Oregon vs. Ohio State: TV Info, Preview for 2015 College Football Championship

God bless the College Football Playoff. Under the old BCS system, neither Oregon nor Ohio State would have been afforded the chance to compete for the national title.

Both the Ducks and the Buckeyes would have almost certainly been excluded from the top two, with Alabama and Florida State occupying first and second in whatever order.

How ironic it was then that Oregon defeated the Seminoles by 39 points on Thursday, followed by Ohio State's win over the Crimson Tide later in the night.

They were the perfect results for the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship.

When: Monday, Jan. 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

You get the feeling that this is the nightmare matchup for both teams. Ohio State's speed will give the Oregon defense all kinds of headaches, especially with Ifo Ekpre-Olomu's injury, while Marcus Mariota didn't look to be suffering from any sort of Heisman Trophy curse in the victory over the 'Noles.

Urban Meyer's sense of dread was palpable after he heard the final score from Oregon-FSU during the Buckeyes' post-game press conference:

From a neutral perspective, the college football gods couldn't have picked a better matchup for the national championship. Points and yards should come in abundance, with neither team owning a discernible advantage over the other.

Here's where OSU and Oregon ranked in a few of the major offensive categories before Thursday's games:

Team	Total Offense	Scoring Offense	Passing YPG	Rushing YPG
Oregon	546.2 YPG (3rd)	46.3 PPG (3rd)	308.9 (11th)	237.3 (19th)
Ohio State	507.6 YPG (9th)	45.2 (5th)	246.8 (51st)	260.8 (10th)

While the Ducks gave up an average of 85.8 more yards a game defensively, they allowed only an average of 1.3 more points a game, so the difference between the respective defenses isn't all that significant.

Much attention will be paid to the team's starting quarterbacks, Mariota and Cardale Jones. In this respect, Oregon has a decided edge. Mariota was one of the best players in the country this year, while Jones will be making his third career start. The sophomore wasn't exactly brilliant in the Sugar Bowl, either, going 18-of-35 for 243 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

Ohio State's equalizer will be Ezekiel Elliott, who ran for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards and two TDs. His 85-yard TD scamper in the fourth quarter fave the Buckeyes a much-needed cushion and covered for what was a struggling offense at the time.

Elliott's performance over the last two games has helped to alleviate a ton of pressure on Jones, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman:

The more Oregon keeps Elliott in check, the more Jones will have to win the game on his own. Buckeyes fans won't be confident with that prospect, no matter how much Jones has avoided making costly mistakes in his first two starts.

However, with the way the sophomore is running the ball, the Buckeyes might not have to worry at all. The kind of speed Elliott offers is what makes this team different from the ones that lost back-to-back national championships in 2007 and 2008.

On the other side, the most positive development for Oregon in the Rose Bowl might have been the fact that it had the full complement of its offensive line, per ESPN.com's Ted Miller:

Center Hroniss Grasu was the big one, since his status was a well-kept secret over the past month. Having him anchor the line will help keep a defense that averaged 3.08 sacks a game out of the backfield. Joey Bosa has the potential to wreck this game for Oregon.

The Ducks' worst performances of the season almost all started with the fact that the O-line couldn't protect Mariota. Mariota had so little time to throw. They walked away with only one loss because he almost single-handedly carried the team.

That's no longer the case, and Oregon's won its last six games by 32 points.

Few fans outside Ohio will be backing the Buckeyes, but the same could have been said about OSU heading into the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State's made that leap from good-but-not-great Big Ten power to serious title contender and will be giving Oregon one of its toughest tests of the season.

Note: All stats courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise noted.