It. Is. Finally. Here.
Ohio State and Alabama had different journeys on their way to the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami on Monday night, but both have the skill, ability and coaching to pull it all off.
Most experts and wise guys have the Crimson Tide taking care of business in South Florida when it’s all said and done, but we’ve seen the script rewritten before by this OSU program.
As with any game of this magnitude, it’s sure to provide its share of big moments, huge plays and jaw-dropping memories we’ll relive for years.
We’re doing our best to predict five bold moments you might see from these two blue-bloods Monday night. That means we’re stretching a bit, but we did the same against Clemson and got three out of the five correct, so, hopefully, that gives us a wee bit of clout (now we’ll probably go 0-for-5).
Five bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game:
NEXT … Justin Fields will go for over 400 yards through the air
Justin Fields will build on the Clemson game, passing for over 400 yards
A performance that will live forever in Ohio State lore.@justnfields was on another level in the Sugar Bowl.#GoBuckeyes #Fight pic.twitter.com/RS1BxBmbe8
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) January 8, 2021
I know, I know, that’s a big number, but stay with me here. Justin Fields already threw for 385 yards against Clemson, and that’s a team that has been better in the secondary than what we’ve seen this year from Alabama. The way you move the ball against this Crimson Tide team is by throwing first to set up the run, and it’s going to be a high-volume passing game for Fields.
He has a ton of confidence, has the ability, and with Chris Olave still on the field for this one, there’s going to be a lot of yards available for the OSU offense. I mean, these are bold predictions right?
NEXT … DeVonta Smith will be held under 100 yards receiving
DeVonta Smith will be held under 100 yards receiving
Mr. Heisman @DeVontaSmith_6 pic.twitter.com/PBzFc0ItLY
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 6, 2021
We did say these are bold predictions right?
Everyone expects Heisman winner DeVonta Smith to have himself one whale of a game against an Ohio State secondary that’s given up a ton of yards and big plays through the air. Lost in all of that though is that the Buckeye secondary has slowly been getting better.
The Buckeyes will bracket Smith and not let him shake loose as much, keeping him in front of the safeties and it’ll pay dividends. Shaun Wade will rise to the challenge and come up big, holding Smith to under 100 yards.
NEXT … Alabama will be held to under 120 yards total on the ground
Ohio State will slow the running game for the Crimson Tide
Najee Harris: Best Running Back in College Football. @ohthatsNajee22 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/lENulr5NyH
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 8, 2021
The Buckeyes aren’t going to be able to stop the Alabama offense, but it can do some things to slow it down. One of those ways is to put an emphasis on the running game. Ohio State’s strength on defense is locking down opponent’s rushing attacks, and it’s not about to get away from its identity at this point.
Alabama running back Najee Harris and the offensive line can be a handful, but the OSU front seven will win the battle at the line of scrimmage and fill gaps to keep the Tide under 120 total yards on the ground.
NEXT … Neither team will make the 40-point mark
The game is going to be lower scoring than everyone thinks. Neither team scores 40.
Almost showtime. #CFBPlayoff x #RollTide x #GoBuckeyes @AlabamaFTBL @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/RGsEiorDfz
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) January 11, 2021
Most of the experts and analysts agree this game is going to be high-scoring. Both teams have given up yards and points through the season, and with both offenses being in the top five in the country, fireworks are expected.
However, with over a week to prepare, and with what we saw from Ohio State’s defense against Clemson, the game will be lower scoring than most think. So much so that neither team will reach the 40-point mark.
NEXT … Garrett Wilson will have over 150 yards receiving
Garrett Wilson will be the main target and go for over 150 yards receiving
Garrett Wilson is ELITE by the way 😳 pic.twitter.com/LvYoQ2zHld
— Barstool OSU (@BarstoolOSU) January 2, 2021
Alabama is not going to let Chris Olave beat it over the top. A safety will more often be rolled over to his side, and that strategy will open the field for slot receiver Garrett Wilson.
Wilson will take advantage of open space and a better matchup with a defensive back not named Patrick Surtain. He’ll be open underneath and in the seams a lot, and Fields will find him for a big day to the tune of over 150 yards receiving.
Five reasons Ohio State will beat Alabama in the College Football Playoff national championship game
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