PASADENA, Calif. — The Rose Bowl is the next stop on No. 1 Oregon’s national championship quest.
And the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Tennessee Volunteers will be the Ducks’ opponent on Jan. 1 in the 111th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.
Oregon (13-0) received the top seed Sunday in the first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff, sending the Ducks to celebrate the new year in Pasadena for the ninth time as they continue to fight for their program’s first national title.
“Being on this side of the country, this is a game you dream of the opportunity to coach in,” said Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who will take part in the Rose Bowl Game for the first time. “It’s certainly a thrill for me. Obviously, a big fan of our program and influence in our program is (Nike co-founder) Phil Knight, and Phil always told me his number-one goal is, ‘Can we get to the Rose Bowl?’ So I’m extremely ecstatic that our team gets to be a part of such a historic game.”
But first, the eighth-seeded Buckeyes (10-2) will host the ninth-seeded Volunteers (10-2) in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 21, to determine Oregon’s opponent in the Rose Bowl, which is also a playoff quarterfinal.