On today’s coverage of wild tabloids, we got something interesting. Shaping up to the big Rose Bowl, we all know the media is going to go buck wild, covering every little inconvenience. So, right now, the word around the grapevine is that the entire Oregon team is sick. OSU vs the Bucks is a big game. 2nd time the Buckeyes are getting their redemption match. They could’ve had to for the B1G title game, but Michigan Man knocked them out. See, Dan Lanning has already faced the Bucks’ threat and survived: 1 point away from going into an OT bloodbath. The question now is, the entire flu scenario, is this true? Or is the Media playing chess, not checkers, on behalf of Oregon and Lanning to let Ryan Day feel like his team is not going to get violated by the Ducks offense and defense?

“I think this is unlikely. I think these flu these flu rumors and Oregon having the flu and all this stuff. This is unlikely,” JR from The Big Ten Huddle pointed out. This is a “he said, she said” scenario. Yes, Oregon ended the year with around 1105 cases of whopping cough but this entire “theory” going around that the Ducks roster is sick is just not true. “Oregon players are young, they’re healthy. They have good immune systems, making it unlikely for the team to continue to struggle a month later,” JR added. The entire thing stemmed from the fact that Lanning and his boys “looked sick” during the conferences.

Like, hey genius, ever thought that they might just be tired from all the 3 weeks of practice? At the end of the day, Lanning and Co. are at the cusp of the greatest game this season. Other than the Notre Dame and Georgia showdown, the OSU vs Ducks game ranks on top in terms of anticipation.

You not only have the current No.1 team running it for the natty, but you also have an Ohio State team that dominated one of the best SEC defenses in the first round of playoffs. If Lanning even remotely plans to win, he has to watch the tapes.

And one thing those tapes showed us from the Vols game is that the Bucks offense? Yeah, they are operating on a new level. The North has its powers back, and they will not stop at anything from grabbing the Rose Bowl win. Flu or not, the Ducks better get in the gridiron and be prepped to deal with anything.

Battle of the Titans

Although the Ducks remain No. 1 on the rankings, they are not the favorites in Pasadena. Ohio fans are psychotic, and Ryan Day knows the stakes. That single Vols game proved that Chip Kelly has learned his lessons from the Michigan game and is going to make a lot of use of the running and the receiver corp.

However, for Lanning? He still has the better quarterback. Dillion Gabriel has been magnificent all year. His pocket plays and the long shots, combined with OC Will Stein‘s offensive knowledge, just make the Ducks’ offense beautiful.

And you take this and pair it with the fact that Derrick Harmon and Jordan Burch coming back to play, and you get an Oregon team that’s coming in with all guns blazing. See, Day can still do it. Be unpredictable. Pull a mix of runs and long passes. History has remained witness to the fact that the Bucks have amazing productivity on first and second downs. Make use of that!!

This entire game could go down in history as one of the best back-and-forth showdowns. Or a blowout loss for either OSU or Oregon.