Years from now, Royce Freeman of the Oregon Ducks will be the answer to this trivia question: Who scored the first touchdown in College Football Playoff history?
True freshman running back Royce Freeman has had a heckuva year for the Oregon Ducks, setting new school freshman marks with 1,299 yards rushing and 17 total touchdowns.
Make that 18 and put him in the record books with this 1-yard plunge in the first quarter against the Florida State Seminoles in Thursday’s Rose Bowl.
So why does a 1-yard touchdown run mean so much? Because Royce Freeman’s name goes into the history books at the first player to score a touchdown in a College Football Playoff game.
Oregon, the No. 2 seed in the CFP, took an 8-3 lead over undefeated and No. 3-seeded Florida State by adding a two-point conversion to Freeman’s score.
While some—particularly down Texas’ way—are already clamoring for the CFP to be expanded beyond the current four-team format, I’m taking a different approach. As someone who detested the way college football managed to politicize the end of every season, I see the four-team playoff as a bridge to something bigger, if not fairer.
Four teams may not be perfect, but it beats the ever-loving hell out of two teams magically popping out of a computer or a bunch of reporters picking a champion.
In case you hadn’t heard, the winner of the Rose Bowl will advance to meet the winner of the Sugar Bowl matchup between top-seeded Alabama and No. 4-seed Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship on Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas.
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