Game Prediction: #4 Ohio State at Minnesota

Ohio State is looking to make a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff as it opens on the road against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 campaign.

The Buckeyes are breaking in a brand new quarterback and Minnesota is looking rebuild around veteran quarterback Tanner Morgan. Ohio State enters as a 14-point favorite in this Big Ten matchup.

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Ohio State 41, Minnesota 17

Ohio State will be starting a quarterback tonight that has never thrown a college football pass (CJ Stroud). In many instances that would be a very difficult reality to overcome when playing a Power 5 team on the road. In this matchup, however, I ultimately don't think it will matter much. Next week it might matter more, but Ohio State should dominate this matchup.

Minnesota seemed to be rowing their boat in a positive direction after head coach PJ Fleck led the Golden Gophers to an 11-2 record and a Top 10 national finish in 2018. He then made the mistake of hiring Mike Sanford to coordinate his offense and we saw Tanner Morgan suffer through a Sanford struggle that looked a lot like what we saw from Jordan Love when Sanford took over his offense in 2019.

The Gophers return all five starting linemen and one of the nation's top backs in Mohamed Ibrahim, but I don't see Minnesota having the firepower in the pass game to force Ohio State to defend the entire field. If I'm wrong about that this game will be much more competitive.

On the flip side, Ohio State's massive offensive line and talented backfield - which returns Master Teague and welcomes elite freshman TreVeyon Henderson - is going against a Minnesota defense that gave up 207.1 yards per game on the ground a season ago. Ohio State is going to punish Minnesota on the ground and Stroud gets to throw to the best one-two receiver punch in the country in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Ohio State 35, Minnesota 17

I am still a believer in the PJ Fleck magic and boat rowing up in the land of 10,000 lakes, but he has a team that could potentially prove me wrong. The problem is he drew Ohio State in game one of the season. We all know Ohio State is starting a new QB in CJ Stroud, but there is plenty of talent around him. I would be a lot more worried if I was a Buckeye fan if they had a tough opener. Unfortunately, Minnesota is not that. I think the Gophers hang around for a bit but Ohio State pulls away late.

SHAUN DAVIS, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Ohio State 34, Minnesota 17

The Buckeyes open the curtains on a new Big Ten campaign, but there’s nothing new about the ability of head coach Ryan Day to coach and develop quarterbacks. His newest signal caller, CJ Stroud, might have limited experience but he is surrounded by weapons at the skill positions and a pretty good offensive line. Sounds like a typical explosive Ohio State offense.

Meanwhile, the oars must have been broken in Minneapolis last season, as there wasn’t much rowing going on. The Gophers rushing attack will be formidable as Mohamed Ibrahim returns, and a game of keep away may be the best chance Minnesota has.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Ohio State 45, Minnesota 20

Ohio State enters the 2021 season with national championship aspirations and visits a Minnesota team focused on proving that their 3-4 record in 2020 was just a Covid-caused blip in the program’s ascent. CJ Stroud will make his first-ever start at QB for the Buckeyes, but he will have plenty of help, as Ohio State boasts arguably the nation’s best receiving corps led by Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, to go along with a strong offensive line. Expect Ryan Day to get Stroud into the flow of the game by establishing the run with RB Master Teague and using short, quick throws to get the ball to his playmakers in space.

The best chance for PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers is to use RB Mohamed Ibrahim to control the clock and limit OSU’s possessions. In just seven games last season, Ibrahim ran for over 1,000 yards, and his 153.7 rushing YPG ranked second in the country. However, there are two giant problems with that strategy – DT Haskell Garrett and DE Zach Harrison, who anchor one of the top defensive lines in the country for Ohio State.

Ultimately, even if Minnesota is able to force Stroud into some early mistakes, the margin for error is so slim for the Gophers as every skill position player for Ohio State has the capability to go the distance every time he touches the ball. Ohio State will use big plays to win this one going away, as they will limit Ibrahim and the running game and force Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan to beat them through the air, playing right into the strength of their dominant pass rush.

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