Quick Thoughts on the National Championship Game

This is my only positive thought about Oregon at this point.

In case you didn't watch, Ohio State beat Oregon in the national championship game, 42-20. Oregon jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and then things were bad after that.

• For having a mobile quarterback themselves, Oregon did a terrible job of hemming in Cardale Jones. Their outside linebackers and defensive ends kept flying 10 yards upfield, which allowed Jones to step up in the pocket and/or escape contain. Maybe it was their goal to speed rush and try to rattle Jones, but the Ducks never adjusted.
• Ezekiel Elliott is a man. He had 220 or more yards in the final three games of the year, including 36 carries for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns against Oregon. He's not the most elusive guy around, but he has a good combination of speed and power.
• On the plus side, Urban Meyer went 9-4 following his first national championship at Florida. Unfortunately, he then went 13-1 following his second. Ohio State does not appear poised for a drop-off, because many of their best players (Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa, J.T. Barrett) are too young to declare for the NFL Draft. However, there could be some turnover with the quarterback position (Braxton Miller to another school, Cardale Jones thinking about the draft) and some early entrants. But the Buckeyes recruit well and will most likely reload.
• The Big Ten has had a bad rap for getting pushed around in recent years, but the Buckeyes demolished Oregon up front. Aside from the pressure put on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and the inability to create seams up front, the defining moment was when Jones scrambled up the middle and ran right through the tackle - I mean the nose tackle - of the Ducks, Alex Balducci.
• The Ducks flat-out laid an egg. They racked up penalties, made immature choices, had a poor game plan, dropped passes, etc. This was my concern when I pointed out that Meyer was 8-2 in bowl games and 2-0 in national championships, while Helfrich was in just his second year. Meyer's team was mentally and physically prepared to win the game, while Oregon was not.

Michigan-centric preview of National Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon

Marcus Mariota

Whenever I watch a college or pro football game, I always have Michigan in the back of my mind. I was rooting for the Cardinals over the Panthers in last week's playoffs because the Cardinals have Larry Foote, Kenny Demens, etc. Obviously, I was disappointed. This past Saturday night, I was rooting for the New England Patriots because of Tom Brady; Fitzgerald Toussaint just doesn't have the same place in my heart.

So here's a look at Ohio State vs. Oregon (8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN) from a Michigan fan's point of view:

OHIO STATE PLAYERS FROM MICHIGAN
CB Damon Webb

OHIO STATE PLAYERS RECRUITED BY MICHIGAN
CB Eli Apple, OT Darryl Baldwin, TE Marcus Baugh, DT Michael Bennett, LB Kyle Berger, LB Devan Bogard, LB Dante Booker, DE Joey Bosa, CB Cam Burrows, CB Gareon Conley*, OT Taylor Decker, OT Kyle Dodson, RB Bri'onte Dunn, LB Curtis Grant, OG Joel Hale, TE Jeff Heuerman, DT Michael Hill, S Malik Hooker, DE Sam Hubbard, QB Cardale Jones, OT Jamarco Jones, OG Demetrius Knox, CB Marshon Lattimore, OT Evan Lisle, QB Braxton Miller, DE Steve Miller, OG Billy Price, CB Armani Reeves, DE Chris Rock#, DT Tommy Schutt, WR Devin Smith, S Erick Smith, DE Noah Spence, S Ron Tanner, OT Kyle Trout, TE Nick Vannett, DT Adolphus Washington, CB Damon Webb, LB Camren Williams

Hit the jump for some further info on tonight's game.

Thoughts on the Inaugural College Football Playoff

The inaugural College Football Playoff seedings were announced on Sunday afternoon, and as expected, there are lots of arguments going on around the country.

#1 Alabama (12-1) vs. #4 Ohio State (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl
I realize that Florida State has had several close victories this season against a pretty weak schedule, but the Seminoles have won 29 consecutive games. I don't really see why an undefeated Power 5 conference team shouldn't be ranked higher than two one-loss teams in Alabama and Oregon. I do think Alabama and Oregon have been more impressive this year, but Herm Edwards said, "You play to win the game." Florida State has won the game every time for over two years. (Full disclosure: I strongly dislike Jameis Winston and have a distaste for the nonsense that has gone on in Tallahassee since forever ago.) So I think FSU should be #1 and playing Ohio State in this game. It will be very interesting to watch the Crimson Tide play Ohio State, though. I think the Buckeyes are going to really struggle to slow down Alabama's running game with T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, although OSU's pass rush might cause some trouble for Alabama.

#2 Oregon (12-1) vs. #3 Florida State (13-0) in the Rose Bowl
This game should be Alabama vs. Oregon, in my opinion. But since it's Oregon and Florida State, I'll have to pick the Ducks in this one. I know I said above that FSU should be the top-ranked team, but Oregon will put more pressure on FSU than the other teams they've beaten. The Seminoles have won their last four games - against Miami, Boston College, Florida, and Georgia Tech - by an average of 3.5 points.

Teams left out: TCU and Baylor
I feel bad for TCU and Baylor for being left out of the playoff, but not bad enough to want a six- or eight-team playoff. The bottom line is that if you're not one of the top few teams in the country, you don't deserve to win the national championship. This is one year where the #5 and #6 teams have an argument to be #4 with a chance to be champs, but there are some years where #5 and #6 are clearly a notch below the top few teams. Those teams shouldn't be rewarded for getting hot or catching a couple breaks come playoff time. I always refer back to the New York Giants beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2007 season. The Giants were 10-6 during the regular season, but they got hot and beat the Patriots, who were 16-0 in the regular season. Does that win mean the Giants were the best team in the NFL that year? Absolutely not, but they get to claim to be champs forever and ever. The differences aren't as stark in college (since there are more teams, you're going to have more undefeated or one-loss teams), but I don't think college players should be asked to beat up their bodies and play football almost year-round just because the #6 or #8 team in the country wants a shot to play with the big boys.

My guess is that we'll see Alabama and Oregon in the national championship game.

School in the News: Oregon

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly will now be coaching another mostly green team with wings on its helmets, the Philadelphia Eagles.  Chances are slim that Michigan might benefit from this turn of events, but it's worth taking a look anyway.

2013 Oregon commit with Michigan offer: WR Darren Carrington
Current roster players recruited by Michigan: DE Arik Armstead, TE Evan Baylis, TE Pharaoh Brown, OT Jake Fisher, DT Ricky Heimuli, CB Dior Mathis, QB Jake Rodrigues, WR Dwayne Stanford, OT Andre Yruretagoyena

Oregon is expected to promote offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich to head coach, so the program won't change much, and I wouldn't expect mass defections.