PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Not even the Granddaddy of Them All can remain unchanged by the 12-team College Football Playoff.
No. 1 Oregon and No. 6 Ohio State arrived in Southern California only three days before their showdown Wednesday in the 111th edition of the Rose Bowl Game — and both teams firmly declare they're on a business trip, since this beloved postseason event is now a CFP quarterfinal hopefully leading to two more games.
The Ducks (13-0, CFP No. 1 seed) and the Buckeyes (11-2, CFP No. 8 seed) had no time to make the Rose Bowl teams' traditional trip to Disneyland, which means there are no photos of stern-faced football coaches shaking hands with Mickey Mouse. There's also no Beef Bowl, the annual trip to a famed Beverly Hills restaurant where thousands of pounds of prime rib have been shoveled into the bottomless stomachs of hungry linemen since 1956.
The pregame pageantry may be curtailed, but a few things about the oldest bowl game simply can't change: New Year's Day still dawns with the venerable Rose Parade, followed by football played through a famous sunset.
“When you’re at the Rose Bowl, you’re on sensory overload,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “The grass is greener. The sky is bluer. The sun is more yellow. It's just a beautiful setting. But once the foot hits the ball, it's time to go play. Anybody who knows playoff football, the intensity just gets ratcheted up. The electricity in that stadium will be special.”
In a fortunate coincidence for Pasadena traditionalists, the game that matched the champions of the Big Ten and the Pac-12 for decades lucked into an optimal geographic matchup once again.
And in this rematch of one of the best games of 2024, Oregon and Ohio State hope to start 2025 by creating a classic in the CFP's most anticipated quarterfinal matchup.
Many observers think the Ducks and the Buckeyes are the two best teams in the nation, and any frustration from the unbeaten Ducks about drawing such a difficult matchup so early in their quest for their first national title is overridden by excitement.
“It’s certainly a different landscape this year because of how bowl games are set up, but the Rose Bowl has been first-class in every way,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Growing up as a kid, you (hope to) be part of games like this. This is one we’re really thrilled to compete in.”
Before the 12-team playoff, teams rarely got a chance to correct a mistake or avenge a heartbreaking loss later in a season. This postseason format increases the chance for rematches, and that's exactly what the Buckeyes got.
One Ohio State player in particular still thinks about that 32-31 loss in Eugene. Quarterback Will Howard drove the Buckeyes downfield in the final 1:47 and scrambled into field-goal range, but he didn't slide down before the clock ran out.
“It’s like, how much do you focus on that, but not let it affect you?” Howard said. “I mean, I still have nightmares about that play. I still run it over in my head. What could I have done better? Now I get a chance to go out there and right the wrong from that game. You don’t get second chances a lot in life. I’m thankful that we even get a chance to go out there and play these guys again. We’ll keep it in the back of our heads. It’s a new game. We’re both very different teams than we were back then, you know. But that hasn’t left my head.”
Oregon went on to win the Big Ten championship in its debut season, while Ohio State didn't even make the league title game after getting upset by Michigan. That means the Buckeyes had three weeks off before their opening-round CFP rout of Tennessee, while the Ducks have had the past 3 1/2 weeks off with their first-round bye.
Although both teams boast formidable defenses, nobody would be surprised by an offensive shootout led by experienced quarterbacks Howard and Dillon Gabriel. Ohio State is averaging 36.0 points per game, while Oregon is putting up 35.9.
The Ducks' offense relies on an improved offensive line to clear paths for leading rusher Jordan James and to provide time for Gabriel to find top receiver Tez Johnson amid the Buckeyes' inconsistent secondary. Oregon's line improved sharply in September when it moved Iapani Laloulu to center.
“He’s really the glue up front," Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein said. "Poncho (Laloulu's middle name) up front at center, I think, has really solidified us and brought back that physicality at center that Jackson (Powers-Johnson) had last year for us. These guys are ready. They’re prepared.”
Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith is already among the nation's top playmakers, and he will face Oregon's formidable defense in his first bowl game. He'll also do it in the stadium where Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Rose Bowl records three years ago with 15 catches for 347 yards — the most in any bowl game in FBS history — and three touchdowns.
Oregon and Ohio State are meeting for the third time in the Rose Bowl, where Terrelle Pryor quarterbacked the Buckeyes to victory in 2010. Ohio State also beat Oregon in the first CFP championship game in 2014, but the Ducks have since beaten the Buckeyes in 2021 and again this season.
The winner moves on to face Peach Bowl participants Texas or Arizona State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy and freelancer Dan Greenspan contributed to this report.
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Ohio State quarterback Will Howard speaks to reporters during a news conference in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
