The 2014 College Football Playoffs kickoff as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes face off in the 2015 Sugar Bowl. Both teams had highs and lows this season, but managed to come out on top as Alabama ranked No. 1 and the Buckeyes scooted in at No. 4. Each teamed finished with one blemish on their resume. The Buckeyes fell to Virginia Tech early while Alabama lost to Mississippi on the road. However, strong finishes have both teams fighting for a championship as Urban Meyer and Nick Saban meet again.
Since Ohio State lost in September, they have accumulated over 500 yards of offense in eight of their last 11 games to become the second highest rated offense. All eyes will be on quarterback Cordale Jones who is filling in for the injured JT Barrett who was filling in for the injured Braxton Miller. Jones enjoyed a nice coming out party in the Big Ten championship game where he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors. The test for Jones will be how he handles the pressure of the playoff game. It will be his second start for the Buckeyes with a lot at stake.
Jones will pair with leading wide receiver Devin Smith who has 11 touchdowns on the season. Three of those scores came from Jones in the Big Ten championship game as he also put up 137 yards. Running back Ezekiel Elliott will keep the offense balanced with over 1,400 yards on the year. Ohio State also has the defense that can challenge with a defensive line that has over 13 sacks on the year.
Alabama's x-factor comes in their offense and coordinator Lane Kiffin who gets responsibility for the progress of quarterback Blake Sims who battled for the starting job as a fifth-year senior. Sims was the quarterback that no one wanted, but stepped in and proved worthy of the starting job. Amari Cooper makes things easy for him. The Heisman Trophy nominee finished with 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year. He pairs with the dynamic running back duo of TJ Yeldon and Derrick Henry for a strong offense.
Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are certainly no strangers to each other. The last time these two coaches faced one another Tim Tebow was quarterback and Alabama was beating Florida in the SEC Championship. Now, the meet up as Alabama and Ohio State take part in the first ever college football playoff as a win in the Sugar Bowl gets a first-class ticket to Dallas to play for a championship.