The first college football playoffs weren’t kind to the SEC.
Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott sprinted 85 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and his team’s defense barely held on for a 42-35 win over No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
The No. 4 Buckeyes advance to the national championship game for a date with No. 2 Oregon, which thumped No. 3 Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl. It’s the first time since the 2006 Rose Bowl that an SEC team won’t participate in college football’s title game.
Ohio State was down to its third-string quarterback in Cardale Jones, but it didn’t need the sophomore QB late in the second quarter when a trick-play pass from wide receiver Evan Spencer to Michael Thomas made it a one-point game entering halftime.
The Buckeyes carried that momentum into the second half, as a 47-yard pass from Jones to Devin Smith and a pick-six by defensive lineman Steve Miller gave them a 13-point lead.
Blake Sims made it one-score game with a 6-yard touchdown run, but the touchdown dash from Elliott — who finished with 230 rushing yards and two scores —Â put the Crimson Tide into desperation mode with under four minutes left.
Alabama almost had a chance to pull it off when Amari Cooper’s touchdown catch cut the lead to seven with less than two minutes to go, but Tyvis Powell intercepted Blake Sims’ last-gasp Hail Mary to seal the win.
Ohio State and Oregon will square off on Jan. 12Â at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Thumbnail photo via John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports Images
