The first round of the College Football Playoff didn’t live up to what everyone was hoping for, with blowouts favoring the higher seeds in their home stadium. For Oregon Ducks fans, the focus was on the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium against the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Similar to Oregon’s offense, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard has plenty of weapons both in the air and on the ground. In the 42-17 win over Tennessee, Howard threw for 311 passing yards on 24-29 completions. Howard’s two touchdown passes went to freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who totaled 103 receiving yards on six catches.

As for the Buckeyes’ backfield duo, running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for four touchdowns plus 114 rushing yards on 20 carries against the Volunteers.

After the win, Howard emphasized how ready he was for another breakthrough with the Ducks. The last meeting between Ohio State and Oregon was arguably college football’s best regular season game of 2024. On October 12, the Ducks won a thrilling Big Ten Conference victory, 32-21, at Autzen Stadium.

In that loss to Oregon, Howard was unaware that there were double zeros after halftime and he slipped on the final possession of the fourth quarter, representing a major miscommunication between coach Ryan Day and his on-field leader.

“This will be a huge opportunity for all of us. I think we were all looking forward to this one and the next attack on these guys. I don’t like the way the last attack ended…I’m just grateful for the opportunity to try again. You don’t get many second chances in life. The fact that we are given another chance is a blessing from the Lord.

– Ohio State quarterback Will Howard

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A fun aspect of this new 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is that rematches between conference opponents are possible. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena is the brightest stage on New Year’s Day for these two programs to meet once again.

The first time the Buckeyes and Ducks played each other in Pasadena was in 1958. Ohio State defeated Oregon by a minimal score of 10-7. Today’s era of offense is very different.

Considering the Ducks are ranked 7th in the country with 36.9 points per game and the Buckeyes aren’t far behind at 36.0, it’s fair to say the matchup between the two powerhouses will be in 2025 will be a much more points-rich affair.

Kickoff between Oregon and Ohio State is scheduled for January 1st at 2:00 p.m. PT, with a berth in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff on the line.