College Football Championship 2015 Trophy: Details, Images, Projected Winner

It's all about the trophy.

Every win in a season is nice, as are personal awards and conference titles. Getting into the College Football Playoff was a huge achievement for four schools this year too. But ultimately, it's all about that trophy.

The National Championship Trophy presented by Dr. Pepper, that is. Oregon and Ohio State are both gunning to hoist that bad boy Monday night. Let's take a look at the piece of hardware they desire, along with making a prediction about which team will earn the honor of lifting the trophy.
 

Game Information

Date	Time (ET)	Watch	Odds
Monday, Jan. 12	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Oregon (-6.5)

The Trophy

Robert Reiners/Getty Images

The trophy awarded to the winner of this year's national championship is certainly a bit more sleek than the former crystal football that Dr. Pepper presented. It's not particularly light, however, as Brett McMurphy of ESPN tweeted back in July after the trophy was first unveiled:

The College Football Playoff offered more info on the trophy via a press release when it was first shown to the public:

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Created by the legendary international design consultancy, Pentagram, the trophy was then commissioned and handcrafted by the master fine art foundry, Polich Tallix, in Rock Tavern, New York. Expert craftsmen at the foundry worked for three months, combining cutting edge technologies with timeless metal casting and finishing techniques to create the trophy.

"Rarely do you have the opportunity to create an identity and shape it into an iconic object that will be embedded with so much pride and meaning," said Pentagram Partner Michael Gericke. "We are honored to be a part of symbolizing the new era for the College Football Playoff and have it literally come to life with this magnificent trophy."

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Dr. Pepper is certainly pleased with the work done on the trophy, however, even making it the center of one of its Larry Culpepper commercials that highlights its sponsorship of the College Football Playoff.

Oregon and Ohio State players and coaches will certainly be clamoring to get their hands on this trophy.

Prediction

Ah, but which school will claim the ultimate prize? 

I'm torn on this. Coming into the playoff, my pick to win the title was Oregon, and the Ducks did little to dispel my confidence after they dismantled Florida State to the point that the Seminoles simply quit on the game in the second half. Marcus Mariota is superb, the Oregon defense is better than it is given credit for and the up-tempo offense the team runs is brutal for opposing defenses to deal with.

Ah, but Ohio State seems to have something special going on.

This is a team that beat Michigan State and Minnesota on the road in consecutive weeks in November. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin 59-0 with a third-string quarterback in Cardale Jones making his first career start. Ezekiel Elliott is arguably the most underrated running back in college football and just torched Alabama. The Buckeyes seem to get better each week, and they have the athletes on defense to keep up with Oregon's spread-option attack.

But you have to stick with your predictions, and I'm sticking with Oregon. For all of the reasons I think Ohio State could pull off another upset, I keep coming back to the ultimate advantage Oregon has in this game—Mariota. The Heisman winner was the best player in college football this season and absolutely torched Florida State. 

Mariota's the reason Oregon rarely turns the ball over (it leads the nation in turnover differential). He's the reason it is so good at converting on third downs (fourth in the nation), as he extends plays and can scramble to get the first down himself. He's a huge reason why Oregon has the No. 2 scoring offense in the country this season. 

In the end, I think Mariota will be the difference between these teams. But I'm expecting a high-scoring, back-and-forth contest that will be an instant classic and evoke fond memories of the USC vs. Texas national championship thriller in 2006, with Mariota playing the part of Vince Young.