The Oregon Ducks put a period on the end of their regular season Saturday night with an exciting 45-37 shootout against the Penn State Nittany Lions, taking home the crown of Big Ten Champions in their first year as members of the conference.
With the victory, the Ducks secured the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff rankings, and clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming tournament, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in Pasadena.
So who will they be playing? That’s still to be decided, but we know who the options are after the official CFP rankings were released on Sunday afternoon.
Who will Oregon play in CFP?
As the No. 1 overall seed, the Ducks are set for a matchup between the winner of the 8 seed vs. 9 seed. In this case, that means they will face either the Ohio State Buckeyes or Tennessee Volunteers in the quarterfinal game.
Ohio State and Tennessee will play in Round 1 of the playoffs at Ohio Stadium.
Oregon vs. Ohio State predictions
We’ve seen this matchup once already this year, and it resulted in an absolute thriller that favored the Ducks by a single point in Autzen Stadium, 32-31. While Oregon still largely has the same makeup as that team from October, the same can’t be said for Ohio State, who has seen both starting left tackle Josh Simmons and starting center Seth McLaughlin go down with season-ending injuries over the past two months.
Should this Ducks vs. Buckeyes rematch take place, though, it sets up to be a tightly contested game between the two heavyweights of the Big Ten, and arguably the two best teams in all of college football. Based on what we’ve seen before, and the current health of the team, my early lean would be towards Oregon, but it projects as a tight game.
Oregon vs. Tennessee predictions
An Oregon vs. Tennessee game would feature some incredibly entertaining football, to say the least. While both teams have long been known for their offense, it is the defense for both schools that has been the most impressive this year, with the Vols holding the No. 5 total defense in the nation, while Oregon holds the No. 7 total defense.
In a game like this, I think a big factor is quarterback and and experience on the big stage. That favors Dillon Gabriel over Nico Iamaleava Jr., who would be playing in his first bowl game. My early lean would be towards Oregon.
When does Oregon play Ohio State or Tennessee in CFP?
As the No. 1 seed, the Ducks have guaranteed a spot in the Rose Bowl, which will be played on the traditional date of New Year’s Day. This game will kick off at noon PT on January 1, 2025.
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