Updated College Football Playoff bracket after Ohio State obliterates Oregon
During the regular season, one of only two losses for the Ohio State Buckeyes came against the Oregon Ducks, a win that vaulted Dan Lanning's team to No. 1 in the rankings. They never moved from that spot as the boys from Eugene completed a perfect regular season, capping that off by beating College Football Playoff-bound Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game. But to win a national championship with an unblemished record, they would have to get past Ohio State again in the College Football Playoff bracket.
That proved to be too titanic of a task Oregon or, perhaps too little to think of a motivated Ohio State team. Much like in their First Round trouncing of the Tennessee Volunteers, the Buckeyes jumped all over the Ducks, sscoring on two 40+ yard touchdown passes in the first quarter, stifling Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense, and jumping out to a 34-0 lead before the Ducks found the end zone right before halftime.
While Ohio State only scored once in the second half, it didn't matter. The result was a 41-21 win in the Rose Bowl that pushes the Buckeyes into the next round of the College Football Playoff, the semifinals and the Cotton Bowl. But this was the third quarterfinal matchup, so let's check in on the updated CFP bracket after this win for OSU.
Updated College Football Playoff bracket after Ohio State wins Rose Bowl
Now that we have the bracket set with only one quarterfinal game, the postponed Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia, remaining, let's also take a look at the remaining CFP schedule for the semifinals and National Championship Game.
CFP Matchup (Bowl Game) | Date, Time, TV Channel |
|---|---|
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (Sugar Bowl - National Quarterfinals) | Thursday, Jan. 2, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN) |
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 2 Georgia (Orange Bowl - National Semifinals) | Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) |
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State (Cotton Bowl - National Semifinals) | Friday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) |
TBD vs. TBD (College Football Playoff National Championship) | Monday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) |
Following their dismantling of Oregon and getting that revenge they were seeking, the Buckeyes will now head to the great state of Texas for the Cotton Bowl where they will meet the Texas Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian's team escaped a furious comeback effort from Arizona State, two missed field goals that would've won the game in regulation, and double overtime to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
Penn State is the third team that punched its ticket to a College Football Playoff semifinal with their own dismantling of Boise State on New Year's Eve. The Nittany Lions haven't even played their best football but now cruise into the Orange Bowl. James Franklin's team will await the winner of the Notre Dame-Georgia matchup in the Sugar Bowl.
Regardless, though, the overreactions to the First Round blowouts now look quite silly. We got one of the most lopsided results yet going against the only undefeated team remaining in college football at the end of the regular season and conference championships, not to mention the Playoff's No. 1 overall seed! These quarterfinal games have been electric, and we can't wait for what's to come with how the bracket is now shaking out.
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