Ohio State ended the Rose Bowl before it got started.
99% of America was busy watching the end of the epic Texas-Arizona State Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl overtime when Jeremiah Smith took off for his first touchdown of the game – the freshman star caught seven passes for 187 yards and two scores.
Oregon never had a shot, it was 34-0 Buckeyes, and now it’s on to Texas. Here are five thoughts from the game.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a first down catch during the second half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21.
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State 41, Oregon 21: Rose Bowl 5 Takeaways
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5. The Rose Bowl is still everything
The game might have stunk, and it was a true disappointment considering the talent on both sides, but there’s nothing – absolutely nothing – in all of sports, and maybe this planet, than the bluest of skies, greenest of grass, the overflow of fans jammed in, the San Gabriel Mountains, the time slot, the history, the LA haze through the sunshine, the sunset …
All of it.
It’s pure college football, and in an era when the Sugar, Peach, Fiesta, and all other indoor games look the same, this game is still everything.
At all costs, the Rose Bowl has to be the crown jewel of the College Football Playoff.
4. The Ohio State defensive line dominated Oregon from jump
In the first meeting of the two teams back in mid-October – a 32-31 Oregon win – the Ducks averaged five yards per carry and the Buckeyes came up with a grand total of zero sacks and two tackles for loss.
Ohio State’s loaded defensive front appeared to take that personally.
Like it did against Tennessee, the Buckeyes swarmed all over everything from the first down. Eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss, -23 rushing yards for Oregon.
Granted, Oregon got behind early and had to start throwing, but the ground game didn’t go anywhere when it did try to run. The longest run was 11 yards, and that was it.
3. Oregon deserved better as the No. 1 overall seed
Maybe the time off before the Rose Bowl mattered, but it wasn’t any more than it’s always been for teams playing this game on New Year’s Day.
Or maybe it’s because it’s freaking Ohio State, and it’s far, far better than the sixth-best team in America and ridiculously stronger than an 8 seed.
I don’t personally feel like the seeds – if there are byes involved – should all come down to the whims of the College Football Playoff judges, but if this thing was just based on the final rankings, Oregon would’ve played the winner of Indiana vs Boise State.
Both of them were good, but that’s a much nicer first round than dealing with Ohio State.
And that’s why needs to be tweaked. Penn State got Boise State, Texas got Arizona State. There might have been a week off, but Oregon should’ve enjoyed more of a break as the overall No. 1.
2. The Will Howard redemption narrative
How many quarterbacks threw for more than 300 yards against Oregon this year? One. How many threw for more than 230? Just that same one.
Will Howard was remembered for something different in the first meeting, but he was that one quarterback who threw for 300 yards. He threw for 326.
In the Rose Bowl he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns. In two games he connected on 74% of his passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns with no picks.
But the narrative was the slide by Howard at the end of the first games as time ran out, costing Ohio State a shot at a game-winning field goal.
It’s not like anyone died because of that, but the broadcast and pregame played it up like Howard had to overcome something truly tragic, instead of just losing a football game because there wasn’t an 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 turned several things up a notch in the win over Ohio State, and it stoned Alabama in a stunning bowl win, but it was a gag. The Buckeyes gagged the regular season meeting in the 13-10 loss.
They played scared, conservatively, and they did everything to play not to lose, until they did.
While that loss crushed the team and fan base, it also woke up the monster.
Tennessee has NFL talent. Oregon has NFL talent. Those were two fantastic teams at two powerhouse college football schools, and Ohio State played them like it paycheck week against a random FCS program.
It has to keep going – Ohio State is better than Texas, too – and there are two games to go if all goes well, but the confidence is there, the execution is there, and this is looking more and more like it’s THE team of the 2024 season.