College Football Playoff Championship 2015: Dates, Schedule and Predictions

The College Football Playoff committee has spoken.

The nation is far from done with the debate.

Controversy is the name of the game. Baylor and TCU out of the Big 12 missed out, and not only that, the latter still won this past weekend and dropped below the former. Both were jumped by Ohio State, a team led by a third-string quarterback.

But hey, those are just some of the talking points surrounding the participants. Now that they are known, it is time to break down how things will pan out.

2015 College Football Playoff Schedule

Date	Game	Location	Start Time (ET)	Network
January 1, 2015	Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State	Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)	5 p.m.	ESPN
January 1, 2015	Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, LA)	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
January 12, 2015	National Championship: Rose Bowl Winner vs. Sugar Bowl Winner	AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX)	TBD	ESPN

Predictions

Mariota Shines Brighter than Winston

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

The showdown between the Oregon Ducks and Florida State Seminoles is being billed as a battle between last year's Heisman Trophy winner and this season's arguable lock to nab the hardware.

It really is not all that impressive, though.

Jameis Winston won the award last year but has been a shell of his former self this year, throwing for 3,558 yards and 24 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. For comparison's sake, Marcus Mariota has thrown for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns to two interceptions, which does not even take into account the 669 yards and 14 scores on the ground.

As a breakdown shows, this on its own gives the Ducks a major advantage when it comes to offense:

The problem with Florida State in this matchup is not Winston. Even he turned things up a notch in the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech with three touchdowns to no interceptions. 

No, the problem resides on the defensive side of the football. The Seminoles rank 30th nationally with an average of 23.0 points allowed per game and cannot get off the field at an efficient clip.

Against an Oregon offense that averages more than 546 yards per game, Mariota will have no issues milking the clock and keeping Winston off the field entirely on the way to a comfortable win.

Prediction: Oregon 36, Florida State 28

Ohio State Puts up a Serious Fight

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The stigma around Ohio State is that it cannot keep pace with the SEC.

This notion is only heightened thanks to the fact the Buckeyes are now without J.T. Barrett under center. That said, it is hard to ignore the fact Urban Meyer's team still went out and won the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin in 59-0 fashion.

The committee certainly did not miss out on this slight detail, as illustrated by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

The matchup itself is rather jarring on paper but perhaps skewed considering Barrett was such a large part of these numbers in the first place:

Still, Cardale Jones just put to bed—for the time being—any questions about his ability under center. He misfired on just five passes in the Big Ten title game while racking up 257 yards and a trio of scores in the process.

Considering the magnitude of the game and the fact Wisconsin still ranks 13th in the nation in terms of total defense, a better test for Jones would have been quite difficult to find.

That said, Alabama will outlast Ohio State. Nick Saban's defense surrenders just 16.6 points per game. Ohio State may have some success limiting the damage quarterback Blake Sims can do. But the defense has never truly encountered anything like wideout Amari Cooper, who has 115 receptions for 1,656 yards and 14 scores on the year.

The emergence of Jones and Meyer's ability to squeeze the absolute most out of his offense in any given situation means the Buckeyes can keep pace. But with the game on the line late, all advantages swing in Alabama's favor. 

Prediction: Alabama 24, Ohio State 21

Oregon Wins it All

It seems inevitable that Mariota clashes with Saban's defense.

Alabama is more potent than ever offensively thanks to the efforts of Sims, who has 3,250 yards and 26 scores through the air and another 321 yards and six scores rushing. As a result, the Crimson Tide average better than 37 points per game.

But that still falls well short of the 46.3 points the Ducks average.

Something has to give, right? Look for that to be Alabama's defense, as strange as that sounds.

The Crimson Tide defense suffers fits in the face of efficient passers who can get out and extend plays with their feet. That would be the reason Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall torched the unit for 456 yards and three scores.

While Oregon may struggle with the power running attack Alabama trots out, it is a simple matter of getting out in front and staying there. Not a problem, really—this is the same Ducks offense that posted a minimum of 45 points on Michigan State, Utah and Stanford, the latter of which even happens to rank better than Alabama defensively.

As things progress this year, it continues to look like a season of fate for the Ducks. As great as Alabama was at surviving the SEC, not even the Crimson Tide can halt Mariota's relentless pursuit of a title.

Prediction: Oregon 30, Alabama 27

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.