Ohio State made history Monday night, when they beat Oregon 42-20 to become the very first Division I FBS champion in the playoff era. Here are three points I saw as the evening unfolded:

1. Buckeyes take advantage of opportunities

It’s a motto that’s become synonymous with March Madness: All teams want is a chance. Ohio State had an early-season hiccup against Virginia Tech, but instead of adopting an attitude of “Maybe next year,” they rebounded and put up at least 31 points every game for the rest of the season. The Buckeyes developed a trait that’s also usually linked to March Madness: they got hot at the right time, and it showed in the last three games. Even when Ohio State stumbled early against Alabama, and in the second half against Oregon, the Buckeyes didn’t panic like previous teams did in big games under Jim Tressel. All they wanted was a chance to get into the playoff, the committee gave them a spot, and Urban Meyer & company took advantage of that chance.

2. What’s next for Ohio State?

Most fans may not have realized this before recently, but Cardale Jones is a redshirt sophomore, meaning he is eligible to declare for the NFL Draft this spring. Neither he nor Oregon’s Marcus Mariota have announced their future plans yet, but they only have until Thursday to make a decision. Jones only has three career college starts, but as Columbus radio host Mike Ricordati pointed out, all three games were on a national stage, and were followed by confetti celebrations, and the Cleveland excelled in all of them. Also, what about Braxton Miller? The two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year has said multiple times he plans to stay in Columbus for the 2015 season, but is eligible to transfer to another school and not sit out the year (like Russell Wilson did in 2011). The Buckeyes will bring back multiple stars on both sides of the ball, including Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett, Joey Bosa, Darron Lee, and Tyvis Powell. Expect the Buckeyes to be tabbed as favorites next season.

3. ESPN Megacast Works for Big Events

“The Worldwide Leader in Sports” received mostly positive reviews for their approach to broadcasting the 2014 BCS Championship, and brought back the Megacast for Monday’s game. Viewers had multiple options when it came to viewing the events at AT&T Stadium, from the traditional broadcast, to hearing only the natural sounds from Arlington, to seeing the game solely from the Spider-cam. I watched a little bit of Film Room on ESPN2, where Chris Spielman joined several coaches in dissecting every play as it happened live. What I enjoyed was not just the analysis, but also who appeared on the program: new Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi coached against both the Buckeyes and Ducks this season (he was Michigan State’s longtime defensive coordinator); also, Mike Riley, who was at Oregon State but is now the head coach at Nebraska, offered great insight while watching a longtime rival play a potential future rival. As long as they save it for big occasions like a college football championship, ESPN has a winner with the Megacast.

What did you notice that was unique about Monday night? Leave a comment below!