The first-round contest between Ohio State and Tennessee will decide the Rose Bowl matchup for No. 1 Oregon.

Additionally, the Ducks’ opponent in the 111th Granddaddy of Them All will be either Tennessee or Ohio State.

As they continue to compete for their school’s first national championship, Oregon (13-0) earned the top seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday, sending the Ducks to Pasadena to celebrate the new year for the ninth time in school history.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who will be attending his first Rose Bowl, stated, “This is a game you dream of the opportunity to coach in, being on this side of the country.” For me, it’s definitely an excitement. Phil Knight is undoubtedly a huge supporter of our program and an influential member, and he has consistently shared with me his top objective.

Heupel stated, “It’s the next step for our program.” “Our players have been working on this since January of last year, and you deserve to play in a game like this. We are pleased with our performance during the regular season. This is where the new season begins. Within our program, there was a requirement to acquire the privilege of participating in a game such as this.

Heupel notes that Knoxville isn’t really Southern California, which raises doubts about the notion of an SEC team heading north to chilly central Ohio. Heupel remarked, “I’m not sure what the temperature will be up there, but I know it won’t be sunny and 85.” “We played Vanderbilt a week ago in temperatures as high as thirty degrees.”

Two collegiate football powerhouses with limited history together square off in the first round. In their lone prior matchup, the Volunteers defeated the Buckeyes 20–14 in the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 1996.

Following a crushing 13-10 loss to Michigan at home last month, Ohio State was granted home-field advantage even though they were not selected to play Oregon in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes may yet earn that rematch in California, despite losing a thrilling game against the Ducks in Eugene in October 32–31.