It comes down to this. The Bucks versus the Ducks. Ohio State, an historic program and winner of seven ational championships, taking on Oregon, a relatively (at least the grand scheme) new power with only a single title appearance to their name (they lost in 2011 to Auburn).
Unsurprisingly, quarterback play is going to be a decisive factor in determining this contest. A strong performance from Mariota would place him in the conversation for the best single season in college football history. He already scored 55 TDs this year to go with just six turnovers, while accumulating 4,852 yards of total offense.
Cardale Jones, meanwhile, has proven he's a third stringer in name only. After Braxton Miller and JT Barrett went down with injuries, Jones has performed ably in their stead, tossing the ball for over 500 yards and four scores in his two appearances.
He's going to have to play close-to-perfect football tonight. Oregon puts up too many points too quickly, and even just one or two turnovers on the Buckeyes' part might be too many to overcome. Ohio State is also going to rely on running back Ezekiel Elliot to try and control time of possession and keep the Ducks offense off the field for as long as possible. Is Elliot up to that task? He does have 571 yards and 6 touchdowns in his last three games.
By any conceivable metric, however, Oregon is the better team. Oregon probably is the best team in the nation. Ohio State has been impressive all season, but the Ducks have been almost unbelievably, historically impressive.
Nothing about the Buckeyes winning this game would make sense.
But nothing about the Buckeyes' 59-0 Big Ten title win over Wisconsin or their 42-35 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama made sense, either.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 37, Oregon 36
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