College Football Playoff players to watch, key to Rose Bowl: no. 8 Ohio State vs. no. 1 Oregon

On By Littum

The 2025 Rose Bowl looks like a traditional matchup, though it involves two teams from the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff. No. 1 Oregon is the underdog to No. 8 Ohio State despite the Ducks’ win earlier in the season.

(More CFP: Notre Dame vs. Georgia | Boise State vs. Penn State | Texas vs. Arizona State)

Date: 1 January | Time: 5:00 PM ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Ohio State -2.5 | Total: 55.5

Ohio State: The Buckeyes looked like the national title contenders we expected them to be before the season with a 42-17 demolition of Tennessee in the first round. Ohio State went up 21-0 in the first half and made it clear that Tennessee had no chance to win the game very early. Now they get a chance to avenge their 32-31 loss to the Ducks in October.

Oregon: The only undefeated team in college football’s top tier has outscored its opponents by an average of 36-18 this season. The Ducks have four one-score wins this season and are also the only team with wins over three playoff teams. Oregon boasts wins over Boise State, Ohio State and Penn State.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel was a Heisman finalist a year after Oregon QB Bo Nix was a Heisman finalist. Gabriel transferred to Oregon for his final season of college football after two seasons at Oklahoma and three seasons at UCF and has been one of the best QBs in the sport. Gabriel is 297-of-406 passing for 3,558 yards and 28 TDs with six interceptions. His interception rate is just 1.5%, and he has never had an interception rate higher than 2% in any of the five full seasons of college football he has played.

Ohio State’s Will Howard was terrific against Tennessee with 24 completions for 311 yards and a TD and an interception. Howard threw for over 300 yards for just the second time this season in that game and has thrown for 3,171 yards in 13 games. His first 300-yard game this season came in that loss to Oregon, when he was 28 of 35 for 326 yards and two scores.

Oregon RB Jordan James: The Ducks’ leading rusher set up the passing game and had a solid game against the Buckeyes on Oct. 12. James had 23 carries for 115 yards and a score in the win. For the season, James has rushed 226 times for 1,253 yards and 15 TDs, while also adding 24 catches for 202 yards. He has rushed for at least 83 yards in 11 of Oregon’s 13 games so far this season and has crossed the century mark six times.

Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka: Ohio State made it a point to get the ball to Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith early against Tennessee, and it paid off. Egbuka had five catches for 81 yards and has 65 catches for 824 yards and nine scores. His stats are down from 2022, when he had 74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 scores, but he also played with Marvin Harrison Jr. that season. Egbuka had 10 catches for 93 yards and a score in the loss to Oregon earlier this season.

How loose is Ohio State? The Buckeyes looked like a completely different team against the Volunteers than they did against Michigan. The offensive statistics from the Oct. 12 matchup between Ohio State and Oregon were nearly identical. Ohio State rushed 33 times for 141 yards; Oregon rushed 31 times for 155 yards. The Buckeyes threw for 326 yards; Oregon had 341 passing yards. The big separation between the teams came via penalties and turnovers. Ohio State fumbled twice and also committed eight penalties for 70 yards. Oregon didn’t turn the ball over at all and had three penalties for 25 yards.

If Ohio State is going to win as a favorite, the Buckeyes need to get Quinshon Judkins going. He had just 11 carries for 23 yards and a score in the first matchup, while TreVeyon Henderson had 10 carries for 87 yards.