Meredith Hein
Guest
Bold Predictions: A close halftime margin and a New Year’s surprise
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Plus more bold predictions for tonight’s CFP matchup against Georgia.
Before each Ohio State game this year, LGHL is going to bring you some “bold predictions”. This will include somewhere a few hot takes for the game, whether it be passing yards, points scored, sacks, or some other things that we could see happening during the game.
We’d love to hear your bold predictions. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your bold predictions in the comments.
Ohio State has a halftime lead
Ohio State is entering the game as a 6.5-point underdog to the Bulldogs, so a first-half lead might come as a surprise especially given what we saw in games like Maryland and Penn State when the Buckeyes needed a second-half surge to secure the W. However, the Buckeyes are third in the nation in first-half points on the season (22.6 per game) and they do have the weapons to jump ahead early.
With a strong defense that’s able to make adjustments, Georgia has allowed an average of just eight second-half points per game this season (though the Bulldogs gave up 20 to LSU during the SEC Championship when Georgia had the game very much in hand in the first half).
Under 100 net-rushing yards
When two great rush defenses clash, what else would we expect? Georgia is tops in the FBS, allowing just 77 yards on the ground per game. Ohio State is No. 25, giving up just under 120. On the flip side, both rushing offenses are averaging around 200 yards per game. Something’s got to give and given long seasons and injuries at various times in both running back rooms, it feels like the defenses might hold the edge here.
Then again, there’s a lot of benefit to having a month of rest, especially for running backs.
More than 100 receiving yards from tight ends
It almost happened against Iowa. Why not now? Georgia’s first and fourth-leading receivers are both tight ends who collectively haul in an average of 88 receiving yards per game. Ohio State’s Cade Stover isn’t pulling in quite that much, but the crew of Bulldog and Buckeye tight ends might just make the mark together.
We’ll ring in 2023 in the fourth quarter
We all know that networks love having Ohio State in their lineup because we, obviously, get the best ratings. For a spectacle such as the College Football Playoff, sponsors and advertisers will be paying top-dollar for commercial spots and you can bet we’ll see a whole bunch of media timeouts.
With kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and an average game length of 3:22, it will be a stretch to make it to midnight — but not totally unreasonable.
Uga will bark at the new Peach Bowl mascot
And maybe Brutus. While we can have all of our competitive feelings about the Georgia team, we at least have to reserve some positive feelings for its live mascot. Still, Uga will definitely be startled by the new Peach Bowl mascot. (FWIW I think Huddles is adorable.)
Peach Bowl introduced a mascot this year. This is 'Huddles' at Ohio State's dinner last night. Chances Jalen Carter picks him up with one hand this week? pic.twitter.com/gD8f9vvXx0
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) December 27, 2022
Continue reading...
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Plus more bold predictions for tonight’s CFP matchup against Georgia.
Before each Ohio State game this year, LGHL is going to bring you some “bold predictions”. This will include somewhere a few hot takes for the game, whether it be passing yards, points scored, sacks, or some other things that we could see happening during the game.
We’d love to hear your bold predictions. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your bold predictions in the comments.
Ohio State has a halftime lead
Ohio State is entering the game as a 6.5-point underdog to the Bulldogs, so a first-half lead might come as a surprise especially given what we saw in games like Maryland and Penn State when the Buckeyes needed a second-half surge to secure the W. However, the Buckeyes are third in the nation in first-half points on the season (22.6 per game) and they do have the weapons to jump ahead early.
With a strong defense that’s able to make adjustments, Georgia has allowed an average of just eight second-half points per game this season (though the Bulldogs gave up 20 to LSU during the SEC Championship when Georgia had the game very much in hand in the first half).
Under 100 net-rushing yards
When two great rush defenses clash, what else would we expect? Georgia is tops in the FBS, allowing just 77 yards on the ground per game. Ohio State is No. 25, giving up just under 120. On the flip side, both rushing offenses are averaging around 200 yards per game. Something’s got to give and given long seasons and injuries at various times in both running back rooms, it feels like the defenses might hold the edge here.
Then again, there’s a lot of benefit to having a month of rest, especially for running backs.
More than 100 receiving yards from tight ends
It almost happened against Iowa. Why not now? Georgia’s first and fourth-leading receivers are both tight ends who collectively haul in an average of 88 receiving yards per game. Ohio State’s Cade Stover isn’t pulling in quite that much, but the crew of Bulldog and Buckeye tight ends might just make the mark together.
We’ll ring in 2023 in the fourth quarter
We all know that networks love having Ohio State in their lineup because we, obviously, get the best ratings. For a spectacle such as the College Football Playoff, sponsors and advertisers will be paying top-dollar for commercial spots and you can bet we’ll see a whole bunch of media timeouts.
With kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and an average game length of 3:22, it will be a stretch to make it to midnight — but not totally unreasonable.
Uga will bark at the new Peach Bowl mascot
And maybe Brutus. While we can have all of our competitive feelings about the Georgia team, we at least have to reserve some positive feelings for its live mascot. Still, Uga will definitely be startled by the new Peach Bowl mascot. (FWIW I think Huddles is adorable.)
Peach Bowl introduced a mascot this year. This is 'Huddles' at Ohio State's dinner last night. Chances Jalen Carter picks him up with one hand this week? pic.twitter.com/gD8f9vvXx0
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) December 27, 2022
Continue reading...