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In their first season in the Big Ten, the Oregon Ducks earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff (CFP). Now, under head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks are poised to begin their title pursuit, coming off a first-round bye. But the CFP bracket has set them up for a tough challenge, as they will face the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in the quarterfinals at the 2025 Rose Bowl this week.
Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
In their first season in the Big Ten, the Oregon Ducks earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff (CFP). Now, under head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks are poised to begin their title pursuit, coming off a first-round bye. But the CFP bracket has set them up for a tough challenge, as they will face the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in the quarterfinals at the 2025 Rose Bowl this week.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel will lead the Ducks as they look to avenge their narrow 32-31 victory over Ohio State earlier in the regular season, a battle that proved to be one of their toughest tests of the year.
On the other side, Ohio State is led by freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith, who made history as the only freshman selected to the Walter Camp First-Team All-American list.
“A lot of people have told me I was going to be great since high school,” Smith said. “Football is all I know, and it’s all I really want to do. I live, breathe, sleep football. That’s all I care about. I don’t care about anything outside of football. I just want to play football for the rest of my life.”
Smith isn’t coming to the Rose Bowl to make a name for himself—he’s already done that. This game is just another chance to prove what everyone already knows about him. The first-round of the playoff was simply a reminder of his immense talent. It’s also a reminder to the Ohio State coaching staff that they can’t afford to waste his potential in a game this big.