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The first round of the College Football Playoff took place last week, and a lot of people were disappointed with the results as there were a lot of blowouts. Now, the quarterfinals are set, and there are supposed to be some terrific matchups as the teams that originally had byes will be in action. Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the round will take place in Pasadena as Ohio State will take on the Oregon football team in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State was in action in round one of the College Football Playoff as they hosted Tennessee. The Buckeyes and Volunteers battled it out under the lights in Columbus, and it ended up being a blowout as Ohio State cruised to a big win. Now, they will take on #1 seed Oregon for a spot in the semis.
Before we get into predictions for this contest, let’s take a deeper look at both the Ducks and the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is an interesting team
The Ohio State football team came into their CFP game against Tennessee in an interesting spot. The Buckeyes were hosting a playoff game, but their fanbase was a little bit out of it after their shocking loss against Michigan. It was the fourth loss in a row to the Wolverines, and Ohio State fans weren’t happy about it.
Despite the loss, Ohio State was a comfortable favorite at home against Tennessee, and they easily cruised to a big win. The Buckeyes got up 21-0 early, and they never looked back. They will be tough to beat if they play like that.
This Ohio State team is an interesting one. They can destroy a team like Tennessee, but they can also score just 10 points against a team that won seven games this year. The key is protecting Will Howard. Michigan was able to get pressure on him all day long, and it ruined their passing attack. That’ll be an important aspect of the Rose Bowl.
Oregon is the only undefeated team in the College Football Playoff
The Oregon football team is the top seed in the CFP, but they are actually underdogs in this game against Ohio State. The Ducks are 13-0 and they won the Big Ten, but they didn’t get rewarded with a very good path. Yes, they got a bye, but this Rose Bowl matchup is not going to be easy.
Oregon and Ohio State did already play this season, and the Ducks were able to get the win at home. However, the game could’ve gone either way, and the Buckeyes probably would’ve won the game if it weren’t for some late mental mistakes.
Now, we get to see a rematch between these two great teams. A lot of people think that the winner of this game is going to end up winning the national championship. It should be a great game, and it will be tough for Oregon to knock off Ohio State again. The fact that the Ducks already beat Ohio State once this year could make it more of a challenge.
It will be tough for Oregon to beat Ohio State twice
This Oregon football team doesn't have a lot of flaws, but it is known in sports that it is tough to beat a team twice in one year, especially a college football team that is as good as Ohio State.
People will argue if this really makes a difference in a college football game, but the Buckeyes will definitely have a chip on their shoulder in the Rose Bowl because of how the regular season game between these two teams went. It was one of those games that could've gone either way, but one team had to lose. Ohio State made some tough mental mistakes in the late stages of the game, and it cost them.
The Buckeyes are known for not being able to close out these big games, and that could hurt them again if this contest ends up being similar to the first one. However, they have a sour taste in their mouth after the way that first one ended, and it won't be easy for Oregon to win again.
Ohio State and Oregon will kick off at 5:00 ET on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California, and the game will be airing on ESPN. The Buckeyes are currently favored by 2.5 points.
College Football Playoff quarterfinal preview
The first round of the College Football Playoff was a bit disappointing, but the quarterfinal round should provide some more excitement. Here is a rundown of what will be going down on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Six seed Penn State and three seed Boise State will get things started on New Year’s Eve in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions smoked SMU in the first round while the Broncos had a bye. The two teams will kick off at 7:30 on Tuesday night and Penn State is a big favorite as they are favored by 11 points.
New Year’s Day action will get started with five seed Texas taking on four seed Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. The Sun Devils got a bye in round one while the Longhorns took down Clemson at home. The Peach Bowl will kick off at 1:00 ET and Texas if favored by 13.5 points.
Game three of the round will be this Rose Bowl matchup that we have already discussed between eight seed Ohio State and one seed Oregon.
The final game will go down in the Sugar Bowl between two seed Georgia and seven seed Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish took down Indiana in round one while the Bulldogs got a bye. This should be a good one as the Bulldogs are favored by two points. The two teams will kick off at 8:45 ET.
Hopefully the quarterfinal round provides some more excitement than round one, and it’s looking like it will.
