It’s been fun already but there’s still work to do. Ohio State has looked absolutely fantastic so far in the first-ever, 12-team College Football Playoff, good enough to take home the national title.
It won’t be easy though — winning a national championship never is. After dismantling Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon, the Buckeyes are now faced with playing Texas in its own backyard at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. As with any matchup, there are obstacles, unknowns, and breaks that may need to go OSU’s way in order to win and advance. If that happens, Ohio State will be playing for a national title in the next game.
We like to dissect each matchup the OSU team has during the football season and we’re doing the same here. We like where this Buckeye team is and think they’ll come out on top.
Here are five reasons we think Ohio State beats Texas on Friday night in Big D.
Momentum
This team is playing well, very well and it has everything to do with learning from what went wrong against Michigan and sticking with a new mindset. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and head coach Ryan Day are going to swing for the fences with playmakers on the outside, and that’s exactly what should be happening.
The result has been magical on the offensive end of the ball and look for that to continue. There’s a lot of confidence being exuded from quarterback Will Howard and the offensive playmakers and it’s going to be hard to stop if Kelly is dialing up plays that get all of that skill in open space and over the top.
The Defense
Bot Ohio State and Texas have great defenses, but Ohio State has the better of the two. When you go on the road — which is what this game is going to feel like — that travels well. The Longhorns have a solid offense but if you like one team’s chances of shutting the other one down more consistently, it’s Ohio State and its defense rather than what Texas can do.
Now, that doesn’t mean the game plan will unfold like we all think, but if OSU’s defense is playing like it has and Texas is doing what it has over the last part of the season, that’s a big advantage for OSU.
Jeremiah Smith
Sometimes you just have to have the dude to win games and at this point, is there a football player that’s going to cause more issues than the freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith? He has been an absolute terror over the last two games and you can bet he’ll be a big part of the game plan in this one as well.
Even if Texas doubles him (they will), he’ll still have his moments, and when covered, it’ll open up things for Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and backs and tight ends coming open. He’s going to be a problem and it’ll continue to open up the offense.
Will Howard
Will Howard has been a different quarterback during the College Football Playoff. He has been really good this season as it is, but he has played at a different level against Tennessee and Oregon.
Give all the credit to Jeremiah Smith and the wide receivers for getting open, but someone has to deliver the ball in the right spots and on-time, and Howard is doing that and more. He’s thrown for over 300 yards in the first two contests of the playoff, and is playing with a ton of confidence and ability. If he plays like he has so far, you feel pretty good about him outdueling the Texas side.
Ohio against the world
This team is playing with a chip on its shoulder after how the season ended and look for that to continue. The team feels like its Ohio State against everyone else and that’s the mindset that has had the team playing fast and loose. There was something missing with this team, keeping it from hitting the level everyone thought it would, but that seems to be in play now.
The Buckeyes have been able to get out to quick starts and jump on very good and athletic teams because of bottling all of that up and coming out with their hair on fire. Look for that to continue against Texas. If it does, it’s lights out in Jerry’s World.
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