Emma: College Football Playoff Pegs Two Worthy Champions
By Chris Emma-
(CBS) What a matchup it will be for the College Football Playoff championship on Jan. 12. Heisman winner Marcus Mariota and the unstoppable Oregon Ducks against Urban Meyer's red-hot Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Ducks are flying high, playing their best football yet. The Bucks are doing the improbable, making a championship run with their third-string quarterback. It'll be a great game between two worthy champions, coming in the castle that Jerry Jones built, AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Amazingly enough, this wouldn't have happened a year ago.
Perhaps the only image more visually appealing than the San Gabriel Mountains overlooking the Rose Bowl would be a pile of computers, broken and battered, stacked along the sidelines. They represent death to the BCS era, years of failure in college football.
Oregon and Ohio State would have played this January, but only for the Rose Bowl. Their seasons would end in Pasadena with no title hopes.
Instead, it would have been overhyped Alabama and Florida State. The Crimson Tide would be favored by two touchdowns, Jameis Winston would say something regrettable and Nick Saban would get another title in a lackluster game.
Those computers don't measure the remarkable improvements that Ohio State made or how Oregon's lone loss came to a talented Arizona team. Nope, it judges Florida State for its preseason poll rankings and Alabama for its SEC membership that seems to be overrated, at least this bowl season.
Good riddance, BCS.
These two teams colliding are undoubtedly the best in college football. Oregon's offense appears automatic, led by Mariota and his precision passing. Coach Mark Helfrich has the Ducks playing at the same elite level as Chip Kelly.
With all due respect to Helfrich, Nick Saban and even Big Ten Coach of the Year Jerry Kill, the work that Urban Meyer has done with the Buckeyes is extraordinary.
When Braxton Miller went down in August, the Buckeyes' season seemed to be over. After a crushing loss to Virginia Tech in early September, it seemed as if Ohio State was destined for the TaxSlayer Bowl and J.T. Barrett didn't stand a chance.
Long story short, Meyer made Barrett into a Heisman contender and has third-stringer Cardale Jones playing nearly as well. Ohio State entered the Big Ten Championship as an underdog to Wisconsin. It walked off the field with the largest margin of victory by an underdog ever, a 59-0 statement rout.
For many teams in college football, the backup quarterback can't be counted on. The third-stringer is often a walk-on. The Buckeyes have a star. Meyer is one heck of a coach.
The BCS era brought countless cases of drama. Imagine if the playoff format was in place last season; then Michigan State would have gotten its crack at the championship. That never happened thanks to a flawed system. Ohio State would have faced the same fate.
College football's two best teams are set to square off for the first ever College Football Playoff. The winner will certainly be a worthy champion.
Follow Chris Emma on Twitter @CEmma670.