Ryan Day isn't known for his flair. The Ohio State coach could double nicely as a mattress salesman, local TV ads and all that. He'd blend into the background. That's why it hurts

In the quarterfinals, Ohio State had to go up against the top seed in the CFP: Oregon. Everyone was expecting it to be the game of the playoff as the Ducks narrowly beat the Buckeyes in the regular season, but it ended up being a complete dud. Halfway through the second quarter, Ohio State was up 31-0. The Buckeye cruised to another easy win.

On the back end, Texas has allowed only eight passing scores this year and ranks No. 3 in pass defense success rate. All-American cornerback Jahdae Barron had a standout season with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups and is a key cog in the hopes of slowing down Ohio State receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.