One Discouraging Part of Ohio State's Win Over Oregon

If there is one unfortunate factor to take away from the Ohio State Buckeyes' dominant win over the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, this is it.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown with otight end Gee Scott Jr. (88) 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

The Ohio State Buckeyes absolutely thrashed the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night, coming away with a 41-21 victory in a game they dominated start to finish.

There wasn't really anything not to like about Ohio State's performance.

Aside from a couple of moments here and there where Oregon briefly got itself back into the game, this was all Buckeyes, as they jumped out to a 34-0 lead and never looked back.

But there is just one thing about this game that may discourage some Ohio State fans.

There are still two games left to win in order to capture a national championship.

It sounds wild considering that the Ducks were widely viewed as the Buckeyes' top competition heading into the College Football Playoff.

Some probably even considered this the "true" National Championship Game heading into the contest, as many considered Ohio State and Oregon the two best teams in the country.

Heck, the postgame celebration had championship vibes.

Nevertheless, the Buckeyes still have a lot more business to take care of over these next several weeks.

It will start with a matchup against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. The winner of that game will then face either Penn State, Georgia or Notre Dame in the final.

After everything Ohio State fans have been forced to deal with this season, whether it be the initial loss to Oregon back in October or a fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines in the regular-season finale, some closure would be more than satisfying.

Unfortunately, the Buckeyes aren't getting that just yet. Not even after handing the Ducks their only loss of the campaign.

It seems hard to believe that this wasn't the title game, and just beating Oregon is not going to satiate the Columbus faithful for the offseason.

Ohio State entered the year with national championship expectations, and anything short of that will mark a failure.

But here's the good news: the Buckeyes look pretty darn good.

Right now, it's hard to imagine anyone beating them, especially considering Texas looked mighty ordinary against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl. In fact, a legitimate argument can be made that they actually should have lost that game.

Ohio State tore the Tennessee Volunteers apart in the opening round. It was even more ruthless against a far better Oregon squad on New Year's Day.

The Buckeyes may as well change their logo to a buzzsaw.

Bet against them at your own peril.