we want to be in camp without this being a topic of conversation,

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ohio State was done when Braxton Miller got hurt in August. Fake Saints Jerseys .Ohio State was done when it lost at home to Virginia Tech in September.Ohio State was done when J.T. Barrett got hurt in November.A funny thing happened: Every time the Buckeyes looked done, they kept getting better. And in the new era of college football, that was enough to earn a chance to win a championship.They took advantage of an opportunity they never would have had in the BCS, shrugging off questions about if they belonged among the college footballs final four. Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and the Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff national championship, upsetting Marcus Mariota and Oregon 42-20 on Monday night.Behind their bullish backup quarterback Jones and the relentless running of Elliott, the Buckeyes (14-1) completed a remarkable in-season turnaround with a dominating performance against the Ducks (13-2).Late August, around camp, everybody counted us out when our Heisman Trophy quarterback went down, and then when the first college football playoff rankings came out we was like No. 16 or 17, Jones said. Long story short, we werent supposed to here.Ohio State began the first major college football playoff as the fourth and final seed, and was an underdog against both top-seeded Alabama and second-seeded Oregon. Plenty of people thought TCU or Baylor should have had the Buckeyes spot.No question about it now: Ohio State is the truest champion big-time football has ever crowned, showered by golden confetti as its band played the schools unofficial anthem, Hang on Sloopy, after the clock hit 0:00.This will go down as one of the great stories in college football history, coach Urban Meyer said.The Buckeyes overcame two injured Heisman contenders and one awful 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech to win their first national title since the 2002 BCS championship. In the BCS, the early slip to the Hokies could have pretty much eliminated the Buckeyes for the championship race.Before the BCSs 16-year stint, it was up to The Associated Press and coaches polls to sort out which team was best, with a little help from the bowls. The Buckeyes have three of those championships, too.Now they can add college footballs newest championship trophy to the display cases at Woody Hayes Athletic Center back in Columbus.Meyer now has three titles, adding this one for his home state team to the two he won for Florida. He matches Alabamas Nick Saban as the only coaches to win national championship at two schools. Its taken just three seasons for Meyer to put the Buckeyes — and the Big Ten — back on top, with a team that looks built to last.Elliott, a sophomore, was the offensive MVP and ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 36 carries. In the last three games — the Big Ten championship against Wisconsin, the Sugar Bowl semifinal against Alabama and the final against Oregon — Elliott had 696 yards rushing.With all the stuff we went through to get here, its just crazy, Elliott said. It doesnt feel real.Jones, who took over in the Michigan game for the injured Barrett (who had taken over at the start of the season for the injured Miller), passed for 242 yards and a touchdown and ran for score in his third career start. The 250-pound third-year sophomore proved he could keep up with Mariota — at least on this night.Mariota passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns, but the Ducks warp-speed spread offence missed too many red-zone opportunities and couldnt unleash its running game against linebacker Darron Lee and an Ohio State front seven stacked with future NFL draft picks.We fought through a lot of stuff, Mariota said. We ended up short tonight, but that shouldnt take away from what we were able to do this year.Even with the benefit of four Ohio State turnovers, the Ducks were held to their lowest point total of the season, four touchdowns below their average coming in. They went 2 for 12 on third downs, with two killed dropped passes in the first half.Their front seven is unbelievable, Oregon receiver Byron Marshall said. I think we missed some opportunities, and they played a great game.Oregon has done just about everything as it has blossomed into a national power over the last two decades, but it will likely continue the search for its first national championship without Mariota. Barring a major surprise, the junior is likely to turn pro — though he wouldnt talk about his upcoming draft decision after the game.Elliott scored the games last three touchdowns, finishing off the rout with a 1-yarder with 28 seconds left.While Elliott slipped and darted through the Ducks, Jones pushed them around and shook them off.When Jones surged and spun his way into the end zone with 4:49 left in the second quarter it was 21-7 Ohio State and the O! H! I! O! chant made the dome in North Texas sound like the horseshoe in Columbus. The Ducks were facing their largest deficit of the season.If there was any concern that fans wouldnt travel to the championship game in the new post-season system, the packed house at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, awash in Buckeyes scarlet and Ducks yellow, put that to rest. The crowd of 85,689 was as charged as any BCS national championship game.But by the time Elliott went in from 2 yards out with 9:44 left in the fourth to make it 35-20 it was clear this night had turned into a Buckeyes Bash.___Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/RalphDrussoAP Stitched Saints Jerseys . Berkman almost left the game last off-season before signing with the Texas Rangers. He then had another injury-plagued season and was limited to 73 games. New Orleans Saints Pro Shop .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ . The NFLs Defensive Rookie of the Year will be named at the NFL Honours Award show on February 1. The 23-year-old 2013 second-rounder out of Oregon becomes the third Bills linebacker to win the honour after Jim Haslett (1979) and Shane Conlan (1987. TORONTO -- CFL president Michael Copeland says the ongoing labour dispute between the league and its players could prevent the regular season from starting on time. The 2014 campaign is scheduled to open June 26. But the league and CFL Players Association are at an impasse and a potential players strike threatens the season starting as planned. "Of course theres concern (about regular season starting as scheduled)," Copeland, who is also the leagues COO, said Monday. "I dont think we could be at this point in training camp and not be concerned. "But at the same time Id say Im hopeful because I believe in the strength of our offer. I think when the players have some more time with it, theyll realize its good for them to. Im hoping that can be basis of an agreement." CFLPA president Scott Flory didnt return two telephone messages Monday. The two sides havent met since Thursday. Copeland said no new talks were scheduled as of Monday afternoon. However, according to TSN, the CFLPA tabled a new four-year offer late Monday that was rejected by the league. The proposal reduced its salary cap demand from $5.8 million to $5.2 million, TSN said. The players also reportedly amended their revenue protection clause where it would have the right to renegotiate the cap in league revenues increased by $12 million in the third year of the deal. The players increased that figure to $18 million, according to TSN. The CFL and players met for more than 17 hours over two days last week. Both the union and the league tabled offers that were rejected by the other side. Training camps opened as scheduled Sunday but a players strike remains a strong possibility. Strike ballots have already been sent out but due to Alberta labour laws, the players wont be able to strike en masse until next week. Copeland said the league would welcome the resumption of talks as long as the "best and final offer" the CFL presented last week was the basis for discussion. "As we said to the executive, were certainly not closed to talking but it has to be talk thats within the parameters of the proposed agreement that we put on the table," Copeland said. &"By all means, if the PA executive wants to dig into that a little bit deeper, wants clarification of certain aspects of it, wants to make suggestions based on the framework of that offer then were open to listening to them. New Orleans Saints Shirts. ." In its most recent proposal, the players association called for a $5.8-million salary cap increasing three per cent annually with a $4.8-million minimum. That was down from its original demand of a $6.24-million ceiling and $5.84-million floor. Last year, the CFL operated with a $4.4-million cap. The union also wants a $15,000 ratification bonus for veterans and just one weekly padded practice during the season while maintaining its original position on pre-season and playoff compensation as well as pensions. It would like the elimination of the option year from CFL contracts, except for new players, and independent neurologists on the sidelines during games. The leagues offer calls for a $5-million salary cap (up from $4.8 million) and boosts the average player salary to $96,000 (up from $92,917 in its original offer). It also calls for ratification bonuses of $5,000 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies. The CFL contends the players salary cap proposal excludes benefits, pensions, pre-season and post-season monies as well as ratification bonuses. If those are included, the league argues, the cap would be well more than $6 million in the first year and result in six of the nine teams losing money. The CFLPA has also amended its stance on revenue sharing. Instead of wanting specific percentages of gross revenues, sponsorships and gate money, the players proposed allowing for a fixed cap for at least two years. After the second, if league revenues increased by more than $12 million -- excluding the Grey Cup -- the two sides would renegotiate the cap or the CBA would be terminated at seasons end. Under the leagues proposal, the salary cap would be renegotiated if its revenues increased by $27 million or more in the third year of the deal. "We want to get a deal done, we want to be in camp without this being a topic of conversation," said Copeland. "We want to focus on football." ' ' '