Ohio State reigned supreme in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame on its road to glory. Like most things in college sports right now,

Texas will travel to Arlington for the Cotton Bowl, with a spot in the national championship on the line. Who they play next remains to be seen.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are enjoying their national championship as much as they can, but it didn't take long for the rest of the country to turn their attention to next season. The Buckeyes have already lost Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator and could see Chip Kelly depart as well.

The 11 College Football Playoff games averaged 15.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, as audiences increased during each round.

We're into the college football offseason — albeit only in January — but it's time to continue NCAA.com's way-too-early preview of the season. I've already revealed way-too-early Heisman contenders and a way-too-early top-25 ranking,

Let's take a look back at Sports Illustrated's best images and coverage from the Buckeyes' championship night.