Can anyone beat Ohio State after dominant Rose Bowl win vs. Oregon?

If Wednesday night was any indication, the College Football Playoff might already be decided, and the Ohio State Buckeyes are going to have everyone else playing for second this season.

Ryan Day's team came out and looked every bit the national championship favorites against the number one-ranked team in all of college football, stomping Oregon 41-21 in a game that wasn't anywhere near as close as the final score indicated.

It wasn't surprising that Ohio State won this game; the Buckeyes lost their regular season contest with the Ducks by a single point, and most predicted a close win in either direction. What was surprising was HOW this team won.

The Buckeyes took a 14-0 first quarter lead, and pushed it to 34-0 in the second quarter, blitzing the Ducks with an aerial assault they clearly weren't prepared for. Quarterback Will Howard had a career-defining game, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 completions, hitting big play after big play.

By the time Oregon got their feet under them, it was already far too late, and it was a performance so good it had Ohio State fans wondering where this had been against Michigan earlier this season.

It was a performance so dominant it has the rest of college football wondering one thing: can anyone beat the Buckeyes this season, or is their first national title since 2014 all but assured at this point?

Jeremiah Smith looked every bit the megastar he is against Oregon

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Looking at the rest of the field, it was already a challenge to find someone who could beat them. Texas has the defense to hang with the Buckeyes, and one of the few secondaries capable of slowing wide receiver Jeremiah Smith down. But can the Longhorns' offense find any kind of joy against this terrifying Buckeyes defense?

We've already seen what happens when Penn State plays this Ohio State team; the same thing that happens every time James Franklin plays a top-tier Big Ten opponent. And that 20-13 loss came before the Buckeyes' Death Star was fully armed and operational. Imagine what will happen now that Ryan Day and Chip Kelly have realized they can simply throw the ball to their best playmakers and let them make plays.

Georgia and Notre Dame both have fearsome defenses, but if Oregon's offense can't gain any ground against the Buckeyes, what hope do the one dimensional Irish and maddeningly inconsistent Bulldogs have of finding success?

All season, there's been little doubt that Ohio State was the most talented team in the country, top to bottom. They had no real holes in their roster, depth at virtually every position, and the kind of skill position players that keep defensive coordinators up at night.

The only thing that seemed to be holding them back was themselves; in big games, the Buckeyes seemed to be toying with opponents, letting lesser teams like the Nittany Lions and Michigan hang around and looking outright unimpressive in their loss against the Wolverines to end the season. Their fans were restless and nervous; could Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly actually unlock this team's potential when it mattered most?

The answer, through two games, is unequivocally yes. Ohio State look ascendant, they're playing angry, aggressive, dominant football against the absolute best teams in the sport. They're the team we all thought they should be, at the absolute right time, with a field of flawed opponents left in front of them.

Would you feel comfortable betting against the Buckeyes? Because I sure wouldn't.

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Can anyone beat Ohio State after dominant Rose Bowl win vs. Oregon in College Football Playoff?

By Sam Westmoreland | Jan 2, 2025