Oregon has had a season to remember, entering its first season in the Big Ten, winning every game and beating Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.
While the Ducks got the first overall seed and a bye, they got one of the hardest paths in the playoffs because they will have to face the winner of Tennessee vs. Ohio State in the second round. You can argue that they are two of the best five teams in the game.
Oregon Got A Rough Path
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt was not happy with the Duck’s path and stated, “Congratulations, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. You got absolutely screwed”.
“Congratulations Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. You got absolutely screwed.” 😳😅@joelklatt feels the committee’s efforts to create artificial floors raised teams to levels they shouldn’t be, and hurt Oregon. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rPiQ7mXzAr
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) December 9, 2024
Klatt is 100% right that Oregon got screwed because the seeding has Boise State and Arizona State in the third and fourth seeds because they were two of the four highest conference champions when you can make an argument that neither should even be in the playoffs.
Oregon, which beat Penn State in the Big Ten title, has to play a great team in round two. If the Nittany Lions beat SMU at home in the first round, they get to play Boise State on a neutral field.
The playoff format makes zero sense, and it needs to be fixed for next season. Otherwise, we will see the same thing play out with whoever gets the number one seed.
