Oregon’s undefeated season will continue into the College Football Playoff.
The No. 1 Ducks clinched first place in the 12-team field with a 45-37 victory over No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten title game Saturday night. The Ducks (13-0) were boosted by a career day from wide receiver Tez Johnson, who ran through Penn State’s secondary. Johnson had 11 receptions for 181 yards and a touchdown.
That score came in the third quarter and extended Oregon’s lead to 38-24 when Dillon Gabriel hit Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown.
From there, Oregon was not threatened by Penn State (11-2). The Nittany Lions cut the deficit to eight early in the fourth quarter, but a two-point conversion failed and Oregon responded on its next drive. Jordan James capped a 12-play drive that took 6:49 with a three-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to two scores with 7:28 left.
Penn State cut Oregon’s lead to one score with 3:41 left, but the Ducks responded once again. The Nittany Lions had a difficult time stopping Oregon’s offense all night, but were able to stop it before the two-minute warning. But on the second play of Penn State’s drive, Nikko Reed intercepted a deep pass from Drew Allar to end the game.
The Ducks are the only undefeated team at the highest level of college football and have been number one in every edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. With Georgia beating two-loss Texas to win the SEC early Saturday, there’s no doubt Oregon will be the best team in Sunday’s bracket and will play the winner of the No. 8 vs. game. No. 9 at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. .
Just as Johnson had a fantastic day, so did Gabriel. The sixth-year quarterback likely solidified a spot as a Heisman finalist with a 22-of-32 passing performance for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Gabriel’s chances of winning the Heisman are extremely slim behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, but he’s done enough to at least attend the ceremony.
Oregon’s win is also now the 19th loss for Penn State coach James Franklin in 22 games against top-10 opponents while with the Nittany Lions.
Where will Penn State be seeded?
There is no doubt that the Nittany Lions will be in the College Football Playoffs. The only question is where they will be planted.
Penn State seems certain to host a first-round game, but will the Nittany Lions fall below Notre Dame? The Fighting Irish are 11-1 and were one spot below Penn State in the standings. No. 2 Texas also lost on Saturday and will likely stay ahead of Penn State. If the committee doesn’t punish either Texas or Penn State for one-possession losses in their conference championship games, they will be the No. 5 and 6 seeds, while Notre Dame is the No. 7 seed.
A No. 6 seed for Penn State would also likely avoid a matchup against Big Ten team Indiana. The Hoosiers will likely be the 10th seed in the bracket and could end up heading to Notre Dame or even a rematch with Ohio State.