Fans react to Oregon's unfortunate future matchup after the final CFP ranking release
By Sam Fariss
The Oregon Ducks earned the No. 1 ranking, the No. 1 seed, and a bye in the first round of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoffs. However, fans aren't exactly thrilled with who the Ducks will have to play in their first matchup in the playoffs.
Because of the funky way that the seeding works due to the four highest-ranked conference champions getting the automatic byes and the other seeds falling to the rest of the top teams in the country, Oregon doesn't get the easiest path in the playoffs, despite being the top team.
The stage is set. pic.twitter.com/n3HXN20Sl1
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 8, 2024
Since Ohio State and Tennessee aren't conference champions (in the Big Ten and SEC, respectively), the two teams will play for the opportunity to take down the Oregon Ducks – despite the Buckeyes being seeded No. 8 and the Volunteers being seeded No. 9.
Professional analysts, talking heads, and fans alike all reacted to the fact that the Ducks will have a shockingly difficult opponent no matter who wins the first-round game.
What a horrendous job this committee did...The team that was penalized the most was @oregonfootball and the team that was rewarded the most was @PennStateFball...I guess the Ducks should have laid down in the 4th...Just atrocious
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) December 8, 2024
Oregon already defeated the Buckeyes, by a narrow margin, but Ohio State is undeniably one of the best teams in the country this season. On the other hand, Tennessee only had two losses all year – one of them coming at the hands of the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.
College football playoff committee butchered these playoffs.
— Football Fanatics (@FFB_Fanatics) December 8, 2024
They gave Oregon the hardest route to the national championship and penalized them for being #1
Penn state for a cake walk of a schedule compared to all other higher ranked teams. pic.twitter.com/aNqpi8czun
Meanwhile, a team like Texas (who lost to Georgia twice this year) gets one of the easiest paths to the semifinals – facing the 12th-seeded Clemson Tigers and the fourth-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils (both of which are ranked significantly lower than their seeding).
What’s Oregon’s reward for going undefeated and being the #1 seed? You get the hardest quarterfinal matchup possible. Ducks got screwed!
— Tyler Burton (@TylerBurton7) December 8, 2024
The Rose Bowl Game will kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 2 p.m. PT on ESPN. The Oregon Ducks won't know who they are playing until Tennessee and Ohio State clash for four quarters in their first-round matchup which will kick off on Dec. 20 or 21.
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