The people who have said the 12-team College Football Playoff undercuts the significance of the regular season need to hush. Failing that, they needed to be in Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday night.
They needed to be here for the daylong buildup—from predawn onward—for what was widely considered the biggest home game in Oregon Ducks history. They needed to be here for the frenzied atmosphere during the game, with crowd noise causing multiple Ohio State Buckeyes penalties. They needed to be on the field afterward, amid the swarm, and outside the stadium later, as the party continued to reverberate well into the night.
