Five Reasons Why Ohio State Will Win
On the last day of 2020, an Ohio State victory over Clemson did not seem very likely. Dabo Swinney wouldn’t even put the Buckeyes in his top 10, let alone the College Football Playoff.
Less than two weeks later, the college football world is scoffing at the notion of another Ohio State earthquake against Alabama, which has barely broken a sweat all season.
But since they’re going to play the game, anyway, here are five reasons why it won’t turn out the way you think it will.
1—The 2020 Mystery Factor
We know how great Alabama is. It has handled every challenge, given no reason to think Nick Saban won’t be shuffling his trophy case to make room for his seventh national championship. We don’t know nearly as much about Ohio State, which even now has only played half a normal season—and didn’t look all that good against its most accomplished regular-season opponents, Indiana and Northwestern. Before the Clemson game, it wasn’t clear if the Buckeyes would play well enough to answer critics that they didn’t deserve a playoff berth. Ohio State’s stock has soared since then. Has it peaked? We’ll find out tonight.
2—Justin Fields is a Man on a Mission
Everything, of course, depends on Justin Fields being healthy enough to perform after that nasty shot to the ribs he took in the Clemson game. If he’s not, Roll Tide. That said, there are two reasons for optimism. First, he played exceptionally well against Clemson AFTER the injury. Second, Fields has an iron will. Before the season, it looked like there would be no Big Ten. He had to filibuster like a senator to help re-open that door. Oh, and by the way, while Alabama may have a big talent edge in a bunch of places, quarterback is not one of them. And quarterback is a great place to start. Plus, no one is arguing that this is a great Alabama defense.
3—The Buckeyes Defensive Line Will Fluster Mac Jones
Again, everything depends on rumors that Covid-19 will deplete the Ohio State defensive line being overstated. And while it looks like some D-linemen will be out, it’s also possible that a couple of guys who missed the Clemson game will return. While there’s no doubt, that Mac Jones has had a magical season, it’s also true that no defense has put much pressure on him. Can the Buckeyes’ pass rush do that against Alabama’s outstanding offensive line? It will take a herculean combination of effort and scheming to happen. That’s the key matchup of this championship game..
4—Rat Poison
Ask Nick Saban what he fears more than the most fearsome opponent and he’s likely to tell you, “Rat poison!’’ And the Crimson Tide has had enough of it since New Year’s Day to fill a warehouse. Heck, DeVonta Smith, (Heisman Trophy and Biletnikoff Award); Mac Jones (Davey O’Brien); Najee Harris, (Doak Walker); Alex Leatherwood (Outland) and Landon Dickerson (Rimington) have received enough stuff to open a hardware store. And everything they watch, hear and read is telling them they are the greatest. Alabama is mature enough to handle that. Still, Ohio State is on the outside, looking in and craving that. Big-time.
5—Perfect Ending to an Imperfect Season
Yes, this has been the strangest season on record. Could there be a more fitting way to end it than to have a team that played only six games before the playoff emerge as the national champion? And how about Ohio State, the last team to break the SEC/Clemson national championship stranglehold, in 2014(!), doing it again with another improbable win over Alabama?
FINAL ANALYSIS: Everything we know says Alabama will roll. But in this sawed-off season, there’s even more room for an epic surprise. And besides, this is college football, where ``everything we know’’ often doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 39, Alabama 38