Ducks have one thing that makes the Ohio State National Championship a little less bitter, no matter how much they hate it.

Trust me, it makes me sick to watch too. It will fuel the fire in Lanning's belly, along with every player that's returning to that roster next season. This year was an incredible one for Oregon, and cemented the mantra "That Team Out West" is here to stay, and also laid the groundwork for a new Big Ten rivalry with Ohio State. Beating them the first time was great. Getting their butts kicked in the second was not. Oregon will be back.

Ohio State turned into a buzzsaw down the stretch. There's no denying it. They had to win four games in the College Football Playoffs to win the National Championship, and they did so handily. In games against Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, Ohio State outscored their opponents 145-75. Even though the National Championship ended 34-23, Ohio State was never really in doubt of losing the game.

Not only that, but every team Ohio State went against struggled to stop the same things that Oregon did. Jeremiah Smith, the phenom of a true freshman that looks like the ghost of Julio Jones reincarnated, is a monster that nobody can contain. His long reception essentially put the natty on ice. Their running backs? They dominated. The defense flew around, limiting everyone. To put it bluntly, Ohio State peaked and was far and away the best team in the country when it mattered most.

If the Ducks weren't going to win it all, losing to the team that would go on to make every team in the playoffs look bad should be some semblance of a consolation prize. But consolation prizes don't count for anything. Lanning and the Ducks will immediately turn their eyes to an import offseason of rebuilding a roster that will look very different next fall.