The Oregon Ducks have been thrown into a situation where they’ll play one of two opponents in the Rose Bowl following the first round of the College Football Playoffs. The winner of Tennessee vs Ohio State will make the trip to Pasadena, CA to face Oregon and one critical question looms:

Who should the Ducks want to play?

Today I’ll make the case that Tennessee is the preferable matchup for Oregon, but potentially not for the reasons readers may think.

Talent

This is the obvious one. Ohio State’s roster is simply better than Tennessee’s at most positions, making them a tougher out from the jump. The Volunteers don’t really have players who stack up with Ohio State’s star-studded lineup that features receiver Jeremiah Smith, EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau, and safety Caleb Downs.

Coaching

While people can go back and forth on the matchup between Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Ohio State’s Ryan Day, the difference in staffs really shows up with the coordinators. The Buckeyes feature one of the strongest coordinator tandems in all of college football with OC Chip Kelly and DC Jim Knowles and while Tennessee’s are certainly strong, they don’t bring the pedigree Ohio State’s do.

Rematch

Any seasoned football fan can tell you it’s easy enough to beat a good team once, but having to do it a second time can be the difference. Having faced Ohio State once before, its staff will be much more prepared for what Oregon brings to the table and how they’ll attack the Buckeyes’ defense.

The simple paper analysis of the Ducks winning by one point at home in the first game then having to rematch at a neutral site does not bode well for Oregon, as the not-at-Autzen bump would make this (on paper) an advantageous spot for Ohio State.

Rebound

This is what makes the biggest difference in my mind. All you really have to do is think about what a win would mean for each of these two teams.

An Ohio State win means it’s fully bounced back from its embarrassing loss to Michigan to end the regular season and is back on track culture-wise. On the flip side, Tennessee winning that matchup could mean basically anything from them being the best team in college football to them having squeaked by a team that’s lost all motivation and locker room cohesion.

In my mind, Ohio State beating Tennessee would prove a lot more about it as a program than would Tennessee beating Ohio State. I don’t have any doubts about whether or not the Volunteers will come to play nor the quality of the team. What I’m saying is if the Buckeyes get it done in the first round, look out.