As the 2024 college football season wraps up, discussions continue to swirl about the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, particularly regarding its seeding system. While the top four seeds were determined by conference championships, some teams faced much more difficult paths due to the way the bracket was set. One team that caught the eye of SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum was the No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks, who found themselves with a challenging matchup against the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes.
On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Finebaum argued that Oregon drew the “worst possible matchup” in the playoff. He suggested that had Oregon faced teams like Penn State or Georgia, they might have had a better shot. He also noted the convoluted seeding process that led Oregon to face a dangerous Buckeyes team fresh off a win against Tennessee. Finebaum’s point was that Oregon’s path to the championship was significantly more difficult than it should have been.
Despite their impressive 13-1 regular-season record, including a Big Ten Championship victory in their first year in the conference, Oregon’s playoff run was abruptly cut short. The Ducks had previously defeated Ohio State 32-31 during the regular season, but in the quarterfinals, the matchup was a different story. Oregon fell behind 34-0 and lost 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, with Ohio State dominating both on the scoreboard and in total yards (500 to 276). A key factor was the Buckeyes’ ability to stifle Oregon’s running game, limiting them to an astounding minus-23 yards rushing.
While the Ducks’ playoff exit was disappointing, their 13-win season, a first for Oregon, and their conference title were still notable achievements. However, as Finebaum pointed out, the playoff seeding and subsequent matchup likely played a role in their ultimate downfall.
