An ode to Cardale Jones and a 3-game run for the ages
Many were quick to write-off Ohio State when Braxton Miller went down in August, then again when J.T. Barrett got hurt in the regular-season finale.
But the Buckeyes had an ace up their sleeve.
In his first two games as Ohio State's starting quarterback, Cardale Jones, the third-string quarterback known best for a foolish tweet, led the Buckeyes to victories in the Big Ten title game, and the Sugar Bowl.
Even still, he entered Monday night's title game with plenty to prove.
"Everybody sees him as a two-game starter," Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman said this week, according to Chris Low of ESPN. "But when Cardale came to Ohio State, this is fully what he expected to be. When you expect that, meeting those expectations doesn't surprise you. This isn't a shock to him."
Jones, whose accomplishments in his first two career starts rival that of any player in history, wasn't satisfied.
Jones said it was "frigging weird" that people thought he played great in the team's 42-35 Sugar Bowl win against Alabama.
"All you guys see are the numbers and the big plays," Jones said this week, according to Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports. "I missed a couple of easy throws that would have kept drives alive... I didn't even grade out a Champion.”
Late Monday, Jones became nothing less than a champion, leading the Buckeyes to glory with a 42-20 win over Oregon for the program's eighth national title.
ESPN's Heather Cox asked Jones about his journey from third-string quarterback to star after the game.
"It's a dream come true, but it's still an unreal feeling," Jones said. "Looking at all this confetti fall... it's just an unreal feeling."
Through three career starts, Jones has wins in the Big Ten title game, the Sugar Bowl, and the National Championship game.
Even so, he'll enter training camp in the summer having to compete to earn the starting job.
Whether he wins that battle or not, he'll always be a champion.