National Championship Game: 5 keys to victory for Ohio State beating Alabama
By John Buhler
The Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship.
Ryan Day’s No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are more than a touchdown underdog vs. Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 National Championship game on a neutral site.
Ohio State football fans may be happy to be here because very few people outside of Columbus saw the Buckeyes stunning the No. 2 Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl. As for Alabama football fans, it is all about winning another national title en route to a perfect season. But what if I told you there was a way Ohio State could shock the No. 1 team in the country on Monday night?
Ohio State’s 5 keys to victory over Alabama
5. Ryan Day will have to coach the game of his life
Let’s be real. Ohio State will be at a coaching disadvantage in this game. While that is not to say Day is run-of-the-mill head coach by any means, but he is going up against the greatest head coach of his generation. Day is coming off his best coaching performance over Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team in the Sugar Bowl. He will need a repeat performance to win down in Miami.
4. Ohio State cannot fall behind early
Ohio State can hang tough in a shootout vs. Alabama. The Buckeyes can also muddy it up a bit and play a low-scoring game if need be. But what cannot happen for Ohio State if the Buckeyes want to win its second national title in the College Football Playoff era is fall behind early. If Day’s team is forced to play catch-up, the Buckeyes do not have extra gear to keep pace with Alabama.