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| Who will be left standing after this game, Ohio St or Alabama? |
It is a battle of two heavyweights between Ohio St (12-1) against Alabama (12-1)
By: Michael Hanley
Game Info
Date: December 31, 2014
Time: 8:30 PM EST
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: ESPN
Ohio St
The Buckeyes defended what the word adversity means with the season they have had so far this season. Even before this current season got started, the Buckeyes got hit with their first piece of adversity with their star quarterback Braxton Miller being out for the season with a serious shoulder injury.
That forced J.T Barrett to step in and guide the team. He did an incredible job as he guided the Buckeyes to one win after another until his injury against Michigan. Barrett suffered a fractured ankle that required season ending surgery. This was hard to watch for a young man who had done such a terrific job in being a winner and leader for this Ohio State team.
Many people were questioning if this meant the end of the Buckeyes goal of making it into the college football playoff. Cardale Jones stepped in for the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin and put on an all worldly performance.
He was flawless as he showed off his strong arm and mobility throughout the game that completely overwhelmed the Badgers. Ohio St cruised to victory and now arrive in New Orleans ready to take that next step toward a national championship.
Alabama
The Crimson Tide was not without facing adversity either in their season. They were defeated at the hands of Ole Miss in a game that they made uncharacteristic mistakes that help contribute to the Rebels pulling off the upset win.That defeat through only galvanized the team and made them be more focused on the little details in each game and carry a focused and determined attitude from each game after that Ole Miss game.
They wound up running the table the rest of their schedule, including defeating an over matched Missouri Tigers team 42-13 in the SEC Championship game. The Tide were led by quarterback Blake Sims who proved to be a great leader and master of this offense as he made big play after big play to help the team secure a victory or help when the team was trailing and needed a spark.
He wound up passing for 3,250 yards which included 26 touchdown passes and only 7 interceptions, a remarkable TD:INT ratio that is. It did not hurt that he had Amari Cooper as he go to wide receiver in key situations.
If it was not for Oregon's Marcus Mariota's brilliant season, the star wide receiver for the Crimson Tide would have won the Heisman Trophy, that is how great of a season he has had. He wound up having 115 receptions for 1.656 yards and 14 touchdowns, remarkable numbers to put up in the rough and tumble SEC.
Prediction
Alabama's defense, though not a vintage Saban defense, has made strides enough that they could confuse and really get allot of pressure on Jones of Ohio State, which could make for him to make some bad decisions with the football.
That could lead to some turnovers that tilt the game in the Crimson Tide's favor. I do not think the Buckeyes can make this enough of a high scoring game that they can outlast Alabama.
The likes of Sims and Cooper on that Alabama offense will be too much for the Ohio State defense to slow down let alone shutdown. I say Alabama wins 31-20.
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