2015 CFP National Championship

With the first ever College Football Playoffs Championship to commence in less than an hour and a half, it's clear to me that this may be quite an intense title game to watch. You have two teams matched up in this game that both have incredible talent on both sides of the ball: the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes. So I guess it's time for me to throw in my own two cents on the championship game.

- Oregon Ducks

Positives: I think it's far to say that there are many out there that believe that the Oregon Ducks will be victorious in the championship game because of one man: starting quarterback Marcus Mariota. It's goes without saying that he was, without a doubt, the best college player in Division 1A football in winning the Heisman Trophy. And if you need proof of that, then just take a look at those stats of his.

Marcus Mariota will need
to be at his best tonight

Marcus Mariota's 2014-15 Stats:

-Passing Yards - 4,121            -Rushing Yards - 731

-Passing TDs - 40                   -Rushing TDs - 15
-INTs - 3                                 -AVG - 5.8
-Compl. % - 68.6

For a quarterback, I got to say that he is probably the most athletic one I  have ever had the pleasure of watching play the game. But these stats are nothing knew to Mariota as he has been doing this since he first got his chance back in 2012. With three years of experience behind him and a career record of 36-4 currently, he seems like the guy that would be primed to win it all after such a magical season for the Ducks and give him an edge in this game. Marcus Mariota's ability to run will also be a big factor in the game today. While freshman running back Royce Freeman is the team's leading rusher and rushing touchdown scorer, Mariota's legs have been a big part of helping Oregon out of some jams whether it be just scrambling out of the pocket to escape pressure or trying his luck to gain some yards and score. His stature also helps him when running as he stands 6'4" and weighs close to 220 lbs.

The other key player to look out for in this game would be the Oregon Ducks' cornerback Troy Hill and the rest of the Ducks' defensive back system. Troy Hill is very talented at shutting down his man and knocking the ball out of the air in those clutch situations of the game. Although he has only intercepted one pass, the rest of the defensive back system has done a great job at stepping up and bringing a team's passing attack to a halt. In this game and against a third string quarterback who is inexperienced and tends to make questionable throws, INTs may become much easier than before.

Negatives: As good as Oregon is and has been all through the college football season, even they have their issues that they'll have to overcome in this game. The biggest and most impacting setback for the Ducks is the loss of their two starting wide receivers Devon Allen and Darren Carrington. The two freshmen wide outs will not be available for the game. Allen is out with an injury that he sustained in the Rose Bowl against Florida State. While Carrington has been suspended for the game after testing positive for marijuana just days ago. Now while Oregon will rotate between the wide receivers they have left, if they do not step up and make big plays and Mariota can not adjust to their skills, then this team will not be victorious.

Without Ifo Ekpre-Olomu starting, the Oregon Ducks' secondary
make have a hard time shutting down the wide outs of OSU

The other issue is the that the team must get a good pass rush up front on the Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones if they are going to win the game. As good as Troy Hill is, the team will be without first team All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu who has been so clutch in his ability to make tackles and knock the ball out of the air. He was lost before the start of the college playoffs due to a serious knee injury. if pressure cannot be established and the defensive backs cannot lock onto their man throughout the entire game, the Buckeyes will come as the champions.

- Ohio State Buckeyes

Positives: While the Oregon Ducks may have the Heisman Trophy winner and a fast paced offense, the Ohio State Buckeyes may have the biggest "Never Say Die" attitude than any other team that is out there. The first big part of this team's ability to continue to succeed is taking a look at their journey. They started the season with Heisman candidate Braxton Miller at quarterback, or at least they were supposed to until he suffered a shoulder injury in preseason practice that was severe enough to put him out for his senior year at Ohio State. This then pushed a battle between freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett and sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones. Ultimately, J.T. Barrett won the job and helped lead Ohio State to an impressive 11-1 record and a spot in the college playoffs. However, in the game against Michigan, Barrett was injured on a run play and was ruled out of the game and the rest of the season.

This brings us to Cardale Jones. He is 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs. and can throw the ball almost a mile plus. In the games against Michigan, Wisconsin, and Alabama, Jones was able to come up with big plays after big plays against each of his moments playing. And despite his size, Jones has shown flashes of graceful athleticism in running the ball along with the ability to power it past defenders up the middle.

But he is not alone in this as he has the support of three excellent wide receivers in Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, and Evan Spencer. As of now, sophomore Michael Thomas leads the Buckeyes in receptions and has been a enormous spark plug when things are looking like it could not be turned around. The man that leads the team in receiving touchdowns in senior Devin Smith with 12 TDs. He has created quite a noise in Columbus since last season and it has not stopped since. The last man is fellow senior Evan Spencer. A fellow Illinois native like me, Spencer's stats do not scream "star receiver" with just 15 catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns, however, he has an elite ability to explode from the snap of the ball and run his routes on spot from the slot position. And we can't forget about the passing touchdown that came against the Alabama Crimson Tide in order to shorten the lead to 21-20 at the half and give the Buckeyes the momentum to win. This game will certainly be a proving point for all three and, could potentially, be of their finest games as a unit with a the loss of Oregon's All-American cornerback.

Ezekiel Elliot is so amazing that he may actually have
a potential national title in his future

The other big factor in this game will be the Ohio State's running back Ezekiel Elliot. He's a 6 ft. 225 lbs. monster at running back and he's just a sophomore. This year has been amazing for him as he's run for over 1,600 yards with 14 touchdowns and averaging 6.9 yards a carry. He reminds me of another running back that wore the scarlet red for the Buckeyes back in day. He ran through, around, and over defenders in the same way that Elliot did. His name was Maurice Clarett. If you don't know his story in college, he came in as a starter as a freshman and helped to lead the Buckeyes to a victory in the 2002 national championship against the Miami Hurricanes. Their size, skill, and potential are all at that point where I just have to say, "the sky's the limit... I think". Ultimately, I think Ezekiel Elliot is going to have a huge game running against the Oregon Ducks' defense so long as the offensive line holds their blocks and Cardale Jones helps to move the ball down the field.

If defensive tackle Michael Bennett is able to stop the run,
the Buckeyes may stand a good chance against the Ducks

For the Buckeyes' defense, their biggest plus in having defensive tackle Michael Bennett. the 6'2" 288 lbs. defensive lineman had a pretty good year as far as D-lineman go. He had 35 total tackles with six sacks and two forced fumbles. He has been a huge key in both stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback. This game will be a test for Bennett since Mariota does not seem to be the kind that can sit still in the pocket for too long. But Bennett is known for an explosive first step, quick feet and hands, and has a sound sense of being able to track down the ball carrier.

Despite having athleticism and talent in his arsenal,
Cardale Jones will need to prove he can overcome
the lack of experience mark that is on him

Negatives: Like Oregon, Ohio State will have to overcome a couple issues themselves. The first is in Cardale Jones. While he has had some stellar performances thus far and has shown sparks of talent and athleticism, keep in mind that Jones has only started two games technically and the title game will be his third. The question of whether he has the experience and mature level to handle the pressure is a key question on just how Ohio State will perform. If Jones can keep his nerves down and just have fun out there, I'm sure he will be just fine; however, I think everyone will be looking to see how many bad throws and mistakes he may make in this game. The other issue is the Buckeyes secondary will need to be on key this entire game to make sure that nothing is given up to Marcus Mariota. Even with his star wide outs gone, Mariota has a unique ability to make his team much better by the way uses his athletic skills and intelligent decision making. If the secondary drops their eyes for just a quick second, it could mean the difference between and INT or a TD.

My Prediction: So in the end, who wins it? I predict Ohio State to beat the Oregon Ducks 49-42 in overtime.