Well folks we have finally made here. This the moment that we have all been waiting for and the game that both teams have fought tooth and nail to be a part of. Months ago we set out on a journey that is the college football season and now we have arrived at our final stop in Dallas at the national championship game. No there is only one question left to answer, who will come out on top and become part of college football history? Who will become the first champion of the college football playoff?
Well I can assure you that this game will be an absolute dogfight an there is no easy answer to who will be crowned the champion tonight. Both teams are pretty evenly matched and both possess explosive offenses who are capable of scoring in bunches, but both also possess defenses that are capable of making the big play. I could see this as a game that comes down to the final possession of the game and whoever has it last could end up winning the whole thing.
Here are some of the pivotal areas of tonight’s National Championship game that I think could end up being the difference between the Ducks and the Buckeyes.
Quarterback Play
This is obviously the biggest storyline of the evening and for Ohio State it has been the biggest storyline the entire season. The Buckeyes are on their third quarterback of the year, yet here they are in the national championship game. This may be Urban Meyer’s best coaching job of his entire career, because for most teams playing three quarterbacks in one season is a death sentence. Cardale Jones probably didn’t expect to play much this year, but as most coaches will tell you, you are only a couple plays away from having to be the next man up. Jones has easily exceeded expectations at this point and he gives Ohio State a chance to bring home the title tonight in Dallas. Jones showed that the mauling against Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game wasn’t a fluke as he proceeded to lead his team past the number one ranked team in the country. My only question is when will we see Jones show a chink in the armor and play like a third string quarterback? Will that moment come tonight with all the chips on the table?
On the other side of the coin you have the reigning Heisman trophy winner in Marcus Mariota. He has been absolutely unreal this year and despite injuries on the offensive line and at the skill positions he has continued to shred the competition. The numbers he put up this year can’t be done in a video game with the settings on easy (4,852 total yards/ 55 Total TDs), he was THAT good. I know what people will say about him being a product of a system and things of that nature, but the fact of the matter is that he has elevate his play each and every year and has continued to improve. A touchdown/INT ratio of 40 to 3 is absurd regardless of what system you are in and it just doesn’t happen very often. In the biggest games of the year this year, Mariota has showed up and showed out, he will give Oregon every chance to win this game. Mariota and the Oregon offense have started out slow in their last two games, but ended up turning on the jets and cruising to big wins. When this offense is clicking, it is flat out scary.
Advantage: Oregon
Depth at the Skill Positions
This is a storyline that has just recently become more relevant due to some off the field transgressions and injuries on Oregon’s end. Oregon will be without their 2nd and 3rd leading receivers in Darren Carrington (failed drug test) and Devon Allen (injury) tonight against Ohio State and has many worrying how much of a setback it will be for Mariota and the offense. While I think they could certainly use both players out there, Allen was ruled out of the Rose Bowl after the opening kickoff and they didn’t seem to miss him too much. The truth is, the Ducks have been banged up all year and they have still found ways to put up video game numbers regardless of the injuries. If there was a spot Oregon could “afford” to sustain losses at, it’s at the skill position. Even without Allen and Carrington (and also Bralon Addison) the Ducks still have Byron Marshall, Dwayne Stanford, Charles Nelson and Keanon Lowe to work with. Oregon recruits the skill players as good as anyone in the country, so they are incredibly deep at the positions.
On the other hand Ohio State comes into this game pretty healthy at the skill positions that include the likes of Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson. Add in Ezekiel Elliott coming at you out of the back field and you have yourself one very fast and talented group of players. Though Oregon seemed to fare well with star corner Ifo Epkre-Olomu against Florida State, but their secondary will certainly be tested again tonight.
Advantage: Ohio State
Trench Warfare
As a former lineman myself, I may be a little biased when I say games are won and lost in the trenches. So much that can determine a football game all goes down in trenches between the big fellas. Whether it is establishing or stuffing the run or protecting the quarterback or getting after the passer, any of these things can swing the advantage one way or the other. Both of these teams have fared well in the trenches this year or else they would not be playing for a ring this year. Oregon was banged up on the offensive line, but got healthy down the home stretch and showed how valuable they were to protecting their Heisman trophy winner. Getting Jake Fisher and Hroniss Grasu was absolutely imperative to Oregon making a run at the national title this year and that can’t be understated. Ohio State’s defensive line boasts two studs in Michael Bennett and Joey Bosa and they showed against Alabama they can hold up against just about any offensive line you put in front of them.
On the other side of the coin Oregon boasts some stud defensive lineman in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner and I will be watching to see how Ohio State’s offensive line does at protecting Cardale Jones from those creatures. I call them creatures because both Armstead and Buckner measure in at 6’7 290 pounds and they move very well for being that big, both have the NFL in their future.
Advantage: Push
Prediction:
I’m excited and saddened by this game at the same time. I’m excited because we have a great matchup that is too close to call and I’m sad because the college football season will conclude after this game. The end of the college football season means we have to enter that period of the year called offseason, in which we all count down the days until college football kicks off again.
I agonized and went back and forth over my decision for this game because both teams are so evenly matched. Both teams have fought back from suffering early season losses at home and had to win out to even have a shot at being in Dallas today. I don’t expect either team to go away quietly tonight and I expect it to be an absolute dogfight. With all that said, after watching Oregon extensively this year and watching how they absolutely battled through injuries on both sides of the ball and still blew teams out week after week, I am picking them to win the national title. I think Cardale Jones has a bright future ahead of him at Ohio State, but I can’t pick him to outplay Marcus Mariota tonight.