College Football Playoff National Championship

It’s finally here! The long-awaited inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game is just days away. Oregon (No. 2) and Ohio State (No. 4) face off on Monday, January 12th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Both teams are 13-1 this season and both won their semi-final playoff games.

The Oregon Ducks smoked former national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, winning 59-20 in the Rose Bowl. The game remained competitive through the first half, however Oregon pulled away in the 3rd quarter, scoring 27 points. The Seminoles had 5 turnovers in 6 possessions and did not score in the 4th quarter. Heisman trophy winning Ducks quarterback, Marcus Mariota, threw for 338 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another TD. The Ducks had been hyped as a powerhouse team for speed this season and they did not disappoint in the Rose Bowl, living up to all the hype.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated first-ranked Alabama 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes overcame a 21-6 deficit to defeat the Crimson Tide. This was Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones’ second career start. He has proven himself valuable and worthy to the Buckeyes after first and second string QBs, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year.

CBS Sports has reported the CFP National Championship Game tickets have a face value of $450 but are selling for an average ticket price of just over $1175 each. The game is sold out and the stadium’s capacity for this game is approximately 75,000 seats. With 2 teams who have played hard and fought on the field all season, it’d be hard to argue against either deserving their place in the big game.

The game is likely to be determined by Oregon’s offense vs. Ohio State’s defense. While the Buckeyes have proven themselves offensively, a key to victory for them will be stopping Mariota and the Ducks’ offense. In addition to both QBs, other players to watch include Ducks RB Royce Freeman, Buckeyes WR Devin Smith and Buckeyes RB Ezekiel Elliott who has an aggressive running style. With a national title on the line and a hunger for more victory, this matchup is sure to be a good one.

Ohio State University

The 12-1 Ohio State University Buckeyes finish their season in first place in the Big Ten Conference, after destroying the Wisconsin Badgers in a 59-0 shutout last Saturday in the conference championship game. This was the Badgers’ first shutout since 1997.

The Buckeyes scored 14 points in both the first and fourth quarters and scored their remaining 31 points in the second and third, including 24 before halftime. Quarterback Cardale Jones threw 3 touchdowns and threw for 257 yards. Jones was named MVP of the game which was also his first career start. Wide receiver Devin Smith caught four passes and scored three times.

Ohio State has had an impressive season, losing just one game in the second week of the season to Virginia Tech, 35-21. In late October, the Buckeyes had an intense matchup against Penn State resulting in double overtime, however, the team managed to emerge victorious, winning 31-24. The team also defeated its big rivals: Michigan State, 49-27 and Michigan, 42-28.

The Buckeyes have suffered multiple losses this season, including injuries to quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller, as well as the recent death of offensive lineman Kosta Karageorge. Despite these tragedies the team has faced, the Buckeyes proved on Saturday that they deserved to advance into the playoffs.

This is head coach Urban Meyer’s third season at Ohio State University. Prior to joining the Buckeyes, Meyer was the head coach at the University of Florida from 2005-2010, leading the team to two national championships in 2006 and 2008. Meyer is also an Ohio native.

2014 marks the first year of the College Football Playoff, for which the top four teams will face off in two major bowl games to determine who will play in the championship game. Ohio State is ranked number four and will play number one ranked Alabama in the All State Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. Oregon (2) and Florida State (3) will also face off on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. The winners of these games will play in the National Championship Game on Monday, January 12th at AT&T stadium in Dallas, Texas.