university of oregon ducks football rose bowl

It was nice to be able to watch a game that decided Oregon’s Rose Bowl opponent without having to worry about Oregon playing in it.

The expanded College Football Playoff had an aim of giving more deserving teams a shot at the ultimate prize. However, the first round seemed to clearly show which teams were and weren’t deserving.

There was no bigger statement than Ohio State’s 42-17 trouncing of Tennessee, giving them a rematch against Oregon. After the instant classic that played out in October at Autzen, fans were eagerly awaiting Part 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in December.

But then, Ohio State inexplicably lost for the fourth consecutive season to Michigan. Thus, they had to earn themselves a rematch another way.

That they did, as they played nearly flawless football against the Vols. It was impressive, hats off to them.

Here’s the thing though, why are they apparently suddenly too much for Oregon to hope to deal with?

They were favored against Oregon the first time, and Oregon escaped with a one point victory, so the current line for them is 1.5. Understandable.

But the general consensus that the Buckeyes will almost certainly beat Oregon this time is somewhat surprising.

College Football Report claimed that Oregon had done everything it did this season only to end up facing “arguably the best team in college football” right out of the gate.

So, eh, what’s the argument?

One perfectly executed game at home?

This is the same team that did, despite the margin, still lose to Oregon once already. Not only that, but they lost at home to a 6-5 Michigan team while playing horribly.

Has Oregon looked perfect in every game? No.

Have they already beaten three playoff teams and still not let even one shaky performance lead to a loss? Yes.

They’re ranked number one in the country, but apparently not in many people’s minds.

So, maybe everyone is dead right. Maybe Ohio State plays exactly the way they did against Tennessee.

But Oregon’s players, coaches, abilities, and mindset are not Tennessee. Not at all.

Tennessee and their fans provided enough fuel for a transcontinental flight. They said they were going to turn Ohio Stadium into “Neyland North”. They said they were going to plant their flag midfield despite that action causing a brawl when Michigan was in town. Their players warmed up shirtless to show they weren’t afraid of the cold.

You couple that with being humbled by their greatest rival and not even getting a shot at the conference title and yeah…they were probably pretty pissed.

They took it out on Tennessee.

Oregon is not Tennessee.

Could Ohio State win the Rose Bowl? Of course.

But, news flash, so could the Ducks.