College Football Championship 2015: Players to Watch for Oregon vs. Ohio State

On the heels of an electric college football season, the national championship game is nearly here. Oregon and Ohio State have fought through adversity to get here, and neither wants to leave without a crystal football.

One team is led by a coach that has never been on this stage before. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer has already won two titles but never captured the crown with Ohio State.

Both coaches also come in with a wealth of talent on the field. The Buckeyes feature a third-string-turn-breakout quarterback in Cardale Jones along with Devin Smith and Ezekiel Elliott helping carry the load. Oregon is known for Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, but he also has a power runner in Royce Freeman.

In anticipation of the biggest game of the year, here's a look at the players to watch between Oregon and Ohio State.

Game Information

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

When: Monday, January 12, 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Players to Watch

Ohio State

Braxton Miller went down with an injury and everyone counted Ohio State out. J.T. Barrett was lost just before the Big Ten Championship and the Buckeyes had no shot. In the two games Jones has started since that point, he's led the offense to a total of 101 points against Wisconsin and Alabama.

Let's just say no one is counting OSU out anymore.

Ironically enough, there might be more to Jones than the somewhat conservative play we've seen thus far. Buckeyes receiver Evan Spencer knows the former third-string quarterback is capable of much more than he's shown.

"You guys haven't seen all of his power," Spencer said, via Nicole Auerbach of USA Today. "I've seen Cardale on one knee throw the ball 65 yards. I was dumbfounded. You haven't seen everything he's got, trust me."

Through two starts, Jones has averaged 250 passing yards, and he had 43 rushing yards against 'Bama. The sophomore signal-caller has been a huge story, but no one has shined as bright as Elliott down the stretch for the Buckeyes.

The fellow sophomore has over 100 total yards in his last six games and nine touchdowns during that stretch. But over the last two games, Elliott has surged with a combined 450 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

In the long history of the Ohio State program, the team's official account noted just how historic that span of games has been for Elliott:

Add in the deep-threat ability of Smith, and the Buckeyes have a tandem as explosive as any in the country. If the Ducks can't contain them, the Buckeyes might be eyeing yet another massive upset.

Oregon

It's easier to list the things that Mariota hasn't done than trying to list everything he has done. That's just how incredible this season has been for the Ducks' quarterback.

Mariota has been as consistent and brilliant throughout the season as any quarterback in college football history. In fact, he has a chance to make history in the final game of the year, via ESPN Stats & Info:

All told, he has 40 passing touchdowns, 15 rushing and one receiving this year. To say he's a versatile signal-caller would be a bit of an understatement.

But everyone knows about the talent Mariota brings to the field at this point. It's the man sharing the backfield with him that has been equally as powerful on the ground. Oh, and Freeman is just a freshman.

The statistics for Freeman are ridiculous (1,343 rushing yards, 19 total TDs), but what makes him special is his bruising style. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com offered his comparison for the young tailback:

The Rose Bowl happened to be his first game in the last nine where he didn't compile over 100 yards from scrimmage, but he still scored two touchdowns against Florida State. One was directly through a future NFL defensive tackle, as Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press noted:

Thomas Tyner also went off for 124 rushing yards, while Darren Carrington had 165 receiving yards; both finishing with a pair of touchdowns. Then there was Mariota rushing for 62 yards to bring his season total to 731.

Suffice to say, both teams have playmakers all over the field. After both battled through two of the best programs in the country to get here, expect a shootout of epic proportions for the right to hoist the crystal ball.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.