College Football National Championship Bold Predictions

1. Ohio State defeats Oregon, takes home 8th national title

The Buckeyes are underdogs again, but that won't faze this young Ohio State squad who have won their three biggest games of the season as underdogs (including their last two).  Defensively the key will be containing Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota, who can really hurt defenses by scrambling when plays break down.  I am confident that Ohio State will be able to move the ball on the Ducks - the key there will be protecting the football.   Oregon's defense is mediocre, statistically speaking, but beats teams with turnovers.  The Ducks are only ranked 84th in yardage allowed but 20th in points allowed, the result of a +20 turnover margin, second best in the country.  As long as the Buckeyes limit the mistakes, particularly turnovers, I think they win this game.  Ohio State's defense comes up with one more stop than Oregon to win 49 - 42.

2. Ezekiel Elliott eclipses 200 rushing yards for third straight game

Elliott picked the right time to hit his stride, as he became the first Ohio State running back to rush for over 200 yards in consecutive games.  While that's surprising, the more impressive part is who he did it against.  Wisconsin and Alabama are two top-tier defenses, particularly when it comes to stopping the run, but the offensive line opened up big holes for the speedy running back.  It may be tough for him to repeat, but given the fact that Oregon is 51st in the country at stopping the run, I think he can do it.

3. One or both teams score 21 or more unanswered points

Both teams showed they can score quickly and in bunches.  In the Rose Bowl, Oregon ended the game with 34 straight points.  Against Alabama, Ohio State went on a 28 - 0 run through the second and third quarters to take a lead they would never surrender.  I think one of these teams goes off at some point, which may end up making the difference in the game.

4. Ducks and Bucks combine for 90+ points in shootout

Speaking of scoring lots of points... This one could very well be a shootout.  Oregon put up 59 on Florida State and Ohio State scored 42 on Alabama.  Look for more fireworks in this one.

5.  The color (or lack thereof) of Oregon's uniforms is mentioned twice or more during the broadcast

Yeah, we noticed, the Oregon jerseys look mostly normal.  I'm sure the commentators will want to remind us of that a few times.