DALLAS Texas – Win or lose, the Buckeyes and Oregon make sports history tonight in more ways than one when they meet in a game that has never been before for a trophy that has never been raised before.
EXTRA: Some surprises from Dallas
The first College Football Playoff national championship game matches the second-seeded Ducks and fourth-seeded Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium (8:30 p.m./ESPN).
RELATED: Will the Buckeyes upstage the governor on his big day?
The days of bowls, polls and the BCS having the final say about who is No. 1 in college are over. The winner of Monday night’s matchup can be called the truest champion in the history of major college football.
It means a lot of prestige and pressure and Ohio State (13-1) head coach Urban Meyer has been busy trying to prevent his young players from getting that deer-in-the-limelight look that goes with big games.
“We try to paint the stage so they’re not shocked when they step in the arena. You know, the Sugar Bowl was incredible and this is even ratcheted up a little bit more,” he told reporters.
Meyer has already won national titles and can become the second coach to win championship as two separate schools. For the Buckeyes, this would be the fifth national championship but, for Oregon and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, it would be their program’s first.
Both teams will be playing their 15th game of the season. No one has ever played more, not at the highest level of the sport and that had the coaches paying extra attention to conditioning.
After years of having the Bowl Championship Series title game deciding who’s No. 1, this year an extra postseason round was tossed into the works due to the four-team tournament. As a result, Meyer and Ducks coach Mark Helfrich — guys who favor draining, uptempo attacks — have kept a close eye on their players for wear and tear.
“A lot of emphasis about defeating the demon, the demon that takes place when fatigue takes over. And that’s real. And that’s something that we’ve addressed really hard,” said Meyer.
Meyer feels a lot better about his defense heading into the final game of the season. e looks at the rebuilt unit as one of the keys to carrying the Buckeyes to the national championship game.
A year ago, that certainly wasn’t the case. Meyer was so upset by his defense’s play after back-to-back losses that he chose to destroy the underpinnings of a unit that had helped Ohio State to 24 consecutive wins.
He hired Chris Ash to completely reconstruct the defense.
There have been highs and lows this season, but when most needed the defense has held its own — including late in the Sugar Bowl against top-ranked Alabama when it made big stops to extend the season.
Other notes from Dallas:
Meyer says offensive tackle Taylor Decker and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington had told him they will return for their senior seasons. Decker, 6-foot-7, 315-pound junior, was a second-team All-Big Ten selection at left tackle. Washington was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. The 6-4, 295-pound junior had 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that former Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck will be hired by Ohio State to replace Tom Herman, who is becoming the head coach at Houston.