Chip Kelly firmly believes he has the best offense in college football with Ohio State. With the College Football Playoffs National Championship Game on the horizon, Kelly is brimming with confidence off of his recent success, particularly with the Buckeyes' recent win over Oregon.

Two weeks after Ohio State's win over Oregon, Kelly revealed he told his players that the Ducks “had to stop them with 12” players and could not match up 11-on-11.

“I'll tell you what, it was a unique message to our players, you can't stop us with 11,” Kelly said, via On3 Sports. “You had to stop us with 12. You saw the final results of 11 versus 11. So that was a message to our team for the week leading up to the Rose Bowl that I think resonated really well with our guys.”

Kelly's direct dig at Oregon referenced the regular season matchup between the two teams. Oregon won the Oct. 12 game 32-31 as the direct result of a 12-man penalty on Ohio State's final game-winning drive attempt. Dan Lanning openly admitted that the penalty was on purpose to cede five yards in exchange for the time lost on the play.

Whether the message is truthful or not, it worked. Ohio State blew out Oregon in the rematch, racking up 500 yards of total offense in a 41-21 victory. The Buckeyes' defense was the true difference of the game, as they lived in the backfield, allowing a total of -23 rushing yards.

However, Kelly's Ohio State offense has been stopped by an 11-man team, just not in the playoffs. The Buckeyes are less than two months removed from posting a 10-point dud against Michigan in the regular season finale despite entering the game as 20-point favorites.

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Ohio State football OC Chip Kelly's history with Oregon

Aug 15, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State University football team offensive coordinator Chip Kelly uses three fingers to remind people that Cardale Jones was the number three quarterback when he led the Ohio State team to the championship. Kelly talked with the media Aug. 15, 2024 in the team meeting room.
Mandatory Credit: © Doral Chenoweth / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ironically, Kelly had a decorated history with Oregon long before he landed in Columbus. The 61-year-old spent two seasons as the Ducks' offensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach in 2009. He subsequently rose to fame by bringing the program back to prominence, culminating with a BCS Championship appearance.

Through four years in Eugene, Kelly went a combined 46-7 as Oregon's head football coach. His success led to ensuing short-lived stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. Ultimately, Kelly reverted back to college football, spending six years as the head coach of UCLA before joining Ryan Day's staff in 2024.

Despite his long string of success, a national title continues to elude Kelly. He will get his second chance to achieve that goal on Jan. 20 when Ohio State faces Notre Dame in the College Football Playoffs National Championship Game.