Ohio State or Oregon? Who should you root for?
Welcome to the first College Football Championship between Ohio State (13-1) and Oregon (13-1). For those without a rooting interest, it might be tough to pick a team to root for.
A viewer's (haters) guide for who to root for (or against):
Hey, Oregon: We get it with the uniforms. This isn’t “Project Runway" or the eighth-grade dance. We know you didn’t put enough green or yellow on your championship uniforms because you are still starved for our attention. This is football. Because of you, we can’t recognize roughly one-third of the FBS on any given Saturday. Better root for a traditional team like Ohio State.
MORE: 16 years of BCS as four-team playoff | Urban's visit to Oregon | SN predictions
Of course, you have to deal with that I-told-you-so-even-though-I-didn’t-say-it-out-loud fanbase. Does “Buck-I-Guy” get paid by ESPN? Ohio State fans are obsessed with that “O-H-I-O” thing then feel disrespected if Brady Hoke or anybody else calls them “Ohio.” Don't try to say it's two different things. The dictionary says it's not. Let's go Oregon.
Pac-12 fans love selling the quality of the conference, but USC is the only school that’s done anything on the national stage. Plus, the games are so late.
Big Ten fans are loud enough when they’re losing. Imagine if all start winning, especially with Jim Harbaugh coming to Michigan next season. Better pull for Oregon. Or put on headphones.
NUMBERS THAT MATTER: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Speaking of headphones, what is LeBron James’ deal with Ohio State? He didn’t play there. Can’t pull for LeBron to win a national championship. He has enough to deal with saving Cleveland right now. Yeah, we’ll stick with Oregon.
But who gives LeBron a paycheck? Phil Knight, right? Nike U., right? Is he trying to buy a national championship? Can’t do that. Better take the Buckeyes.
What about Marcus Mariota? There’s gotta be something wrong with that guy, right? He’s too boring for me. Let’s root for that gigantic third-string quarterback for Ohio State.
You mean the one who tweeted “We ain’t come to play school?” Cardale Jones isn’t Mariota. Who goes by “12-Gauge” anyway?
MORE: Cardale Jones, unexpected hero | Who starts for Ohio State in 2015?
Let’s root for Oregon. After all, the Ducks did us all a favor and took out Florida State, Jameis Winston and that 29-game win streak. Oregon deserves that first national championship. They’ve got this. Go Ducks.
But Ohio State took out Nick Saban and sent Alabama and SEC into a second offseason without a national championship. We have to respect Urban Meyer for that. Go Bucks.
We have to respect Meyer? Two national championships is enough. Let Mark Helfrich have one.
I wouldn’t recognize Helfrich if he walked past me at the store. No way he beats Meyer, right?
I want to see Mark May squirm when the Buckeyes win the national championship. Why does that guy hate Ohio State so much? Pull for the Big Ten.
No, I want to see Paul Finebaum and the SEC radicals claim they could beat the Ducks if the matchups were right. It’s not Oregon’s fault Alabama didn’t make it. Pac-12 pride, baby.
Ohio State hasn’t won the big one since that terrible call against Miami. Let’s go with the Ducks.
Oregon is a finesse team. That Joey Bosa kid for Ohio State is a freak. Give me the Buckeyes.
TattooGate. Why is Jim Tressel doing the coin toss again? Doesn’t he have a show-cause penalty?
Willie Lyles. What ever happened with that? Doesn’t Chip Kelly have a show-cause penalty, too?
There are probably a few other reasons to root for (or against) either school, but the winner (and perhaps the loser), but the team who wins will be the team with the biggest target heading into 2015.
Why not sit back and root for a shootout? Two of the most-prolific offenses in college football are sure to put on. Oregon and Ohio State are the nation’s best teams, and they deserve this stage.
The choice is yours, America.
Who are you rooting for? Or against?
