During a College Football Playoff Selection Sunday filled with drama, the undefeated Oregon Ducks had the luxury of sitting back and smelling the roses.
While other teams anxiously waited to see who was in, who was out and how first-round matchups would unfold, Ducks coach Dan Lanning and his players just needed confirmation of a long expected invitation to play in the 110th Rose Bowl in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
“Just win,” Lanning said when asked how to cope with playoff uncertainty ahead of college football conference championship weekend. “They can’t deny you if you just win. You can’t complain if you just win.”
The Ducks delivered, clinching a 45-37 victory over No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday. The win earned Oregon (13-0) an automatic first-round bye and the CFP top seed during its first season in the Big Ten.
Heisman candidate quarterback Dillon Gabriel leads Oregon’s high-powered offense, which ranks seventh in the nation in scoring with 36.9 points per game.
Gabriel has been one of the most efficient passers in college football, throwing for 3,558 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions while maintaining a 73.2% completion rate.
Under the new College Football Playoff 12-team format, Oregon will wait to learn its opponent, facing the winner of No. 8 seed Tennessee versus No. 9 seed Ohio State.
The Ducks haven’t faced the Volunteers in more than a decade. They beat the Buckeyes 32-31 in dramatic and controversial fashion earlier this season.
Oregon may need to beat Ohio State (10-2) again to complete a perfect run to the first national championship in school history after two unsuccessful attempts in 2011 and 2015, including a 42-20 loss to the Buckeyes.
When the Ducks and Buckeyes teams faced off on Oct. 12, Oregon scored a last-second victory, largely thanks to an intentional 12-man on the field penalty on third-and-25 with 10 seconds left while the Buckeyes were driving to attempt a game-winning field goal.
The penalty caused four seconds to run off the clock and on the ensuing play, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was forced to scramble and slide as time expired, sealing Oregon’s dramatic win.
The Lanning loophole sparked national debate and an investigation by the NCAA Football Rules Committee, eventually leading to a new NCAA rule interpretation on handling 12-man penalties at the end of each half.
Tennessee (10-2) fell just short of playing for an SEC championship due to a loss to SEC rival Georgia, which earned a No. 2 seed. The Volunteers earned an at-large bid thanks to wins over ranked NC State, Oklahoma and Alabama, but they will have to fly to Columbus, Ohio, to play the Buckeyes at The Horseshoe.
A win over Ohio State would mark the Tennessee’s first trip back to the Rose Bowl in 79 years.