Oregon-Ohio State is a reminder of why College Football Playoff expansion is a good thing
Saturday’s back-and-forth result was an example of why the expansion of the playoff this year — to 12 teams — could endure as a good thing. For exactly 60 minutes, both teams looked to be among the very best the country has seen this season.
In a recent custom at the University of Oregon, its fans spend the minutes between the third and fourth quarters singing “Shout,” an ode to “Animal House,” which was filmed on the Eugene, Oregon, campus.
They were shouting again Saturday. And by the end, that noise became screams.
Fans stormed the field inside Autzen Stadium after third-ranked Oregon outlasted second-ranked Ohio State, 32-31, the second time during this college football season that a meeting of top-10 teams wasn’t decided until the final play.
Weeks after Alabama beat Georgia in an instant classic, the Ducks (6-0) remained unbeaten when Ohio State (5-1), given the ball for one last drive with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, was pushed out of field goal range and saw their last play break down before Will Howard could even attempt a potential end zone heave.
The matchup was a sign of the current times in college football — a pair of veteran, transfer quarterbacks leading teams separated by nearly 2,500 miles, yet facing off in league play thanks to conference realignment.
Rating: 5