Oregon vs. Ohio State: Final TV Schedule, Live Stream Coverage and Prediction
The inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship between the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes is a tale of perseverance.
Urban Meyer's Buckeyes lost Heisman Trophy contender Braxton Miller, then top-five finisher J.T. Barrett. No matter—Cardale Jones took over and might just complete the most jaw-dropping three-game stretch of any quarterback in program history.
Mark Helfrich's offensive line does no favors for Marcus Mariota this year. His defense also lost top corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu yet took down Jameis Winston in the CFP semifinal. Now the offense must overcome the loss of key contributors, too.
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Most programs experience injuries and losses on the way to the top, but the best compensate in convincing fashion.
"We've been playing, both our program and Ohio State have played with that kind of early loss, and your back was against the wall to get to this point every play of every game, the entire rest of the season, it was to the those words: do or die," Helfrich said, per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
The participants in Monday's encounter personify this better than any others could.
College Football Playoff National Championship Odds and Schedule
| January 12, 2015 | Oregon vs. Ohio State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN | Oregon -7 (74) |
Last Team to Touch the Ball Wins
Monday may not turn out to be the 70-point outburst Las Vegas seems to suggest, but fireworks are a sure thing regardless.
The Buckeyes still roll right along with an elite offense that can even keep pace with Oregon's thanks to the efforts of sophomore back Ezekiel Elliott.
As ESPN CollegeFootball illustrates, Jones' ascension to starter has been a blessing for Elliott:
To be fair, Elliott's increased usage is in large part out of necessity with the inexperienced Jones under center. The hero of the Big Ten Championship Game went just 18-of-35 for 243 yards with a score and a pick against Alabama.
Regardless, Elliott's performance against an elite Crimson Tide defense that still ranks sixth in scoring suggests he will have few issues with the Oregon defense. Florida State's Dalvin Cook ran wild for 103 yards on just 15 carries, so Elliott's outlook is great, no matter how predictable the Ohio State attack may be.
Most focus on Oregon's offense, but it's for the wrong reasons going into Monday.
Mariota is close to capping off one of the best seasons in history after 40 touchdowns to three interceptions through the air, 15 more scores on the ground and some individual hardware to boot.
What really jars the accomplishments alive, though, is a note on the offensive line provided by ESPN Stats & Info:
Granted, star center Hroniss Grasu is back in the fold, which will place more of an emphasis on the run game between the tackles.
That will be just fine with Helfrich, who can lean on the underrated Royce Freeman. While a freshman, he continues to rise to the occasion and has 1,343 yards and 18 touchdowns so far.
Further placing an emphasis on the run, other than to keep Mariota out of the hands of Joey Bosa and others, is the fact the aerial attack will be without major weapons such as Devon Allen and Pharaoh Brown.
Also, try not to forget that wideout Darren Carrington, the hero of the encounter with Florida State thanks to a pair of scores, will miss Monday's action due to suspension, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman.
An emphasis on rushing attacks is not what some may want to see, but both programs have reason to protect their quarterbacks Monday, whether it is from an elite defense or downright inexperience.
The dream scenario for both teams is ripe for the picking.
Down to a third-string quarterback, Ohio State can complete an epic run that wouldn't have been possible in the now deceased BCS and take down the three top Heisman finalists in the process before moving on to a realm of quarterback prosperity for years to come.
Oregon can shed the minute remains of the "choke" label and take home their first national title while Mariota, perhaps the most dominant Heisman winner in history, departs for the NFL with accolades galore.
Only one can unfold, though, and Monday just feels like Mariota's time.
Experience very much matters. While Elliott will come firing out of the gates and keep the Buckeyes in it—kick-starting next year's Heisman pursuit—Jones will fall into erratic, Winston-esque splotches of rhythm that create turnovers.
More possessions for Mariota is the last thing the Buckeyes can afford. Really, with the game on the line, one of the quarterbacks is much more trustworthy than the other.
As he has all season, look for Mariota to come through when it matters most.
Prediction: Oregon 36, Ohio State 30
Betting information courtesy of Odds Shark. Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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