Ohio State: THE National Champion

''Ohio State Buckeyes men's soccer athletic logo'' (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ohio State University has won or shared college football's national championship five times (the last in 2002), whether it was done on the field or in the polls.  Monday the Buckeyes won their sixth, plucking the University of Oregon's duck feathers 42-20 at the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game in Arlington, Texas.

For Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, this is his third title.  The first two came at the University of Florida, and the stress that went along with it nearly killed him.  So Meyer took a break and became an ESPN commentator before going back on the sidelines in his native Ohio.

The fact that OSU got this far is amazing considering that they struggled through the Big Ten conference schedule with two quarterbacks, both of whom ended up injured.  Then along came third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, and things seemed to fall into place. 

The Buckeyes rolled over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game.  Then they upset Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, which served as one of the CFP's semifinals.

Oregon, the Pac-12 champion, won the other semifinal at the Rose Bowl over Florida State.  Thus ended the controversial college career of Seminole QB Jameis Winston.

The Ducks, other than being known for their prolific offense led by Heisman Trophy-winning QB Marcus Mariota, are also known for making fashion statements with its (paid for by Nike) uniforms.  On this night, they wore gray over white.  But they made a different statement on the field by giving up four touchdowns and 246 yards to OSU running back Ezekiel Elliot, as well as committing a number of penalties and turnovers.

The generically-named College Football Playoff, which was designed to settle arguments rather than create new ones, was rather prescient in its inclusion of Ohio State, as it turned out.  The folks at Baylor and Texas Christian might not agree, but their Big 12 conference currently doesn't have a playoff.  So look for more teams to participate in the CFP in future years.

Just because the Buckeyes happened to be the team that won the national championship, this does not change the perception that the Big Ten is a considerably weaker conference than the SEC, which has been dominating college football for the last decade.  Call it a fluke, if you must.

So the good folks of Columbus, Ohio get to celebrate another national championship college football team.  Then come September, that team will be asked to do it again.  If they don't, then let the arguments begin once more.