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Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates a touchdown catch with quarterback Will Howard (18) 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

Rose Bowl takeaways: Ohio State throttles Oregon on way to CFP semifinal

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Jan 1, 2025 9:14 PM ET

The Ohio State Buckeyes are on their way to the College Football Playoff semifinals after a 41-21 dismantling of the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night.

Ohio State will match up against Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 10 in Arlington, Texas.

Here are four takeaways from the Buckeyes win on Tuesday night.

1. Ohio State is the national championship favorite

In its first two playoff games, the Buckeyes are playing like the best team in the country in all three phases.

The connection between quarterback Will Howard and true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has looked unstoppable in the Buckeyes' two games in the CFP.

Smith and Howard have connected 13 times for 290 yards and four touchdowns. As previously stated, Smith is a true freshman and won't be drafted to the NFL until 2027 at the earliest.

Smith is already earning the respect of legends in the NFL, such as Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter.

Best Wr in College football wears #4 for #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/c50uLHgwUV
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) January 2, 2025

2. Ryan Day deserves major love from national media

After the loss to Michigan in rivalry week, the national media was calling for Day's job. This included outlets such as ESPN's morning show "First Take," which features Shannon Sharpe, Dan Orlovsky and others.

Day and his Buckeyes have responded to an 83-38 outscoring of their two opponents thus far in the CFP. Day has proved why he is the right man for the job at Ohio State, and he deserves full credit for getting his team ready to play.

3. Dillon Gabriel had an excellent college football career

With his touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, Gabriel tied former Houston quarterback Case Keenum for the most touchdown passes in FBS history.

Gabriel threw 155 touchdowns spanned across six seasons and three schools (UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon).

Along with those 155 passing touchdowns, Gabriel had 33 rushing touchdowns, putting him at 188 total touchdowns for his career.

Gabriel could never play another snap of football in his life, and would still be considered one of the greatest college football quarterbacks of all time.

4. Ohio State-Texas will be a classic

The two teams scoring the most points in the CFP matching up will make for must-see TV.

Even with Texas nearly losing to Arizona State on Wednesday, the Longhorns are still scoring points and will hope to do the same against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes don't have any plans on slowing down with their points scoring, and the matchup of Smith vs. Texas cornerback Andrew Mukuba will be one of the best receiver-cornerback matchups of the entire season.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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