Good Luck Ducks: Rose Bowl Playoff Time

 

After a long wait, the Ducks finally get their shot at some playoff action against a familiar foe.

Oregon rolled through their season as the only undefeated FBS team, winners of thirteen games including their first crack at a B1G championship. They defeated three playoff teams along the way — 25% of the field! And yet, many are predicting the Ohio State Buckeyes to win today.

There’s not a lick of this that makes sense, with the idea that Ohio State has somehow “leveled up” since the last meeting in October, despite the fact that they recently faced defeat at the hands of the rival Michigan Wolverines… at home no less! Sure, they are the defending champions, but the win over the Buckeyes just barely gave Michigan a winning record this season. Can Ohio State be better than Oregon while also not being good enough to beat Michigan four times in a row? Both things can be true, some might say.

The Ducks enter the Rose Bowl (the stadium — it’s weird to call whatever this game is the actual “Rose Bowl” game) with most of their team intact after the initial transfer window period. There aren’t a lot of opt-outs with teams that have national championship aspirations.

Notes and such:

• Oregon is more or less back to the throwback uniform look they started the season with, along with a few tweaks as you would expect in a game of this magnitude.
• Do they have any history at all? It’s still a 9-2 edge for the Buckeyes after the close Ducks win earlier this season.
• Dillon Gabriel season review: It was really good! It’s tough to win a trophy when you’re competing against a guy that excels on both sides of the ball and rarely takes a play off.

Game time is 2:00 PM PST on ESPN and many other Disney-owned channels where you can usually find sports. Go Ducks!