There was a bit of controversy when the Ohio State Buckeyes were selected for the College Football Playoff. In Thursday night’s Sugar Bowl, the Buckeyes proved that they truly are one of the best teams in the country.
Ohio State beat the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 42-35 in the semifinals of the first College Football Playoff on Saturday night, validating the committee’s decision to move the Buckeyes into the fourth position ahead of the Baylor Bears and the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Buckeyes, who suffered only one loss this season, are now in a position to claim another national championship. Ohio State will face the Oregon Ducks on January 12 in the national championship game. Much like college basketball’s March Madness, this game marked a huge upset in college football’s first playoff.
Ohio State dominated Thursday’s game, outgaining Alabama 537-407 in total yardage. Alabama took advantage of Ohio State’s mistakes in the first half to get a pair of easy touchdowns.
But the Buckeyes cleaned things up in the second half, leading by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter. Third-string quarterback Cardale Jones played well, leading the Ohio State offense to a big game against one of the best defenses in the country.
Head coach Urban Meyer deserves a ton of credit for what he has done this season. He lost starting quarterback Braxton Miller in the preseason, then lost second-string quarterback J.T. Barrett late in the season. Yet his team is now in position to claim a national championship, which is amazing.
Ohio State proved on Thursday that they belong in the playoff. And their matchup with Oregon will be intriguing, to say the least.
Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
Virginia Tech was just another technology-centric institute until Frank Beamer created a top-15 football culture. Read More
For year many college football fans wanted to see some sort of playoff system, and the College Football Playoff was successful in its first year of existence. Read More
The Texas Longhorns currently have the No. 9 rated recruiting class in the country. Here are five more recruits the team still hopes to sign. Read More
Imagine a team losing its starting quarterback just before the season began. Add to that the fact that the quarterback was expected to be a Heisman Trophy contender. Read More
Ezekeil Elliott has exploded in the ground game for Ohio State, and could potentially lead his team to a National Championship. Here are five things you may not know about the young star. Read More
James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions picked up several key committments early in the cycle, but they still seek more additions to complete their stellar class of 2015. Read More
Taking a look at the biggest surprises from the college football bowl season. Read More
Taking a look at five reasons why the College Football Playoff system didn't work in its first year of existence. Read More
Judging by the past year, this is the best decision Jameis Winston has made by far. Read More
Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston has decided he will enter the 2015 NFL Draft. Read More
Who are the 15 players to watch in Monday's Oregon-Ohio State game? Read More
The quarterback controversy never stops at Notre Dame and Everett Golson will be one to watch this offseason. However, his best course of action will be to remain with the Fighting Irish. Read More