It doesn’t get any better than this. We are just days away from the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship Game and the cast is finally complete for that huge showdown at the AT&T Center. Oregon was the first team to book a spot in the big dance after they delivered an emphatic 39-point win over defending champions Florida State in the Rose Bowl.
Standing in the Ducks’ way to their first ever national title, however, are the streaking Ohio State Buckeyes who sent shockwaves across the nation with their stunning upset victory over top-seeded Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
With the NCAA title on the line, which team will make history as the first ever College Football Playoff champion? Read on for a preview of this enthralling matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our NFL 2014-2015 Wild Card picks and predictions here.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Betting Preview
Where: AT&T Center, Arlington
When: Monday, January 12, 2015, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Oregon Ducks
How about that for a statement game?
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Oregon Ducks booked their place in the inaugural College Football Playoff championship with a resounding 59-20 victory over the Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl Thursday night. It was the first time in the Rose Bowl’s 101-year history that a team has surpassed the 50-point barrier.
What made the feat even more impressive was that the Ducks did it against the seemingly unstoppable Florida State Seminoles. The defending national champions were unbeaten in their last 29 games but they were simply outmatched by the reigning Pac-12 winners who were totally dominant particularly in the second half.
Holding a slim 18-13 lead at the break, the Ducks piled on the defensive pressure in the final half as they forced the Seminoles to commit five turnovers, the most in a Bowl game since Middle Tennessee did it back in 2011. What made it worse for the Seminoles was that the Ducks pounced on those mistakes as they scored 34 points off those five miscues.
On the other side of the ball, it was Marcus Mariota who once again carried the scoring cudgels for the Ducks. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner accounted for 400 yards in total offense and three total touchdowns to send Oregon to the brink of their first ever national title.
It has been a banner year for the redshirt junior who has now thrown 40 touchdown passes this season with just three interceptions. He will have his work cut out for him against Ohio State, however, as the Buckeyes are 14th in the entire FBS in passing defense, allowing just 188.2 yards per game via the aerial route this season.
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Betting on the Ohio State Buckeyes
Surely no one saw this coming.
The Ohio State Buckeyes scored one of the biggest upsets in recent college football memory with a stunning 42-35 win over the top-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl Thursday night. Entering the game as nine-point underdogs, the Buckeyes bucked the odds as they sealed their place in the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game where they will look to grab their first national title in 13 years.
At one point during the game, however, the Buckeyes looked like they will never get that opportunity as they quickly trailed 21-6 midway through the second quarter. But just as they have done all season long, Ohio State showed their resiliency once again as they racked up 28 consecutive points to turn a daunting 15-point deficit into a 34-21 advantage.
And even though Alabama threatened a couple of times late in the final quarter, the Buckeyes managed to hold on for the famous win. For head coach Urban Meyer, Ohio State’s victory wouldn’t be possible without the dazzling performances of Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott. It’s amazing to think that at one point this season, Jones was the third-string quarterback of the Buckeyes.
Injuries however to quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett have helped pave the way for Jones’ sudden rise to stardom. He was impressive in his debut against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game no less, where he led the Buckeyes to a resounding 59-0 win. Jones completed 12 of 17 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns in that huge win against the Badgers that helped seal their spot in the College Football Playoff.
He was solid once again Thursday against Alabama where he completed 18 of 35 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Jones proved to be a viable running option as well as he rushed for 43 yards on 17 carries. Those numbers were nothing, though, compared to the monster figures compiled by Elliott against the Crimson Tide.
The running back had a performance for the ages as he ran for 230 yards and two touchdowns in just 20 carries against Alabama. One of those scores proved to be the difference in the match as he busted through the right side of the Alabama defense for an 85-yard touchdown run that gave the Buckeyes a 42-28 lead with 3:24 to go in the game.
What made Elliott’s feat astonishing was that he pulled it off against a team that owns the nation’s best rushing defense. The Crimson Tide are tops in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing just 88 yards per game on the ground all season. They were punished, however, by Ohio State’s relentless ground attack as the Buckeyes registered a total of 281 rushing yards against them.
That will serve the Buckeyes in good stead ahead of their championship clash with Oregon in 10 days time. The Ducks are just 49th in the FBS in rushing defense this season, allowing 154.2 YPG on the ground this season. In fact, the Seminoles pounded the Ducks’ defensive line all game long Thursday, compiling a total of 180 rushing yards against Oregon.
Writer’s Prediction
Marcus Mariota will prove to be the difference as he leads Oregon to their first ever national title.
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