Ducks Vs. Buckeyes Features Unique QB & Coaching Scenarios
Monday night, #2 Oregon plays #4 Ohio State in the first true College Football Playoff National Championship game, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On New Year's Day, in the first ever college football playoff games, Oregon trounced #3 Florida State 59-20, at the Rose Bowl, while Ohio State beat #1 Alabama 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl.
Oregon's glitzy quarterback, Marcus Mariota, has put up some of the best numbers in college football history, throwing 103 touchdown passes, while totaling 10,463 passing yards and rushing for 29 scores, over the course of 3 seasons. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner will almost certainly be one of the top players selected in the upcoming NFL Draft, if he declares himself eligible.
By comparison, Ohio State's starting QB is their third string signal caller, Cardale Jones, who comes in with just two career starts, after injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett.
From a coaching prospective, Oregon's Mark Helfrich is a relatively unknown figure outside of the Pacific Northwest, amid living very much in the shadow of Chip Kelly.
In direct contrast, Ohio State head man Urban Meyer is arguably the sports' second best coach, only behind Nick Saban. Meyer is trying to win his third national championship, after winning his first two at Florida, back in 2006 and 2008.
One of the most striking aspects of this game involves the lack of an SEC team. Remarkably, Monday marks the first time in 9 years that college football's deepest conference will not be vying for the national title.
