Oregon will face North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Ducks (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) will be playing in a sixth consecutive bowl game, but looking for their first postseason win since 2019. The Tar Heels (9-4, 6-2 ACC) are coming off a 39-10 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.

The game is set for a 5 p.m. PT kickoff on ESPN on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Oregon sits 15th in the final College Football Playoff rankings. North Carolina was ranked for most of the season before dropping out this week. The Ducks had a chance to make the CFP until a loss to Washington on Nov. 12 and then had a chance to make the Pac-12 title game and go to a Rose Bowl until a loss to Oregon State the last week of the regular season. North Carolina has dropped three straight.

This feels like it’ll be one of those motivation games.

Which team has fewer opt-outs/transfers? Which team is more interested in being in San Diego? Oregon has already learned that cornerback Christian Gonzalez will sit out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, an announcement that comes on the heels of transfer portal entries from several Ducks on the offensive side of the football.

The main question rests at quarterback. Bo Nix, when fully healthy this season, played like a Heisman finalist. He has a decision to make this offseason — return for a final season of college ball or jump to the NFL. If he leaves, Nix could sit out the bowl game. He posted on Instagram this weekend, however, that he was “running into bowl week.” That’ll be a situation that’s monitored closely moving forward.