College Football Championship 2015: Early Odds Advice for Oregon vs. Ohio State

Nobody really knows what to expect in the 2015 College Football Championship between the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes.

In the span of one day, the SEC and Florida State's reign of terror over the collegiate football landscape evaporated, for better or worse.

Of course, Las Vegas seems to have a strong idea of what will unfold in a game that never would have occurred under the watchful eye of the BCS computers.

Really, though, does anybody want to doubt Urban Meyer's Buckeyes anymore? How about Marcus Mariota and Oregon, a team that continues to laugh in the face of past demons and expectations?

It all adds up to make one hostile betting environment.

College Football Playoff National Championship Odds and Schedule

Date	Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Odds
January 12, 2015	Oregon vs. Ohio State	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Oregon -7

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 3.

Preview and Odds Advice

Oregon seems to have the respect of the nation finally.

This is a Ducks team led by one of the most dominant Heisman Trophy winners in history, sure, but there always seemed to be a Stanford, Utah or something else that ruined things.

Not this year.

Oregon lost to Arizona in early October, then went on to beat Stanford, Utah and Oregon State in the Civil War before dissecting Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship Game, 51-13.

This past weekend, Mariota threw for 338 yards and two scores with another 62 yards and a score as a rusher in a 59-20 mockery of Florida State. The result seems to be a new sense of respect, as ESPN Stats & Info breaks down:

Better late than never, right?

Ohio State knows the feeling. Braxton Miller's injury gave way to J.T. Barrett, who led the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship with just a single loss and even wound up second on the team in rushing. The strong season produced critical wins over Michigan State, Minnesota and a 59-0 triumph against Wisconsin in the conference title game.

That blowout against the Badgers saw sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones at the helm, though. His 257 yards and three scores lifted the Buckeyes to the CFP, where he then threw for 243 yards and a score in a 42-35 upset of Alabama.

Jones himself used few of his allotted 140 characters after the performance to let the globe know his status going into the title game:

Does Jones have enough to duel with Mariota, though?

A former Heisman winner did not. Credit does go to the underrated Oregon defense for that, as Winston posted a 29-of-45 mark with a touchdown and an interception.

If there is an avenue in which the Buckeyes can exploit the Ducks, it will come on the ground. The Seminoles ran for 180 yards and a score, a great sign for Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott, who needed just 20 carries to gain 230 yards and two scores against the vaunted Alabama defense.

All spotlights will go to Mariota, though, and rightfully so. His lone interception against the Seminoles was his first since the beginning of November and just his third of the year.

An interesting game of chess will unfold between the future 2015 first-round pick (should he declare) and the Ohio State defense.

Las Vegas seems confident in its over/under of 74.5, but the Ohio State defense did just control the pace of a contest against Alabama and pick off quarterback Blake Sims three times. Now, the defense could not stop Heisman finalist Amari Cooper (71 yards, two scores), but Oregon does not have a weapon outside of Mariota who compares.

When it comes to the official spread, a full touchdown is a tad much now.

Mariota is due for another big game, but the Ohio State defense continues to prove it is big enough and athletic enough to stifle the run and force mistakes through the air. Elliott's performance against the Alabama defense is a strong signal that he will be able to control the tempo of the game too.

Make no mistake—Oregon is the eventual winner. A player such as Mariota tends to swing things in this manner. Ohio State will hang tough, though, so against the spread, keep the faith in Jones and the Buckeyes.

Prediction: Oregon 36, Ohio State 30

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.