No. 1 Alabama Vs No. 4 Ohio State
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes meet for the first time since the 1995 Citrus Bowl as the two stories programs square off in the Sugar Bowl as part of the first ever College Football Playoff. This will be the third time Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have matched wits against each other after meeting in the 2008 and 2009 SEC Championship Game with each owning a win against the other. This is the fifth Sugar Bowl appearance for Saban who is 2-2 and the second for Meyer who won his only appearance in 2009.
More from College Football
- Colorado gives Pac-12 a possible death knell with move to Big 12
- Jim Harbaugh facing 4-game suspension over NCAA violations
- College football neutral site games in 2023: Full list
- College GameDay announces surprise Week 1 destination
- College football analyst warns Oklahoma that Texas is doing better prep for SEC
Date: Jan. 1, 2015
Start time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: New Orleans, LA
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
TV info: ESPN
Live stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Alabama broadcast here. Ohio State broadcast here.
Keys to Victory
This game could be a tale of two quarterbacks with Blake Sims improving every game for Alabama and finishing behind only Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota in total quarterback rating with an 88.5 mark while Ohio State will start Cardale Jones who will make his second career start. If Ohio State is going to win the Sugar Bowl and advance to play the winner of the Rose Bowl matchup between Oregon and Florida State, Jones will have to find a way to beat the Tide through the air.
Bama Hammer
Alabama has the No. 58 ranked pass defense, allowing 223.7 yards passing per game, so if Jones gets time to throw he can find Devin Smith, Michael Thomas and the Buckeye receivers deep where they’ve been vulnerable of late.
In the last four games, Alabama has allowed 13 completions of 25 yards or more compared to only three in the first nine games. Ohio State has to get big plays in the pass game, because yards on the ground could be at a premium against the No. 1 rush defense of Alabama.
Ezekiel Elliott has run for 1,402 yards and 12 touchdowns this season and has had success against similarly stout run defenses in the regular season. Against Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin, all of whom ranked in the top 16 rush defenses, Elliott averaged 151 yards per game and had seven touchdowns in the four games.
Scarlet and Game
The formula for Alabama remains the same as its ever been and that starts with running the football and stopping the run. T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry should be involved early and throughout the game against the No. 35 rush defense of the Buckeyes who allow an average of 139.85 yards per game.
Ohio State will need a big game from defensive end Joey Bosa and the rest of the defensive line to force Sims into third and long situations and put pressure on Sims to throw into the Buckeyes No. 15 ranked pass defense.
Amari Cooper has a season for the ages as a record-breaking receiver for Alabama, but he faces a secondary similar to that of Ole Miss and LSU who limited Cooper to nine catches for 91 yards and eight for 83 and a touchdown, respectively.
Sure, those are good numbers but pale in comparison to the 134.7 he averaged in the other 11 games this year. Further, Alabama lost to Ole Miss and needed a late score to force overtime where they would beat LSU, so if Cooper doesn’t have a monster game, the Tide can be had.
Betting Odds
Point spread: AL -9
Moneyline: 282
Over/Under: 58.5
Prediction
An inexperienced quarterback in Jones who enters the Sugar Bowl against the No. 4 scoring defense of Alabama and against Nick Saban who had extra time to gameplan for the Buckeye offense is the difference in this game.
If J.T. Barrett didn’t get injured in the Michigan game I think this would be a much closer game and Ohio State would have been capable of pulling the upset, but I don’t think they’ll be able to make enough plays on offense to match scores with Sims, Cooper, Yeldon and Henry.
Meyer will have his team ready to play and the first half will be within 7-10 points, but I think Alabama pulls away in the second half and gets a big play or two from Cooper to put the game away and send Alabama on their way to the national championship game and make Ohio State 0-4 against Alabama.
Final Score: Alabama: 34, Ohio State: 24
Next: College Football's Top 25 Rivalry Games
More from FanSided
- Caesars + BetMGM Promos: Four Chances to Win Betting on the Women’s World Cup
- MLB trade grades: Angels-White Sox deal takes Shohei Ohtani off the table
- Justin Jefferson taking on new role with Vikings offense
- Astros, Rangers benches clear after Adolis Garcia grand slam
- Jonathan Taylor’s agent shades Jim Irsay after Colts owner comments on RBs