COLUMBUS, Ohio – The last time an opposing team celebrated at midfield of Ohio Stadium came back in 2017 when Baker Mayfield planted Oklahoma’s flag at midfield here. Victories by visitors in Ohio State’s fabled Horseshoe happen only when there’s a confluence of elite teams, highest-end talent and special circumstance.
So after No. 12 Oregon outmuscled, out-schemed and eventually outlasted No. 3 Ohio State, 35-28, in the season’s first truly seismic upset on Saturday, it marked more than a two-touchdown underdog winning on the road. It spoke to something greater, an axis-shifting victory that thrust Oregon into the College Football Playoff conversation, rejuvenated the sputtering Pac-12 and helped potentially shake up the balance of power from the sport’s predictable playoff participants.