"They're just not college players": Colin Cowherd compares two Ohio State stars to Ja'Marr Chase

After the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday to advance to the college football playoff semifinal, Colin Cowherd discussed the game and his big takeaways from it in his latest podcast episode.

Cowherd was impressed by two Buckeyes' players, safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Neither player is eligible to enter the 2025 NFL draft, but he spoke about how he views both players the same way he viewed Ja'Marr Chase in college.

"I was told by an NFL general manager that Caleb Downs will be the number one pick next year," Cowherd said (starts at 7:05). "He said I don't care who improves. Outside of a star quarterback and we may have one if Drew Allar at Penn State flourishes.

"He may come out this year, next year, whatever. But Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs and they're not eligible for the draft. Those guys are not college players. They're pros playing on Saturday.

"So my takeaway is, Ohio State has two players, one on both sides. They're just not college players. I felt this way about Ja'Marr Chase at LSU. Like ok that's not a college player, that's a pro playing on Saturday. If he was a basketball player he'd be in the NBA."

What's next for the Ohio State Buckeyes?

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks with relative ease on Wednesday. They jumped out to a 34-0 lead with three minutes left in the second quarter before the Ducks were able to put any points on the board.

The Ducks scored on the final play of the half and added a two-point conversion to close the lead to 34-8, but it was too much for the Ducks to overcome in the second half.

The Ducks scored 13 points to the Buckeyes' seven in the second half, but the lead in the first half was too large. Ultimately, the Buckeyes won the game and advanced to the college football playoff semifinals.

The Ohio State Buckeyes earned a spot in the Cotton Bowl. There they will face the Texas Longhorns who defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday 39-31 in double overtime. The game will take place on January 10th at 7:30 p.m. ET.