Urban Meyer had barely sat down after the Sugar Bowl when someone told him the score from the other semifinal game.
He started to bolt from his chair, feigning a sense of urgency with another game left against a team that wiped out the defending national champion.
“We’ve got to go get ready for that one,” Meyer said.
Actually, he’s not intimidated in the least. Meyer knows he’s got a pretty good team, too.
Cardale Jones turned in another savvy performance in his second college start and Ezekiel Elliott ran for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards Thursday night, leading Ohio State to a 42-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama in the second semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes (13-1 and seeded fourth in the playoff) kicked off at the Superdome right after Oregon finished its 59-20 rout of reigning champ Florida State in the Rose Bowl.
Now, it’s on to the Jan. 12 championship game at Arlington, Texas.
Denied a shot at his fourth national title in six years, Alabama coach Nick Saban has no doubt that Ohio State can hang with the high-scoring Ducks.
“They’re capable of playing with any team in the country,” he said.
Meyer also likes his team’s chances.
“We’re good enough,” he said. “That was a sledgehammer game. That was a classic.”
This is what Meyer had in mind when he took over at Ohio State in 2012, having taken a year off from coaching after leading Florida to a pair of national titles. Coming from the Southeastern Conference, Meyer knew what he had to do. Recruit more speed. Bring a more athletic style to the plodding Big Ten. Turn Columbus into the SEC North.
After just three years on the job, he’s one win away from a national championship. And, for the first time in nine years, the SEC won’t be part of the championship game.
“Maybe the Big Ten is not that bad,” said Meyer, whose team rallied from a 21-6 deficit. “Maybe it’s pretty damn good.”
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