The long-awaited rematch between Oregon and Ohio State required a few twists and turns, but the juggernauts are finally set to face off for a second time this season in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Ohio State drilled Tennessee, 42-17, in the first round Saturday to secure a spot in the quarterfinals against the Ducks, who they’ll meet in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Ohio State owns the series with a 9-2 advantage, but the Ducks have won the last two. Their last meeting was a classic back-and-forth heavyweight fight that ended with Oregon holding on for a 32-31 win in Eugene on Oct. 12.
How fitting that the Granddaddy of Them All, which almost always pitted the Big Ten against the Pac-12, will still have that cozy, old-timey feel in this new age of the CFP as Ohio State and former Pac-12 blue-blood Oregon meet on field adjacent to the picturesque San Gabriel Mountains. On the line is a trip to the CFP semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the winner of No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Texas.
We expected this rematch in the Big Ten Championship but were robbed of the dream when Ohio State inexplicably lost to Michigan, paving the way for Penn State to backpedal into the title game. Still, we’re here in the ultimate postseason tournament, and the rematch should be stellar.
Two high-powered offenses with two of the richest rosters in the sport. Anything less than a national title would be considered a disappointment by both fan bases.
One team will fall short. The other will remain on track, but still two wins away from hoisting the trophy.
What to know about Oregon
If No. 1 Oregon (13-0) wants to finally break through and win a national title, it must do so by navigating a historically difficult road to Atlanta. Oregon is only the second team since 2000 to beat Big Ten bluebloods Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in the same season. No one has achieved that and beaten Ohio State twice in the same season, but the Ducks can become the first on New Year’s Day.
The Ducks are well prepared for the big stage with a veteran roster led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who holds the FBS record with 187 career touchdowns. They already own three wins against teams in the CFP, but in those three victories they allowed 30-plus points. They allowed 21 points or less in their 10 other wins. Simply put, Oregon’s defense looks quite a bit different against top-10 teams, even though they rank inside the top 15 of most defensive categories. Their Achilles Heel is in the red zone, where the defense ranks 79th nationally and 34th on offense. As explosive as Ohio State was in the first showdown – and the quick 21-0 explosion in the first quarter against Tennessee — the Ducks need to shore up some holes.
As for the big picture, Oregon has been so close to reaching the mountaintop in recent history, spending 87 total weeks in the top 5 of the AP polls, making them the most frequent team in the top 5 to never win a national title.
Oregon is fairly healthy after battling through the latter half of the season with injuries to superstars like pass rusher Jordan Burch and go-to receiver Tez Johnson, so the Ducks should be near full strength unlike the first time the two teams met.
In a season of firsts — a 13-0 record and a Big Ten title in their first season — the Ducks can lift Dan Lanning into a tie with Lincoln Riley as the fastest coach in the last 50 years to 36 wins in the FBS with a victory in the quarterfinals. A win sets up a potential showdown with Texas in the Longhorns’ home state, which would continue an unlucky draw for the top-seeded Ducks.
What to know about Ohio State
Maybe Ryan Day orchestrated the disheartening loss to Michigan so he could motivate Ohio State for the playoff. Yes, that’s a joke, but the No. 8 Buckeyes (11-2) sure did fire out of the gate in the CFP with a renewed purpose to give Day his first playoff win (1-3). They were up 21-0 in a blink, piling up nearly 200 yards before the Vols completed their first pass, and didn’t let off the gas in the second half. We’ve seen this killer instinct from Ohio State before, but it was lost a few weeks ago. Perhaps stewing over that disastrous loss in the regular-season finale awakened the beast.
Remember, Ohio State traded punches with Oregon in the first showdown in October in a game that could have gone either way. Now that the game will be played at a neutral site, perhaps the Buckeyes, now firing on all cylinders, will have the upperhand.
The best sign for Ohio State is that the offensive line, down two starters, was downright destructive Saturday against one of the best defensive fronts in the country. Tennessee, which had been sack masters all season, didn’t touch Will Howard most of the night and Treveyon Henderson picked up 7.4 yards per carry through three quarters. Remember, the Buckeyes lost left tackle Josh Simmons in the first half against the Ducks in October and had to adjust in real time on the road. That won’t be the case in the Rose Bowl as the Buckeyes have managed to adjust to life without two starters over the course of the season.
