PASADENA, Calif. — It was supposed to be the most anticipated game of the College Football Playoff so far.

It turned out to be hard to watch.

It was supposed to be a quarterfinal clash worthy of the national title game.

It turned out to be a beatdown.

Ohio State roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a display of strength that should cement the Buckeyes as the favorites to hoist the trophy in Atlanta in less than three weeks. They throttled unbeaten, top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl, avenging a previous one-point Big Ten road loss to the Ducks in a late-October instant classic.

The 41-21 final score barely hints at the extent of Wednesday evening’s carnage. It was 7-0 by the time most TV viewers switched over from the end of the Peach Bowl. It was 14-0 by the time Oregon recorded a first down. It was 34-0 by the time the Ducks’ high-powered offense finally crossed midfield for the first time.

Three times, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning called Ohio State a “great team” during his opening statement to reporters after Wednesday’s game. He added that the Buckeyes are “a team that has the ability to go win it all” if they play like they did against the Ducks.

“They were clicking on all cylinders,” Lanning said. “We didn’t have the ability to stop them and we didn’t have the ability to get something going on offense. We haven’t faced a lot of moments like that this season.”

While Oregon (13-1) reconciles with another sensational season falling short of the program’s first national title, Ohio State returns to Columbus with, as head coach Ryan Day put it, “lots more football left to play.” The Buckeyes will face Texas in the semifinals with a spot in the national title game at stake.

“We believe that when we’re executing at a high level, we can play with any other team in the country,” Day said.

That Ohio State is one of college football’s last four standing is equal parts predictable and surreal. After all, it was barely a month ago that the Buckeyes famously endured a loss that rocked the program to its foundation.

Michigan went into Columbus as a 20.5-point underdog and emerged with a stunning 13-10 upset. The five-loss Wolverines extended their win streak to four in a row in the rivalry despite throwing for only 62 yards the whole game.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, chants of “F*** Ryan Day” came raining down from stands at The Horseshoe. Day’s future remained such a topic of intense speculation that athletic director Ross Bjork felt compelled to address it, telling reporters he was “absolutely” confident Day would return in 2025.

In the three weeks between the Michigan loss and Ohio State’s College Football Playoff opener against Tennessee, Day says he met with his team to emphasize the opportunity the Buckeyes still had in front of them. He admitted that the way Ohio State advanced to the postseason “wasn’t what we expected, wasn’t what we planned for,” but he also reminded the Buckeyes that their goal of winning a national title was still attainable.

“These guys are resilient,” Day said. “We’re at a place where you can hear a lot of noise, but they didn’t do that.”

The biggest change since the Michigan game, according to Day, is a renewed focus on the little details, on players doing their jobs, being situationally aware and executing the game plan. That was apparent from Ohio State’s opening touchdown, a 45-yard catch and run by sublimely talented freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Everything about the play was perfect, from quarterback Will Howard getting the entire Oregon defense flowing the wrong way by faking a handoff, to Smith running a pinpoint route, to other receivers holding their blocks downfield. The result was Smith waltzing into the end zone with his finger pressed to his lips to shush the Oregon crowd.

The other area where Ohio State appears to have improved since the Michigan game is figuring out creative ways to get its stable of playmakers more involved. Smith had just two second-half targets against Michigan and 35 receiving yards for the game. On Wednesday, against Oregon, Smith had five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns with more than 10 minutes left in the second quarter. He finished the day with seven grabs for 187 yards.

“He’s strong and he attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve seen,” Lanning said. “The guy is NFL-ready. He’s that talented, that special.”

On offense, Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was aggressive and creative getting the ball in the hands of Smith and fellow standout receiver Emeka Egbuka. On defense, the Buckeyes constantly pressured Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, sacking him eight times and forcing numerous other hurried throws.

The result was scintillating for Ohio State fans. Not so much for neutral viewers hoping for a compelling game.

Oregon had one brief flash of life, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion going into halftime and then opening the second half with another scoring drive. Oregon’s walk-on linemen were waving towels and running behind their bench encouraging the crowd. Ducks fans responded with a “Let’s go Ducks” chant. You could sense social media users searching for the famous GIF of the Undertaker popping out of his coffin.

It was not to be. Ohio State sacked Gabriel twice on Oregon’s ensuing possession to force a three-and-out and then put the game away for good with a six-play, 56-yard touchdown drive.

When asked how Ohio State has improved since the Michigan loss, Lanning said simply, “Sometimes it’s not your day.”

“It wasn’t our day today,” Lanning continued. “It wasn’t their day against Michigan. But what’s unique about college football right now is that you’ve got to be playing your best ball at the end. I think anybody watching Ohio State recognizes they’re playing really good football right now.”