Mirador Predicts College Football Championship Game

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Jack Parodi, Staff Writer

The Case for Oregon

The Ducks showed they can win a big game in dominating fashion by beating #3 Florida State 59-20. Granted, the Seminoles relinquished a multitude of unforced errors in the Rose Bowl, but Oregon took advantage of every single one, converting Seminole mistakes into Oregon points. Even though All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu sat out with an injury, the rest of the defense for Oregon picked up the slack. Pressuring quarterback Jameis Winston seemingly every time he dropped back, Oregon forced Florida State to turn the ball over five times on four fumbles and one interception. It is hard to overstate the impressiveness of piling up 59 points against a stout Florida State defense, while also forcing Florida State to turn over the ball five times.

There is no doubting the elite talent of Marcus Mariota. He has the ability to rack up yards on any caliber defense, whether it’s attacking teams through the air or on the ground, rising to become a true leader of arguably the best offense in the country.

Not only does Oregon consist of a dominant offense, but their underrated defense proves to be one of the best in the country as well. At 6’7”, 290 pounds, outside linebacker DeForest Buckner leads the top-tier Oregon defense that confuses and frustrates any offense they line up against. If they give Ohio State plenty of different looks, and continue to use their dominating pass rush of Buckner to pressure the young and inexperienced sophomore Cardale Jones, the Ducks will win big.

The confidence that they gained from their dominating win in the Rose Bowl should carry on into the National Championship. Ever since Oregon’s lone loss to Arizona, they’ve been on an unstoppable roll, making them an easy bet that they will hoist its first ever National Championship trophy Monday night.

 

The Case for Ohio State

The Buckeyes stunned all of America with their 42-35 win over #1 Alabama. All the Cardale Jones doubters were proven wrong. In his first and only two starts, the Ohio State offense bombarded defenses with 101 points and 1,095 yards. Although the scoreboard tells a different story, the outcome of the Sugar Bowl was never in doubt. For most of the second half, Ohio State managed at least a two score lead over the Crimson Tide; something that no other team accomplished against Alabama all season.

The most impressive aspect of the game to me was how the Buckeyes and Cardale Jones never panicked. They dug themselves in an early hole 21-7, but didn’t force anything. They stuck to their game-plan and never wavered, knowing eventually it would start working.

To me, Urban Meyer is unquestionably the single best coach in the entire country. He turned around a 2011 6-7 Buckeyes squad into teams that have won at least 12 games in each season he’s been there and a 37-3 record overall. Meyer’s proven that he and his team can win big games, winning National Championships at Florida. He can make a game-plan to exploit any defense in the country, no matter who they play against.

The unsung heroes of this Ohio State team are the defensive players. They quite arguably are the best front seven in the country, led by All-American defensive end Joey Bosa. If they can pressure Mariota and force him to make quick decisions, Ohio State could very well shut down the Ducks.

Beating the #1 ranked team in the country should give Ohio State some swagger heading into this game with the “we can’t be beat” mentality that is always dangerous to play against. If that is combined with good coaching and a smart Cardale Jones, expect the Buckeyes to win their eighth National Championship.

 

Keys to Victory for Oregon

  • Get up early and never take the foot off the gas
  • Pressure Cardale Jones and make him make quick decisions
  • Heavy dose of the passing game

 

Keys to Victory for Ohio State

  • Win the turnover battle
  • Control the tempo of the ballgame
  • Make little to no mistakes on offense