Oregon vs Ohio State 2015: Last-Minute Preview for College Football Championship

When toe meets ball at AT&T Stadium on Monday night, Oregon and Ohio State won't just be playing for the national championship. They'll be playing for history. 

They'll be playing to be the first champion decided solely on performance and not an abhorred computer formula. They'll be playing for a spot at the top of a new section in the record books. They'll be playing for a shiny new trophy. 

This game has many leather-bound books and smells of rich mahogany. This game is kind of a big deal. 

Date: Monday, January 12, 2015

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

TV: ESPN (And pretty much all of the other ESPN channels for different types of broadcasts)

Live Stream: WatchESPN

The most fascinating matchups in this one come when Oregon has the ball. 

Of course, it all starts with quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Heisman winner has enjoyed one of the best seasons in college football history, compiling 4,852 yards (4,121 passing, 731 rushing), 55 touchdowns (40 passing, 15 rushing) and just three interceptions. His speed makes him a dangerous threat in Oregon's option game, but he also has the ability to beat teams through the air. 

As ESPN Stats & Info noted, he has been nearly unstoppable in Oregon's most important contests:

The Ducks will be without key wide receivers Darren Carrington and Devon Allen, who are responsible for the team's last four touchdown receptions, but with Mariota under center, Oregon isn't concerned. 

"Marcus makes everybody better, there's no question about it," offensive coordinator Scott Frost told USA Today's Nicole Auerbach. "If you ask him, he wouldn't say that; it's a team thing. These guys have been rising to the occasion all year."

It also helps to have a dominant running game. Royce Freeman has established himself as one of the most talented ball-carriers—let alone true freshmen—in the country, tallying 1,343 yards, 19 total touchdowns and one overpowering run on 314-pound defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. 

“He’s such a smart football player and such a freak athlete that it really makes us that much better,” Mariota said, per The Columbus Dispatch's Tim May. “Without him it’s hard to say where we’d be as an offense.”

So how do you stop an offense with so much speed, so much power and so many weapons? One way is with disruptive play in the trenches, and the Buckeyes have just the personnel to do that. 

Joey Bosa, a 6'5", 278-pound relentless force, is a potential No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He has 13.5 sacks, 20.0 tackles for loss and has made things easier for everyone else around him. 

He recently talked about the pleasure in accomplishing the latter, per Cleveland.com's Bill Landis: "I've realized a lot now that it's a lot more than getting sacks and stuff like that. It's taking on double teams and freeing up my guys on the line. And that's just as effective as me making plays. I'm happy when my other D-linemen are making plays."

But it goes well beyond just Bosa. With Steve Miller on the opposite edge and Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington controlling the interior, the Buckeyes have the talent to disrupt Oregon's timing and to keep Mariota inside the pocket, where he is least dangerous. 

"They've got an awesome front seven," Mariota said, per The Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo. "Big, physical guys that really control the line of scrimmage."

There are plenty of other important factors in this game. Will quarterback Cardale Jones continue to play well despite his inexperience? Can Ohio State's offensive line open more cavernous lanes for talented running back Ezekiel Elliott? Can the Ducks force more key turnovers? Who wins the coaching battle?

Finally, on Monday night, we'll get all of the answers. 

And some history.