The Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Ohio State - The Sequel

Today, the world-famous (according to Gus Johnson) Ohio State Buckeyes will rematch against the Oregon Ducks, a team they lost to earlier in the season. However, this time, the stakes are much higher, and the venue that the game will be held in is arguably the greatest in college football. 

This game can be one of the best we have ever seen in college football. At the time, Ohio State was ranked #2 in the country, and Oregon was right behind them at #3. Oregon trailed for most of the game, but the game was still incredibly close. An Oregon field goal, followed by multiple mistakes from Ohio State and some trickery from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning gave the Ducks the victory, 33-32. 

This time around you could argue that things are different. Ohio State destroyed Tennesee in the first round of the college football playoff, clearly motivated to redeem themselves after an embarrassing loss to Michigan. I have said this before and I will say it again, Ohio State doesn’t have any weakness when it comes to offensive weapons, and their defense is also incredibly good. The only thing that can halt the Buckeyes in this game would be dumb mistakes, which is something you can’t rule out when Ryan Day is your coach. The Buckeyes should have destroyed Michigan in week 12 this year, but they didn’t. Oregon has beaten the Buckeyes before, and they can probably do it again. 

Both of these teams have arguably the best backfields in the country (Notre Dame should be in this conversation.) While you have Quinshon Judkins and Treveon Henderson for Ohio State, Oregon is basically able to top it with Jordan James and Noah Whittington. I would also argue that Oregon has the more reliable QB in Dillon Gabriel, who has 3,558 passing yards to Ohio State’s QB Will Howard who has 3,171. This stat stands out even more when you realize Oregon runs the ball more than Ohio State, who have no weakness at the WR position. Add on the fact that Dillon Gabriel has fewer interceptions than Will Howard, and it's easy to see who is more reliable. 

I think this game tonight will be nothing short of incredible. It is an amazing story in an amazing venue. A rematch between two former top 2 teams, except one of them has risen to # 1, and the other is trying to restore its dignity. The Rose Bowl is the greatest stadium in college sports. It is a place of legend and a place where legends are made. Will the Oregon Ducks remain undefeated? Or will the Ohio State Buckeyes get revenge for the loss they suffered back in week 7 of the 2024 season? I think that the Oregon Ducks will remain undefeated, winning 38-37.