Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will destroy UNLV

4. The Rebels will be lost in unfamiliar territory on the road against the Bucks.

Familiarity between opponents is a factor worth mentioning as it pertains to how one team can match up with another. In this case, the UNLV Rebels have never played against the Buckeyes. The last time the Rebels played against a Big Ten team was in 2015 where they lost to the Wolverines in Ann Arbor 28-7.

One thing that gets overlooked in every season of every sport is that difference between in conference match ups and out of conference match ups. This difference is important because teams within the conference that have almost annual match ups against each other have a good idea of how to combat each side’s approach.

This explains why many upsets occur when one team is seemingly far inferior to the other. The superior team may have greater talent and more skill but the opposition still has their number because the coaching and the offensive/defensive schemes remained the same. Out of conference opponents don’t have this advantage.

All of this goes without mentioning that game planning against Urban Meyer is one of the most difficult things to do in football as it is. With so many weapons to choose from, Meyer may be able to get everyone involved in this one.

Mix all of this with playing on the road in Ohio Stadium across the country from home and that spells trouble for the Rebels. The Rebels will have to pull together a serious heroic effort in order to give themselves a shot against the Buckeyes on Saturday. Expect the Bucks to bring out a variety of looks as well in this game to soundly defeat the Rebels.