Ohio State and Oregon may have heard the critics, but they certainly didn't buy into what they were saying.
The loss to Virginia Tech turned into a referendum on the Big Ten Conference, which had a bad day brewing before the Hokies' upset. Naturally, many questioned Ohio State's future playoff chances.
"This is the most improved team that I've been a part of," Urban Meyer said, after the win over Michigan State. "I've been fortunate to be around some championship level teams. They have a common characteristic and they're grinders. And they get better each week. Those are championship level teams."
Somewhat similarly, Oregon's October loss to Arizona raised doubts about the Pac-12's power structure and if the Ducks could escape the season with only one loss.
"To deal with a little bit of adversity in the beginning of the year, I think, has really allowed us to be stronger from it, come closer together," quarterback Marcus Mariota said, Saturday. "It has really allowed us to really play our best football after that."
The regular season losses to Virginia Tech and Arizona proved to be more than just an exercise in building a winning team, however. Flaws exposed in those games were perceived to be fatal.
The o-line has chemistry, also known as "the study of change."
Coming into the season, Ohio State returned only one of its starting linemen from the previous season – junior Taylor Decker, who switched from right to left tackle. Behind an inexperienced line, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett made only his second career start at quarterback versus the Hokies.
Sensing this would be an issue in OSU's attempts to pass protect, Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster drew up a Cover-0, Bear-front scheme. Barrett could not read the pre-snap heavy blitz action, nor did his offensive line give him time to process it all once he had the ball. The Buckeyes allowed seven sacks and numerous hurries in a 35-21 defeat.
A week later, center Jacoby Boren lost playing time and Pat Elflein took his snaps. The rest of the offensive line, with Boren as its anchor, has made significant strides since.
"It was frustrating having things held against me," Boren said, last week. "I just tried going out every day, proving myself that I was good enough to be the starting center at Ohio State. That was my mindset every day."
Oregon also encountered early-season struggles up front, mainly due to injuries. What coaches thought was a strength turned into a point of weakness when left tackle Tyler Johnstone tore his ACL in fall camp, and right tackle Andre Yruretagoyena hurt his leg in week two. Those were among the many injuries which caused the Ducks to start nine different linemen this season:
Oregon's offensive start chart for the season 20 different guys, nine on the o-line alone, not including Johnstone. pic.twitter.com/5AShLYnsRZ
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) January 11, 2015
In their first matchup, Arizona sacked Mariota three times and his final-minute fumble sealed a win for the Wildcats. Uncharacteristically, Oregon found themselves in many third-and-long situations, converting a season-low 28.6 percent of those third down opportunities.
"Obviously Arizona had a great year, and they were on point that game. They created some turnovers and played excellent," Meyer said, Saturday. "We certainly watched it over and over again, and I think Arizona played great. I just think it was a great football game, and Oregon lost. Certainly some things, maybe, schematically we looked at, but that's all we took from it."
Since their only loss, Ohio State conquered their multiple conflicts with opposing bear fronts and tight coverage. The offensive line is the most improved unit on the team, receivers are winning more one-on-one battles, the Buckeyes established a perimeter run game thanks to Jalin Marshall's jet sweeps, and Barrett's ability to read defenses grew rapidly.
Oregon responded to their 31-24 Arizona loss with a 38-point victory over the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Mariota went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
So, questions about the Ducks' championship pedigree or the Buckeyes overcoming a loss to a .500 team have subsided. The only thing left is to reflect on how those struggles built the foundation for a national champion.
"The Virginia Tech game was rough, it definitely wasn't one of the brighter moments in our unit room," Boren said. "All the things that we messed up and didn't do well in, we learned from very quickly. It's something we took personally.
Now knowing where we are, with an opportunity to play in the national championship, I honestly wouldn't change that game. Our team grew tremendously from that game. Whether it was J.T., the offensive line. Every position definitely made some big mistakes and we were, kind of, caught off guard. In the end, it's something that made our team stronger and, I think, it's the reason why we're here, where we are today."
