Not to be outdone by Neil’s coverage earlier today, I will offer my own preview as well of what’s to come.

Ohio State has a distinct coaching advantage with Urban Meyer having won two national titles with Florida in 2006 and 2008.  On the other side of the coin Mark Helfrich is in his first national championship.  Not to discount Oregon in big games of course.  Both teams soundly beat their opposition (the Ducks in a 59-20 laugher over Florida State, and the Buckeyes in a 42-35 upset win over Alabama).

Looking at how the Bama/OSU game went, it seems to hinge on Cardale Jones’s decision making.  Granted Alabama had an early 21-6 lead in the early moments of the Sugar Bowl, but Oregon might be less forgiving than the Tide.  The Ducks know how to score points in bunches and if Mariota gets going this could be a long day for the Buckeyes defense.

With that being said the Ducks must stop the run.  An Alabama defense with several future NFL prospects was gashed for 230 yards by Ezekiel Elliot, including an 85 yard touchdown run.  Jones also runs a lot like NFL quarterback Cam Newton and he could be really hard to bring down.

At the end of the day I say that the Ducks win.  Marcus Mariota won the Heisman for a reason, and he will become the fifth Heisman winner to win both the season MVP and a national championship in the same year.  Cardale makes mistakes, and Oregon is no longer known as the University of 0 National Championships.  Sorry Buckeyes!

My Pick:  Oregon 31, Ohio State 17

Stay Classy Everyone!

HOHOHO!