By Kevin McGuire- (CBS Local) The final chapter of a new era in college football will be written Monday night in Arlington, Texas. The first year of the College Football Playoff will come to a close with Pac-12 champion Oregon squaring off against Big Ten champion Ohio State with the first, truly definitive, outright national championship on the line in the history of major college football. Before the year kicked off, Oregon and Ohio State were expected to be in the championship hunt, but each had a path to Arlington paved much differently than the other. The Ducks largely stayed the course, while Ohio State had to work some quarterback magic with not one, but two young and unproven options under center. But you can read about that stuff anywhere. Here are some quick storylines to take note of Monday night. Ohio State is 8-0 all-time against Oregon The two programs first faced each other in the 1958 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with the Buckeyes taking a 10-7 victory back home to Columbus. The two have faced each other seven times since then, with Ohio State winning each time along the way, including the most recent match-up in the 2010 Rose Bowl. This will be the third postseason meeting between the two. Big Ten and Pac-12 for national title for first time since 1969 For the first time since the 1969 Rose Bowl between Ohio State and USC, the winner of a postseason meeting between the two conferences will be guaranteed to be crowned national champion. Though each conference has had one of the top two teams compete against the other conference with at least a share of the national title on the line before in postseason play, this will be the first time since before 1970 that the winner is guaranteed a national championship. Urban Meyer looking to join Nick Saban With an Ohio State victory, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer will join Alabama’s Nick Saban as the only two coaches to win national championships at two different schools. Saban won titles with both LSU and Alabama, and Meyer has a pair of BCS championship rings from his time at Florida. Oregon looking for first national title While Ohio State lays claim to seven football national championships, Oregon is looking to secure its first in school history. The Buckeyes are considered a true blueblood program in the sport, but Oregon has potential to be a force in the game for a long time and is looking to check off one last item on the program’s to-do list to further legitimize its rise in the sport…
Continue Reading: College Football Championship Preview: Ohio State Battles Oregon
