Opinions

Inaugural College Football Playoff final thoughts

-Future of FSU and Oregon, familiar faces returning to stardom, & the new Ohio State dynasty

Chris Narvaez, Staff Reporter|January 19, 2015

The college football season has come and gone, but the fun doesn’t have to end here. Now we can start making predictions for next year! But first, let’s recap this year’s Playoff. The Ohio State Buckeyes did in fact pull out the ultimate upset against the Oregon Ducks, 42-20. Now that the games are over, let’s take a look at the top 5 players of the Playoff.

5. Thomas Tyner, RB, Oregon: 25 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs- Running behind the fast-paced Oregon offense, Tyner made a great impact in the Rose Bowl against Florida State.

4. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: 29-45, 348 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT- The stats may seem otherwise, but FSU did not lose because of Jameis. In fact, through the first half, Jameis was playing as good if not better than Mariota. Also, the one pick wasn’t really his fault; just a straight up dropped pass.

3. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: 50-73, 772 total yards, 5 total TDs, 2 INTs- Underwhelming. That’s the word I would use to describe Marcus Mariota’s performance in the Playoff. Unlike the regular season, it was the Ducks’ defence that won against FSU. Also, unlike the regular season, it was Mariota himself that was shut down in the final vs Ohio State.

2. Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State: 34-58, 566 total yards, 3 total TDs, 2 INTs- In just his 3rd start, Jones showed us why he deserves to be the Buckeyes’ 1st string QB next year, and why Ohio State will rule the world of college football with 3 QB’s on the roster who are among the best in the nation.

1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State: 56 carries, 476 yards, 6 TDs- Pound the rock! That’s how you beat Oregon. That’s what Ohio State did. Elliott ran for over 200 yards against both Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, and Oregon in the CFP final. With each carry, Elliott wore down the Oregon defence, and kept Marcus Mariota off the field. The Heisman winner stood no chance against the hot Ohio State offense.

Now it’s time to discuss next year. The recruits are on their way, the returning players are getting their rest, and many of the upperclassmen are leaving college to prepare for the NFL Draft. So, here is my prediction for the 2015-16 Top 10 teams: