Staff Writer
Number
2 Oregon and #4 Ohio State will face off in the first ever College Football
Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 12. The two semifinal games of
the College Football Playoff could not have been more different.
First
in the Rose Bowl, Oregon was taking on the Seminoles of Florida State who had a
26 game win streak and were the defending National Champions. Play went back
and forth in the first half with Oregon taking a five point lead into halftime,
but they were just getting started. Oregon blew things open in the second half
scoring a whopping 41 points. Of course it doesn’t hurt when your opponent
turns the ball over five times, but Oregon was obviously the better team.
Florida State scored a single touchdown in the second half.
The
Sugar Bowl was a much different story. Early in the 2nd quarter it looked as if
Alabama was going to run away with the victory when they took a 21-6 lead; but
Ohio State fought back and made it a 21-20 game at halftime thanks to a trick
play where their wide receiver threw a touchdown pass right before halftime.
Ohio State took that momentum into the second half and took a 34-21 lead after
Alabama QB Blake Sims threw a pick six. The Tide responded to cut the lead to
six and it stayed that way until late in the game when Ezekiel Elliot pretty
much iced the game for the Buckeyes on a remarkable 85 yard TD run. Alabama did
come back and had a chance to tie the game at the end, but poor clock
management and a late interception on a hail mary gave Ohio State the win. The
difference in the game was the QB play as Ohio State’s 3rd stringer,
Cardale Jones, out-played Alabama’s starter Blake Sims. Sims had three interceptions
and could not take advantage in having the best WR in the country, Amari
Cooper, especially late in the game when they were trying to tie the game.
The
stage is now set for the first ever College Football Playoff National
Championship: #2 Oregon vs. #4 Ohio State. The interesting thing that this
College Football Playoff gave us this year is that if we used the old BCS
system, it would have been Florida State vs. Alabama in the National
Championship. That is an obvious example that the Playoff is here to stay and
perhaps may be expanded. This National Championship has to be the potential to
be one of the all-time great games. Obviously Oregon has the most explosive
offense in the country and it is very hard to stop. As long as Oregon’s offense
performs like they normally do, there is not much Ohio State can do on the
defensive end to stop it. That being said Ohio State does have the offensive
fire power to keep up with Oregon’s offense as they showed us in the Semifinal
vs. Alabama when they put up 42 points against the Tide’s stout defense.
Cardale Jones is going to have to have an almost perfect game. If he turns the
ball over then it is going to be hard for them to win because, against a team
like Oregon, every possession matters. At the end of the day Oregon will win
the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship behind Marcus
Mariota’s stellar play.
Oregon-45
Ohio State-38
