One of the most highly-anticipated matchups of the season will take place on Wednesday when No. 8-seed Ohio State takes on No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, which will also serve as a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Wednesday will be a rematch of one of the best games of the season when Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 in the regular season in Eugene.

Oregon had a bye in the first round after winning the Big Ten Championship while Ohio State beat the brakes off of Tennessee in Columbus, 42-17. In that game, the Buckeyes seemed to turn a corner after a deflating loss against Michigan in the final game of the regular season. Quarterback Will Howard detailed the difference in Ohio State's mentality in that Tennessee game and how they can bring that into the Rose Bowl, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

“We played pissed off, we played angry, and you could see it,” Howard said, per Thamel. “And I think when we play like that, we're hard to beat and we have to keep that same mentality.”

The Buckeyes played their best game of the season against Tennessee. They got their star wide receivers, Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, involved early and often, and they played with a different level of energy and tenacity than they had during the final few games of the regular season.

How Ohio State can beat Oregon

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches from the sideline during the first half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024.
© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The first game between Ohio State and Oregon was a classic that was decided by very thin margins. In the end, the Buckeyes lost because Will Howard went down one second too late as time expired.

There were a few big moments that helped swing this game in Oregon's favor. The Ducks perfectly executed a squib kick that ricocheted off of an Ohio State upback, resulting in a Ducks recovery and essentially a turnover. Things like that can't really be accounted for, but there is one thing that Ohio State must turn around.

The Ducks won the battle against Ohio State on the perimeter when they had the ball, and that cannot happen again in this one. Oregon receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson burned the Ohio State corners over and over in that one, which allowed the Ducks to generate big play after big play that lifted them to the victory.

In order for Ohio State to turn the tide, cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun and Denzel Burke must play a better game than they did the first time. When Ohio State has the ball, the Buckeyes will be able to create some chunk plays with Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, but the Buckeyes must cut off Oregon's explosiveness to get the win.

Oregon also ran the ball fairly well in the first meeting, which is something that no other team has really been able to do against Ohio State consistently. If the Ohio State defense plays a better game overall, Ryan Day and company will have a much better chance of winning.