The first-ever College Football Playoff (CFP) came to an end when the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes went head to head to compete for the national title. For the first time, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, (NCAA), had a four-team playoff system that led to the National College Football Championship. The playoff semi-final games were at the Sugar Bowl, held on New Years Eve, and the Rose Bowl, held on New Years Day. On Jan. 12, the Buckeyes won 42-20 against the Ducks in the College Football Playoff National Championship at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.

This year, the college football playoff system has drastically changed. This is the first year where there are 4 teams in 3 playoff games. These teams include Ohio State, Florida State, Alabama, and Oregon. On New Years Eve, at the semifinal playoff at the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State beat Alabama in a close game of 42-35. On New Years Day, at the Rose Bowl, the second of the two semifinal bowl games, Oregon was victorious against Florida State, but for the championship game, Ohio State solidly defeated Oregon.

At the half, Oregon trailed 21-10. One of the components to the Buckeyes’ victory was Ezekiel Elliott, running back, who rushed 246 yards and scored four touchdowns, scoring three of them in within the last 16 minutes of the game. Cardale Jones, third-string quarterback, played impressively, managing to complete 16 of 23 throws and scored two touchdowns. Both players contributed towards winning the game along with major help from their coach.
The head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Urban Meyer, is the eighth coach to have claimed three or more national collegiate titles. The team won with a defense that increased throughout the game, and will be remembered as the first team who won the National College Football Championship.

“I was disappointed because I’m a fan of Oregon, and I used to live there, so I was hoping Oregon would win,” CHS sophomore Bryce Ragor said. “My predictions were that Oregon would win, but if Ohio State ran the ball well, Ohio State would win, which they did.”

Many people were positive that the Oregon Ducks would win due to their talented quarterback, Marcus Mariota, who is known for his terrific decision making skills and had a possibility of becoming the best college quarterback in history if the Ducks had beaten the Buckeyes. However, the Ducks lost three players throughout the playoffs, including Devon Allen and Pharaoh Brown, who suffered from knee injuries and Darren Carrington, who failed a drug test. Mark Helfrich, the head coach of the Oregon Ducks since 2013, is still trying to step out of Chip Kelly’s shadow, who previously coached the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012. Unfortunately, the Oregon Ducks will not be returning for the 2015-2016 National College Football playoff season.

Despite the loss of two quarterbacks from the team, Braxton Miller and JT Barrett, who were both injured in the previous year and were forced to leave the team, the Buckeyes continued to get better. For the Ohio State Buckeyes, this has truly been a memorable victory not only for the team, but for the state as well. Even with two important players from their team unable to play, the team still fought hard and won the first-ever National College Football Championship, which will undoubtedly grant them a place in history.