoffs quarterfinal game of the season. On Jan. 1, Texas and Arizona State will kick off the quarterfinal action and the game between Notre Dame and Georgia will be the last quarterfinal game.