Ohio State Beats Alabama And The College Football Final Is Set

Ohio State and Urban Meyer exorcised some demons tonight.

The Buckeyes, who have been shit on— shamefully so by myself—avenged their national embarrassment at the hands of the SEC in the 2007 BCS Championship Game. Meyer, who battled Saban furiously while at Florida (which handed the Buckeyes that embarrassment in 2007), proved that he is every bit the coach Saban is.

Ohio State really needed this win, and they somehow pulled it off with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones and seemingly playing the entire fourth quarter inside its own 10-yard line. The Buckeyes finally sealed the game on this 85-yard run, presented here in Spanish:

The Big Ten needed this win just as badly, to continue an impressive postseason showing from the conference, and to prove it will hang with everyone else in the playoff era. With Jim Harbaugh going back to Michigan, it's possible tonight was the start of the conference's renaissance.

And now, the final game of the season is set. The Buckeyes will face Oregon, fresh off their dismantling of Florida State, on Jan. 12 in Dallas. The playoff isn't perfect, TCU especially might have a bone to pick, but it's hard to argue about how memorable the games have been so far.

Photo: AP