No. 1 Oregon, No. 6 Ohio State slated for rematch in Rose Bowl

Published 8:39 pm Saturday, December 21, 2024

The No. 1 Oregon football has its Rose Bowl matchup set following No. 6 Ohio State’s 42-17 win over Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, setting up a rematch between the Ducks and Buckeyes on New Years Day.

Head coach Ryan Day and his Ohio State squad routed the Volunteers on the Buckeyes’ home turf. Ohio State held Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava to just 104 passing yards without a score, while the Vols backfield gained 152 yards on 39 carries and rushed for a pair of scores. 

Ohio State’s offense, led by first-year coordinator and former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly, gained a total of 473 yards and found the end zone six times. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard completed 24 of his 29 passes for 311 yards and a pair of scores and turned the ball over once, while running backs Tre’Veyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each found the end zone twice while combining for 114 yards. 

Oregon and Ohio State previously met during Big Ten Conference play, with the Ducks pulling off a 32-31 win over the Buckeyes at Autzen on Oct. 21. With ESPN’s College Game Day on hand, the then-ranked No. 3 Oregon squad upset Ohio State, who entered the matchup ranked No. 2 in the country. 

Although they’ve earned a first-round bye for winning the Big Ten, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said his Ducks had been preparing for either of their potential opponents during the off week. 

“We’re kind of prepping for both,” Lanning said Monday, Dec. 18. “The first week we focused on us and did a really deep dive into us and who we are, what we’ve done well (and) what we can improve… This week we’re working on a little bit of both Tennessee and Ohio State.”

The winner in the rematch will advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal and one game away from a national championship berth. 

Round two between the Ducks and Buckeyes is slated for a 2:10 p.m. kickoff on New Years Day at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.