A lot of things have changed over the last few years in the world of college football, and things are going to continue to change rapidly going forward.
The most immediate difference that we will see in 2024 is the new-look conferences across the nation, where conference realignment has landed schools like California and Stanford in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Oregon and Washington play conference games against the likes of Rutgers and Northwestern in the Big Ten.
While it may be tough to get used to, the changes are likely to bring a lot of thrilling matchups over the years. One of those involves the Oregon Ducks, who will be pitted against semi-rival Ohio State in conference matchups starting in 2024. I say semi-rival because the Ducks and Buckeyes have met on the field a number of times over the years in some major moments, including the 2010 Rose Bowl and 2014 National Championship Game. ESPN recently tabbed the Oregon vs. Ohio State matchup as one of the most intriguing new things that is to come in the new-look conference realignment era.
Both Ohio State and Oregon could be in the preseason top 10 and both will come into the season very motivated after falling short of the College Football Playoff in 2023. A pair of new quarterbacks — Will Howard from Kansas State to the Buckeyes and Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma to the Ducks — should have the offenses humming when they meet for the first time as Big Ten foes Oct. 12 in Eugene. As the playoff expands to 12 teams, recall these programs met for the first CFP crown in 2014 and likely aren’t leaving the national stage anytime soon.
Both Oregon and Ohio State have been commonly placed inside the top 5 of preseason rankings going into the spring season, so when they meet midway through 2024 in Eugene, it should be a thrilling matchup.
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