National Championship game: Oregon vs Ohio State

garnettstyle · January 10, 2015 2:11AM

Who wins? Discuss.

perkdog · January 10, 2015 2:18AM

I think Oregon wins

I dont think Ohio State can trade points with them

MGLICKER · January 10, 2015 2:22AM

<< I think Oregon wins

I dont think Ohio State can trade points with them >>

I agree with that logic. Good to see Pac10* vs Big Ten battling for the title.

*yeah I know it is Pac twelve now.

mlbfan2 · January 10, 2015 3:01AM

I predict that Oregon will beat Ohio State 46-33.

Anyone know why I chose that score?

larryallen73 · January 10, 2015 3:58AM

<< I predict that Oregon will beat Ohio State 46-33.

Anyone know why I chose that score? >>

That is the score of the 1939 NCAA basketball championship. Go Ducks!

Brick · January 10, 2015 5:19AM

OSU 3
Oregon 0
Field goal in OT wins it.

garnettstyle · January 10, 2015 5:50AM

Buckeyes win by 2 TD's.

TennisCoach · January 10, 2015 2:29PM

This is a tough game to get a handle on. Oregon is back in school so they are limited to 20 hours of practice time this week. Ohio State is not in session so they will probably get closer to 50 hours this week. That translates to more walk throughs, film study, on field plays shoring up protection schemes and other blocking assignments. Plus more time game planning against the Oregon defense learning their assignments and tendencies.

Mariotta knows the Oregon offense like the back of his hand so preparation time for him is not as crucial. However he is without his #2 wide receiver Carrington who has recently become ineligible for this game. Mariotta is already without his #3 WR Devon Allen so he is going to battle with just Byron Marshall and a bunch of back ups. This means Mariotta will need to use significant practice time to get the timing and route combination work in with his back-up receivers. I expect Ohio State to double team Marshall and when they don't to send that extra defender at Mariotta for added pressure. Oregon is also missing their #1 cornerback and this places more pressure on the secondary to keep plays in front of them and make tackles. Cardale Jones has a very strong arm and will test the Oregon secondary to break on the ball quickly. This also means they can be lured by the double move and Ohio State has plenty of speed.

Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner make up a pretty good backfield, but Oregon will need some creative play calling to see if they can get the ball to these two in space. Oregon likes to get defenses thinking defend the pass and when they are on their heels with everyone spread out is when they trap block and run the ball through the vacated area. It will be interesting to see how disciplined Ohio State stays with their gap assignments vs. trying to get all out pressure on Mariotta. I am expecting the interior of the Ohio State defensive line to work in tandem and keep plays funneled to their stronger tacklers. We'll see if Oregon counters with some interior cut blocks to give the backs multiple holes to choose from and keep from being pigeon holed to the linebackers. Ohio State has a history at being very good at this when they had great tackling linebackers like Laurinaitis and AJ Hawk, just funnel the back to our tackling machine, play over.

I think Ohio State has one of the more talented backs in the country in Ezekiel Elliott. He has power, he has speed, and every time you give him the ball 20 times he guarantees you at least 100 yards. And yet sometimes they only give him like 12 to 15 carries, I think he is being underutilized.

The question really for this game is can Cardale Jones complete enough passes to move the chains allowing Ezekiel Elliott to keep wearing the defense down. Ohio State needs to move the chains often enough to limit Mariotta's opportunities. Mariotta is the more polished quarterback, but without 2 of his primary weapons and facing increased pressure up front, he may find it difficult to incorporate the back-ups into the passing game. This means his running backs will need to be effective outlets if they are to convert a lot of third downs. Vegas has the Ducks by 5 1/2 points in this match-up, and if they had all their weapons at WR and Corner i would be inclined to agree with that line, however under the circumstances and with the added preparation time for Ohio State this is really anyone's game. I think if Cardale Jones avoids key mistakes on 3rd down Ohio State has a very good chance of pulling off the upset. However from what I have seen of Mariotta this year, it is hard to bet against him. If his line is solid up front giving him time to survey the field he is sure to put up points against anybody.

If its a scoring fest I think the Ducks go on to win, if the defenses step up and the punters see the field more often then expected I think Ohio State wins.

larryallen73 · January 11, 2015 1:55AM

Since my wife is a Duck alum I am rooting for the Ducks. I'll say 34-27 Ducks!

Piggs · January 11, 2015 1:59AM

Best QB wins. Mariota runs for two throws for three. Ducks by 21.

seebelow · January 11, 2015 4:29AM

No SEC..we've all already won!

Buckeyes, close game. Going with my heart.

larryallen73 · January 11, 2015 10:38AM

Anybody else with predictions? Less than 24 hours until the big game!

larryallen73 · January 11, 2015 11:50PM

Great point made on Morning Men radio show. Don't actually love the show but good point today which is reinforced on these boards this morning. They should have planned this game for Tuesday. Everybody is talking NFL today. Too bad as it's an exciting match-up tonight. Will be curious how the TV ratings are since the southeast is not as vested as they normally are every other year.

TNP777 · January 12, 2015 12:55AM

I'm taking Oregon. I'm disappointed and a little worried by the knucklehead actions of a couple of the younger players, especially Carrington. He was a big part of the win against FSU.

Having said that, I really like our chances. The defense has been pretty stout when needed, and our offense... well, our offense is a wonderful thing to watch. If Mariota can shake off early-game jitters then he might be hard to stop. He was a little shaky early on in both the Pac-12 championship game against Arizona and in the Rose Bowl against FSU. He doesn't normally miss wide-open targets like he did against both those teams, but as the game progressed he was unstoppable.

"Yeah, but OSU's defense is bigger, faster, stronger..." Yeah, so was Michigan State's, Arizona's, Florida State's. I think Helfrich and Frost can come up with a plan to deal with them.

One of the big unknowns is Cardale Jones. He's playing in only his third game. Each of the games he's played in so far have been under "win or go home" pressure. So far he has performed very well. It will be interesting to see how he handles himself if Oregon is able to score like they're capable of. Playing from behind against Oregon has not worked out well for anyone else this year. Of course, that's contingent upon the Ducks being able to do what they've been doing. That's far from a given.

Oregon 41, TOSU 27

MCMLVTopps · January 12, 2015 1:07AM

My 2 cents...

Ducks 36-24.

Justacommeman · January 12, 2015 1:33AM

TCU 45
Oregon 42

MJ

CNote · January 12, 2015 1:56AM

I'm a UW Husky fan, so I should say "F__k the ducks"

But, I'm also a realist:

Oregon 44
OSU 27

coinkat · January 12, 2015 4:25AM

Don't know- In looking at the historical rivalry, seems the Duck are due for a win. I anticipate a well played and coached game regardless of the outcome. This has the makings of being a classic game that will be discussed for years... at least a Jeopardy question at some point.

BillsGridironGreats · January 12, 2015 4:39AM

Go Bucks! Buckeyes wins easily 49- 14. Oregon will not be able to run the ball and the will become one dimensional with only one of their starting receivers available. Mariota is likely to get pretty beat up during the game. It'll be like they were playing their third string quarterback!

Too much build-up about the QB's in this game. Both teams have as much speed as anyone in the country. QB may be the only position Oregon has an advantage with their all-american DB out. Unlike the Pros, everything is not dependent on the QB in college. Meyer has proved that in the last two games.

Unknown · January 12, 2015 8:22AM

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thunderdan · January 12, 2015 9:14AM

Overall, I think Oregon is a better team, so I'm going with them.

Oregon 35
Ohio State 28

Still, never underestimate an Urban Meyer team.

bronco2078 · January 12, 2015 9:54AM

I'll pick the ducks based on what I've seen of the respective cheerleader squads. Why was the Boz was out there

Oklahoma and oregon and ohio all start with an oooooooooooo I guess.

Officials make a bad call on that fumble and get bailed out by the booth already , lemme guess the refs here are "all stars" too?

bronco2078 · January 12, 2015 11:58AM

If I'm coaching the ducks and that TD gets overturned because some moron deliberately dropped the ball showboating my head would explode .

Justacommeman · January 12, 2015 1:00PM

Congrat's to Ohio State and The Big Ten.

MJ

lbcoach20 · January 12, 2015 1:04PM

Just a dominating performance by Ohio State. Urban is just an outstanding coach! Third string quarterback. No problem. Have to beat Bama and Oregon. Not a problem. Just a legend in the making. I live in Ashtabula where Urban came from. Thank you for the memory of a lifetime! 👍

TNP777 · January 12, 2015 1:19PM

Congrats to Ohio State and their fans, particularly Ralph. Thorough domination after Oregon marched down on their first possession. I felt the game turned for good in the first quarter when the Ducks dropped consecutive third down passes that would've kept drives alive. The only thing Oregon won was the turnover battle. Normally four takeaways means you're going to coast to a win, but obviously not tonight. TOSU was superbly coached, and there was no answer for Ezekiel Elliott.

Anyone here who still thinks their team got screwed by TOSU jumping them into the 4th spot?

grote15 · January 12, 2015 1:24PM

A shootout with 62 points scored and OSU wins anyway. Congrats to the Buckeyes!

TNP777 · January 12, 2015 1:25PM

<< Congrat's to Ohio State and The Big Ten.

MJ >>

Maybe I'm just a bitter and disappointed Oregon fan, but what congrats does the Big Ten deserve?

garnettstyle · January 12, 2015 1:48PM

garnettstyle · January 12, 2015 1:55PM

What a year, what a team. Sorry to all the haters who said the Big Ten was weak.

Unknown · January 12, 2015 6:20PM

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coinkat · January 12, 2015 7:18PM

Ohio State deserved to win and they earned the National Title in a convincing manner. Congrats to the Buckeyes.

Oregon had an exciting season as well-

The Big Ten deserves some acknowledgement because their teams played better than expected in the major Bowl games.

MCMLVTopps · January 12, 2015 9:17PM

Congrats to OSU !!

larryallen73 · January 12, 2015 10:00PM

Congrats to Ohio State and their fans.

jeffcbay · January 12, 2015 11:49PM

I love it!! I love watching Mark May and all the other haters and doubters eating crow. What the Buckeyes did this season was unreal. It feels so good to bring another Championship home!

Brick · January 12, 2015 11:51PM

What an unbelievable season. I'm not sure it could have happened with any other Coach. After the Va. Tech loss it appeared the Buckeyes were not a top tier team. Even after their improvement they were underdogs in every meaningful game. Congrats to Oregon for a tremendous season. Every final four team should feel proud of that accomplishment although I realize some programs consider anything other than the Championship a failure. Even though OSU appeared to be the more physical, athletic team it was still a one point game until the final play of the third quarter. The Big 10 should feel proud. MSU took care of the first team out, Wisconsin defeated one of the better teams in the SEC and of course The Buckeyes won it all with a convincing fourth quarter. WOW

thunderdan · January 13, 2015 2:26AM

That was an impressive win by OSU, particularly with a 3rd string QB. OSU's depth at that position is amazing. Cardale had an amazing past 3 games and deserves to be the starter next year (if he doesn't go pro). I didn't think they had a chance against Oregon's offense, but they proved me wrong. You gotta tip your cap to that dominating performance and coaching job.

garnettstyle · January 13, 2015 7:14AM

<< 

<< What a year, what a team. Sorry to all the haters who said the Big Ten was weak. >>

The Big Ten has been very weak for years now. No one can dispute that.
>>

Says who, the BCS?

National Championship game: Oregon vs Ohio State

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