3 reasons Ohio State wins the CFP Championship over Alabama
By Alec Hartman
2. The Buckeyes’ offense will continue to be unpredictable.
Having a team that is overloaded with talent allows for several bags of tricks when needed the most. That is exactly what the Buckeyes had planned to do in this playoff run and it paid dividends in the CFP semi-final. The Buckeyes scored two touchdowns in the first half via passing to tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Luke Farrell who were seemingly forgotten about for a large portion of the season.
The same can be said for the lack of production from Trey Sermon and the run game until now when it matters most. The Buckeyes have managed to hide their strong suits until they were most necessary and there has been no time better than right now. It is only natural for teams with fantastic talent pools such as Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson to hold onto their best cards until tournament play. The Buckeyes had no reason to deploy their greatest arsenal until the grand finale.
It is hard to imagine the Buckeyes have much left up their sleeve after two impressive displays of greatness in cunning fashion but the team has given no reason to believe anything less to be expected in the championship. The moment Jameson Williams, who has caught just eight passes all year, was hit on a classic home run ball for a 45 yard touchdown then it was clear the Buckeyes’ arsenal had come full circle. Of course, receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson figure to make their presence known in this game.
One part of the Buckeyes’ offense that doesn’t get nearly enough credit is the greatness of their own offensive line. Fields has gotten hit quite a bit and sacked during this season but their run blocking is impeccable. Yes, Trey Sermon has looked graceful as ever striding down the field for big gains but a large part of that has to do with blocking. The line has created significant creases for Sermon to run through.
Sermon’s vision and balance is something that not many running backs can match. He does not look to have that breakaway speed or ability to run somebody over but he makes up for it by taking advantage of every bit of open space in front of him. It will be the play of the offensive line that will have the greatest impact if the Buckeyes are to come through with another victory.
The stardom of Justin Fields has been hindered by a limited number of games and let down performances in two games. He hasn’t had nearly as many opportunities to pad his stats as the Heisman finalists which ended up leaving him on the outside looking in. There is no better way to make up for being snubbed from being a Heisman finalist than to stick it to two finalists in the same game. Crimson Tide players Mac Jones and Devonta Smith were Heisman finalists with Smith winning the trophy.
The Crimson Tide defense once again remains solid as they are just outside the top ten in scoring defense. However, they are not unbeatable as their total defense is outside the top 20. Their rushing defense ranks about as good as Clemson’s within the top 15 but their passing defense is dreadful ranking outside the top 70.
This game looks to be a shootout with both teams possessing a plethora of weapons on offense. As always, games like this tend to come down to who has the least turnovers once the clock hits zero. The Buckeyes have the advantage in turnover margin statistically which bodes well for their chances. There should be no hesitation for the Buckeyes to fire away at a Crimson Tide defense that can be had. Once the smoke clears, expect the Buckeyes to come out on top as Justin Fields wins the day over Mac Jones.