Alabama is set to take on Ohio State on Monday. What’s at stake? A national title. If the Crimson Tide can pull of a victory, it will move Nick Saban ahead of former coach Paul “Bear” Bryant for most national championships.
But Alabama has to win, and the Buckeyes will not roll over easily. In order to get some insight into the mentality of Ohio State fans going into this game, Roll Tide Wire brought in Buckeyes Wire managing editor Phil Harrison.
He gave an excellent breakdown of where things are at with the opposing team’s fan base, and what we can expect from Ryan Day’s squad. Check it out below.
It’s always interesting to get a perspective from the opposing team and its fanbase, especially for a game of this magnitude. As confident and vocal as OSU fans are on social media, I’ll give you the real scoop here. The Buckeyes will have to play their best game of the season to walk out of Miami with its ninth national title in program history.
In short, Alabama is — well, Alabama. The Crimson Tide is what every other college football program is chasing, current Ohio State company included. The list of programs in a better spot in the sport right now than the Buckeye one is a very, very short one. Maybe Clemson (though that narrative might be changing), a wink towards Oklahoma (not quite), but definitely the program residing in Tuscaloosa qualifies.
So, it’s no wonder many OSU fans are leery of this matchup. They’ve all seen the type of offense that will be lying in wait down in South Florida. They’ve seen the athletes up and down the roster. It’s one of the few teams in the country that might have a little better talent than the one in Columbus. Buckeye nation feels pretty good about how the team is playing and its chance of pulling off another upset, but again, it is Alabama.
You can make a case that Ohio State is a slightly better program historically when you match up all the Heisman winners, All-Americans, NFL draft picks, etc., but there is no question who is the king of college football right now.
Make no mistake, OSU and its fans are happy and excited to be in this game again for the first time since the end of the 2014 season, and there is confidence, but there is also a ton of respect at the challenge on the doorstep.
There’s no doubt that Ohio State is considered one of college football’s premier programs. The Buckeyes are always in the mix for Big Ten championships, national titles, first-round draft picks, big-time recruiting prospects and more.
Stay tuned for more insight from Harrison on the upcoming game!
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]