Ohio State ended the Rose Bowl before it even started.
99% of America was busy watching the conclusion of the epic Texas-Arizona State Chick-fil-Jeremiah Smith scored his first touchdown of the Peach Bowl in overtime; the freshman star caught seven passes for 187 yards and two scores.
Oregon never had a chance; it was 34-0 Buckeyes, and now it is on to Texas. Here are five takeaways from the game.
Ohio State 41, Oregon 21: Rose Bowl 5 Takeaways
5. The Rose Bowl is still everything
The game was disappointing despite the talent on both sides, but the blue skies, green grass, overflowing fans, San Gabriel Mountains, time slot, history, LA haze through the sunshine, and sunset made it unforgettable.
All of it.
It is pure college football, and in an era when the Sugar, Peach, Fiesta, and other indoor games resemble each other, this game remains everything.
At all costs, the Rose Bowl must be the College Football Playoff’s crown jewel.
4. The Ohio State defensive line dominated Oregon from jump
In the two teams’ first meeting in mid-October, which Oregon won 32-31, the Ducks averaged five yards per carry while the Buckeyes had zero sacks and two tackles for loss.
Ohio State’s loaded defensive front seemed to take it personally.
From the first down, the Buckeyes swarmed everything, just as they had done against Tennessee. Oregon finished with eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and -23 rushing yards.
Granted, Oregon fell behind early and had to start throwing, but the ground game stalled when it attempted to run. The longest run measured 11 yards, and that was it.
3. Oregon deserved better as the No. 1 overall seed
Perhaps the time off before the Rose Bowl was significant, but it was no more so than it has always been for teams playing this game on New Year’s Day.
Perhaps it is because it is Ohio State, which is far, far superior to the sixth-best team in America and ridiculously stronger than an 8 seed.
I do not believe that the seeds, if there are byes, should be determined solely by the College Football Playoff judges, but if this were just based on the final rankings, Oregon would have faced the winner of Indiana vs. Boise State.
Both of them were good, but dealing with Ohio State in the first round was far preferable.
And that is why it needs to be adjusted. Penn State got Boise State, while Texas got Arizona State. Oregon may have had a week off, but as the overall No. 1 team, they deserved more.
2. The Will Howard redemption narrative
How many quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards against Oregon this season? One. How many threw for more than 230? Just the same one.
Will Howard was remembered for something different at the first meeting, but he was the quarterback who threw for 300 yards. He threw for 326.
In the Rose Bowl, he passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns. In two games, he completed 74% of his passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions.
But the narrative was Howard’s slide at the end of the first game as time expired, costing Ohio State a chance at a game-winning field goal.
It is not like anyone died as a result, but the broadcast and pregame made it appear as if Howard had to overcome something truly tragic, rather than simply losing a football game because there was no extra second on the clock.
1. This is the Ohio State we all knew it was
Michigan might be okay.
It had a rough season, but the defense stepped it up a notch in the win over Ohio State, and it crushed Alabama in a stunning bowl victory, but it was a joke. The Buckeyes lost the regular-season meeting 13-10.
They played scared and conservatively, doing everything they could to avoid losing, until they did.
While the loss devastated the team and its fan base, it also awoke the monster.
Tennessee boasts NFL talent. Oregon boasts NFL talent. Those were two fantastic teams from two powerhouse college football schools, and Ohio State handled them like it was payday week against a random FCS program.
It has to keep going – Ohio State is better than Texas, too – and there are two games left if everything goes as planned, but the confidence is there, the execution is there, and this is looking more and more like the team of the 2024 season.
