Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Rutgers

2. Big time players make big time plays… and Rutgers doesn’t have anyone who fits the part.

Pulling off an upset means that a few things have to go your way against the greater opponent. As the underdog, the odds are stacked against you so any slight edge you can get in any facet of the game will give way to an opportunity get the upper hand.

One of the things that can sway the odds of the game into a team’s favor would be the presence of players with game changing skills/talent. These are players that can manipulate a game with their superior play regardless of the opponent.

An example of this can be found in the Buckeyes’ season opener. After being questionable to play in his team’s first game, Indiana’s star receiver Simmie Cobbs took the field. He is by far their best offensive player and completely exploited the Bucks’ inexperienced secondary for a sizable chunk of the game. Cobbs tore up the Bucks to a tune of 11 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown catch in the first half boosted the Hoosiers to a 14-6 lead. The Bucks eventually pulled away but his impact alone was enough to allow the Hoosiers to compete against a much greater opponent.

Unfortunately for Rutgers, they may not have that type of player to combat the Bucks this weekend. Typically if a team can sport a couple select players then they can pull it together but it doesn’t look like the case here.

On the other side, the Bucks have a few players that could fit this role. One name that immediately comes to mind is J.K. Dobbins. His speed and lateral quickness with the ball in his hands is something that would do wonders for any team.

J.T. Barrett is another one of those guys. It wouldn’t be surprising if many don’t agree with that statement but the fact is that there are not many quarterbacks out there right now that can do the things he can. It would be interesting to see how much better he would be regarded if he was playing for a different team.

The third one is Parris Campbell. He’s already shown off his lightning speed a few times this season. His mechanics as a receiver and runner will improve over time to polish his position as a skill player but his athleticism is unmatched.

The Bucks also had one last year that surely every team in the nation became aware of in Curtis Samuel. He was clearly one of the most versatile players in college football last season if not the most versatile. It just wouldn’t be right to talk about players of this skill level without mentioning his name.

If Rutgers were to pull off any heroics in this game then it would be through some top tier talent in the skill positions. This would be especially true in this match up against the Bucks considering their defense is rebuilding in some key areas that they could exploit with speed. Expect the Bucks to easily account for Rutgers’ limited offensive capability.