Why is Oregon playing Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl? List of players opting out, favorites, and more

The Oregon Ducks will play against Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl. Dan Lanning's Oregon was considered one of the favorites to make the CFP semifinals for a large part of the season.

Since Week 4, they had been on the national radar, after convincingly beating the Colorado Buffaloes 42-6. However, the Ducks had one problem they couldn't overcome - the form of Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies.

In Week 6, they lost their regular season encounter with the Huskies in a shootout that ended 36-33. However, Bo Nix and the Ducks were still among the favorites and managed to get to the Pac-12 championship as the favorites.

Again, they lost to the Washington Huskies, this time 34-31. That finally ended any hopes of Oregon making the playoffs.

Why is Oregon playing Liberty?

Despite not making the CFP, the Ducks' season was more than enough to get them among the top 10 ranked teams. Due to their impressive performance, they earned a place in the New Year's Six bowls. In this case, they'll play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Liberty was selected as the best team in the group of five. Traditionally, a team from a non-Power Five conference is selected for the New Year's Six. The Flames' perfect season earned them a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.

Who is favored to win the Fiesta Bowl 2024?

As it is to be expected, the Oregon Ducks are heavy favorites to win this clash with the bookies making them 16-point favorites. The strongest asset for the Ducks is the presence of Bo Nix. The Heisman nominee has made public his decision to suit up for one final game as the Ducks' signal-caller.

List of players opting out from Fiesta Bowl 2024

Oregon

• Ty Thompson, QB (transfer portal)
• Tevita Pome’e, DL (transfer portal)
• Von Reames, WR (transfer portal)
• Trikweze Bidges, S (transfer portal)
• Bryan Addison, DB (transfer portal)
• Josh Delgado, WR (transfer portal)
• Kris Hutson, WR (transfer portal)
• Ashton Cozart, WR (transfer portal)
• Daymon David, S (transfer portal)
• Jackson Powers-Johnson, C (NFL Draft)
• Popo Aumavae, DL (NFL Draft)
• Khyree Jackson, CB (NFL Draft)
• Dante Dowdell, RB (Transfer Portal)
• Trikweze Bridges, CB (Transfer Portal)

Liberty

• Kendy Charles, DL (transfer portal)
• Jaylon Jimmerson, S (transfer portal)
• Tysheik Galloway, DL (transfer portal)
• Bryan Whitehead, DL (transfer portal)
• Amari Williams, EDGE (transfer portal)
• Jordan Norwood, LB (transfer portal)
• Johnathan Bennett, QB (transfer portal)
• Aakil Washington, LB (transfer portal)
• Preston Hodge, CB (transfer portal)