In 1939, Ohio State and Oregon played each other for the first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball national championship, with the latter winning 46-33. Those two schools will be part of history again on Monday night, when the Buckeyes and Ducks meet in the first FBS playoff championship game in Arlington, Texas.

With 2014 being the first year of this new playoff, it has been a win for college football, and a win for both schools. If the BCS was still around, many analysts argue, Alabama & Florida State would’ve likely played each other for the title, with OSU & Oregon watching. After the semifinal results on New Year’s Day, it’s the other way around, and all eyes will be on AT&T Stadium for the first chapter in a new era of the sport.

Even with the semifinal spots meaning four teams have a championship shot instead of two, the Buckeyes were still on the outside looking in until the first weekend of December. In his first career start, Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 rout over Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Championship. Jones followed that performance by overcoming several first-half mistakes to help Ohio State beat Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl. In the regular season, J.T. Barrett proved his ability to overcome adversity himself after struggling in a Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech, leading the Buckeyes to another solid season before his injury against Michigan.

Oregon also had a “make-or-break the season” moment during their run to North Texas. After opening the year 4-0, the Ducks hit a road block in Arizona, losing 31-24 at home to the Wildcats. After righting the ship with a road win at UCLA, Oregon largely cruised to a Pac-12 title, crushing the Wildcats in the conference championship game. After a tense first half in the Rose Bowl against Florida State, the Ducks went to a higher gear in the second half both offensively and defensively. Oregon didn’t have any quarterback controversies throughout the season, with Heisman winner Marcus Mariota providing a steady presence in his third year as the signal-caller.

There are several big stories to follow in the build-up to Monday’s game. Mark Helfrich is in his second season as Oregon head coach; Ohio State knows the “second-year success” superstition well. It worked for Paul Brown in 1942, for Jim Tressel in 2002, and it worked for Urban Meyer with Florida in 2006, at the Buckeyes’ expense. The Ducks will be fired up to win a championship after coming close in 2010, only to lose a defensive battle with Auburn.

Ohio State, meanwhile, will want to continue erasing the negative perception of not just their program, but of the Big Ten in general. They are in their first championship game since the nightmares against Florida and LSU, and were the only Big Ten team to make the title game in the BCS years. The Buckeyes’ key goal will be to compete with the Ducks for all four quarters; the game will likely be decided by what happens when Oregon has the ball.

More superstitions that might work in Oregon’s favor: Ohio State will wear their home scarlet jerseys Monday night. The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four postseason games when donning scarlet, while some of their biggest moments this century have come when wearing white jerseys. Also, Mariota is keen to continue the trend of Heisman winners being victorious in their ensuing postseason games.

On the other hand, Ohio State is undefeated all-time against the Ducks, including two Rose Bowls (1958 & 2010), and are feeling confident after beating the SEC champions. The Buckeyes were contenders for the title in both 1998 and 2013 – the first and last years of the BCS era – before losing late in the season. In the first year of the playoff, an early-season loss was disappointing, but didn’t derail their hopes.

College football will win on Monday, no matter the outcome. This game looks like it will be a classic, as all championships should be.