Fans who watch Oregon Ducks football live regularly know what to expect from tonight’s college football National Championship Game: a high-octane offense guided by Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. Fans who watch Ohio State football live this season don’t have quite the same luxury, as third-string QB Cardale Jones is starting just his third game. Yet while Mariota vs Jones is a big draw as we watch Oregon Ducks vs Ohio State tonight for the CFB title, there are plenty of other reasons to watch. If you’re not near a TV you can watch Oregon vs Ohio State football live free National Championship Game online live streaming as well.
Kickoff for tonight’s Oregon Ducks football vs Ohio State football title game is scheduled for 8:30 EST / 5:30 PST. The College Football Playoff Championship Game is being played in AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Fans who are betting will watch Oregon Ducks football live in hopes that Oregon covers the spread; the Ducks are currently 6.5-point favorites over the Buckeyes. But history isn’t exactly on the Ducks’ side.
The Oregon Ducks football team has played against the Ohio State football team eight times, and it’s earned an 0-8 record against the Buckeyes in the process. Two of those games include bowl losses, which also doesn’t bode well for the Mark Helfrich-coached team. Yet Helfrich, like Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer, is new to his program. And as we watch Oregon Ducks football live free or on TV tonight against Ohio State, these are very different Ducks and Buckeyes teams than have faced-off in the past.
Though the Ducks have had good quarterbacks in the past, Marcus Mariota‘s passing efficiency numbers are among the best in college football. Ever. Mariota leads the 13-1 Oregon Ducks football team into tonight’s College Playoff Championship Game having finished the regular season with 3,783 yards passing, 38 TDs and just two interceptions. In the Ducks’ Rose Bowl win over then-undefeated Florida State, Mariota was 26-of-36 for 338 yards passing, two TDs and one interception to go with one 62 yards rushing and one TD.
As we watch Ohio State football live online or on TV tonight, Mariota will face a pretty tough test. For starters, he’ll be without receiver Darren Carrington due to a reported drug violation. Though just a freshman, Carrington will be missed as we watch Oregon vs Ohio State live free tonight, as he was one of Mariota’s top targets during the Oregon Ducks football season and had seven catches for 165 yards with two touchdowns in the Rose Bowl.
Mariota’s troubles will be augmented by one of the toughest defensive lines in the FBS. Buckeye fans who watch Ohio State football live this season know all about their terrific front four of Joey Bosa, Steve Miller, Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington. The “Fantastic Four” this season had a combined 50 tackles for loss. As we watch Oregon Ducks football vs Ohio State football tonight, the performance of the Ducks’ offensive line will be crucial.
On the other side of the field, the Ohio State Buckeyes’ offensive line will be under pressure of its own. Starting QB Cardale Jones is making just his third start of the year after Ohio State’s first two QB options went down with injury. Jones has played very well in those games, and fans who watch Ohio State football live online or on TV reveled in his 42-35 victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Jones established himself as a dual-threat QB in that game, but since tonight’s College Football Playoff Championship Game is just his third start, if his offensive line doesn’t allow him to run and forces him to throw, he could get a case of the big-game butterflies.
So what will the ground game hold as we watch Oregon Ducks vs Ohio State live free Championship Game? Excitement, that’s what. While hardcore fans will watch Ohio State football looking for RB Ezekiel Elliott to steal the show, one has to wonder whether he can continue his torrid pace from the past two games. Elliott has had 450 rushing yards in his past two games and averaged 11.3 yards per rush. Those are big numbers to dovetail with a quarterback (Jones) who likes to run as well.
But Oregon has its own star in true freshman running back Royce Freeman. Freeman burst onto the Ducks football scene this year with 1,299 yards and 17 TDs, and as Oregon Ducks football fans prepare to watch Oregon vs Ohio State National Championship Game online free tonight, they’ll be happy to see Freeman joined once again by Thomas Tyner, whose Rose Bowl appearance was his first in some time.
If you’re not near a TV to watch college football National Championship Game live, you can watch Oregon vs Ohio State football live free National Championship Game online live streaming on the Watch ESPN website. You can also use the Watch ESPN app on your tablet, smartphone or game console. If the app goes down again as it did in the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, you can still watch Oregon Ducks vs Ohio State game live online free on the website. Since the College Football Playoff Championship Game is being televised live on ESPN, you can only choose those live stream options if you subscribe to that station.
