This year’s Rose Bowl managed to be a bridge of sorts between the past and future of college football. It’s a classic matchup of two historic Big Ten (one a former Pac-12) teams in Ohio State and Oregon, a throwback that feels familiar to fans across generations and matches the gravitas of The Granddaddy of Them All.

“We’re in a little bit of a different landscape this year because of how bowl games are set up, but the Rose Bowl has been first class in every way,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said Tuesday. “Growing up as a kid, you remember getting to be a part of games like this. This is one we’re really thrilled to compete in.”

On the other end, it’s now a College Football Playoff quarterfinal, one of several steps that a team needs to climb on the ever-evolving path toward a national championship.

“It’s a different experience,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “Usually when you prepare for a bowl, there’s a whole month of preparation. This is more of a routine. … It’s more like being on a road game during the week, just a longer season.”

It’s a rematch of Oregon’s first Big Ten game at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12, when the Ducks edged out the Buckeyes 32-31. Oregon will be looking to repeat their performance, stay perfect and in the driver’s seat as the No. 1 seed in the CFP. On the other sideline, the Buckeyes want to redeem themselves from what they considered an anomaly of a defensive performance in Week 6, and reassert themselves into the national championship picture.

Here are three keys to victory for the Rose Bowl:

Ohio State needs to pressure Dillon Gabriel

The Buckeyes boast the No. 1 defense in the nation in terms of yards (242.6) and points allowed (11.4). Their sack percentage (10.60%) is the most of any team remaining in the College Football Playoff, but they didn’t touch Dillon Gabriel — not one sack or pressure — on Oct. 12.

The result was Gabriel dicing them for 341 passing yards, well over Ohio State’s nation-low average of 141.2 yards. Several Buckeyes players and coaches throughout the week have given credit to the strength of Oregon’s offense, while also acknowledging the need to execute better.

They know a repeat of their previous defensive performance won’t cut it if they want to advance to the semifinals, and it starts with making Gabriel uncomfortable.

Ohio State’s defense must embody the mantra of the late Raiders owner Al Davis: The quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard.

Gabriel needs to show why he was a Heisman finalist

Even though the Heisman race this season was clearly a two-man race between Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Gabriel was one of the last four players standing and eventually finished third in the voting. The reason for that was his mastery of the Oregon offense that allowed for a seamless transition after Bo Nix’s departure to the NFL. While Gabriel’s stats weren’t eye-popping — he’s thrown for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns — his 86.7 total quarterback rating is the highest of any remaining in the CFP, and the second overall in the nation.

He’s also been elite at taking care of the ball. His six interceptions are tied for the least in the country and he’s only had one multi-pick game this season — in Week 5 against Michigan State. Gabriel’s legs have also helped him avoid sacks, and one of his seven rushing TDs came against the Buckeyes.

Gabriel’s shining moment was in the Big Ten championship game, where he completed 22 of 32 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns to cement the Ducks as the No.1 team in the conference and in the country.

History is also on the line for Gabriel, who is four touchdowns away from surpassing Cam Ward’s recently set record of 158 career passing touchdowns in Division I.

Gabriel had success against Ohio State last time around, but he needs to make a statement and prove that it was no fluke.

Ohio State must limit penalties, especially late

This isn’t so much a season-long issue for the Buckeyes, who rank among the 10 fewest-penalized FBS teams in the nation, but untimely penalties played a huge role in their October loss to Oregon.

A defensive pass interference call on Ohio State got the Ducks down to the nine-yard-line, where they took a 32-31 lead on a field goal. On the ensuing series, a 26-yard reception by Emeka Egbuka was negated by an offensive pass interference call on Jeremiah Smith that set up third and 20 from the Oregon 38-yard-line, where the Buckeyes ran out of time after quarterback Will Howard kept the ball and slid in the open field as time expired.

Ohio State is a disciplined team for the most part, but they have to stay disciplined through the final whistle. If not, that can potentially make the difference between the Buckeyes advancing to the CFP semifinals at the Cotton Bowl or returning to Columbus.