Gene Ross
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Life in Simulation: EA CFB 25 predicts Ohio State vs. Tennessee
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our CFP Round 1 sim:
I had actually already run this simulation once before for our full College Football Playoff prediction using CFB 25, with that result looking very different than this one. While Ohio State lost a close back-and-forth game in that previous matchup, this time the Buckeyes won in resounding fashion — go figure!
Ohio State dominated this game from the jump, scoring the first 24 points of the contest. Quinshon Judkins opened the scoring on a five-yard screen pass for a touchdown, and TreVeyon Henderson added on with a one-yard TD run of his own later in the first quarter. The Buckeyes opened up the second quarter with a 34-yard field goal, and Emeka Egbuka’s 12-yard TD reception gave OSU a 24-0 lead at the break.
Tennessee owned the third quarter, but not by much. While the Volunteers held the Buckeyes scoreless in the frame, they only managed nine points of their own. That came on a big 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Squirrel White, which included a missed two-point conversion attempt, and then a 48-yard field goal. If nothing else, the Vols’ defensive shutout in the third quarter make a 24-9 game heading into the fourth quarter look a bit more respectable.
That was short-lived, however, as Ohio State immediately scored on a short TD catch by Jelani Thurman to open the final frame. Jeremiah Smith hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Will Howard on the ensuing drive, and the rout was back on. Nico Iamaleava added a short scamper for a TD and Dont’e Thornton snagged a 21-yard TD catch to make it a little more interesting with 5:57 still to go, but Smith’s second TD of the game put it out of reach for good as the Buckeyes secured the 45-23 victory.
Will Howard had a phenomenal game for Ohio State, completing 24-of-34 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers. His favorite target was Jeremiah Smith, who caught six passes for 70 yards and two TDs. Brandon Inniss tallied five receptions for 44 yards, while Emeka Egbuka had only three catches for 20 yards and a TD. The ground game was pretty split, with Judkins totaling 80 yards on 14 carries and Henderson 67 yards on 11 carries and a score.
Defensively it was a big night for Lathan Ransom, who on top of tying for the team lead with eight total tackles also added a tackle for loss and one of the Buckeyes’ two interceptions, the other by Denzel Burke. Six different players tallied at least one tackle for loss, with Jack Sawyer registering 1.5 sacks, Kayden McDonald earning a sack and Kenyatta Jackson credited with half a sack. Caleb Downs and Cody Simon both joined Ransom with eight tackles apiece.
Tennessee actually out-gained Ohio State 459-415, but the Volunteers turned the ball over twice while the Buckeyes kept the ledger clean. Both teams had nearly identical rushing stats, with OSU running 32 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns (4.8 yards per carry) and UT running 31 times for 150 yards and a TD (4.8 YPC). Neither side was particularly effective on third down, as Tennessee converted on just 5-of-14 tries and Ohio State on 7-of-15.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our CFP Round 1 sim:
Ohio State 45 - Tennessee 23
I had actually already run this simulation once before for our full College Football Playoff prediction using CFB 25, with that result looking very different than this one. While Ohio State lost a close back-and-forth game in that previous matchup, this time the Buckeyes won in resounding fashion — go figure!
Ohio State dominated this game from the jump, scoring the first 24 points of the contest. Quinshon Judkins opened the scoring on a five-yard screen pass for a touchdown, and TreVeyon Henderson added on with a one-yard TD run of his own later in the first quarter. The Buckeyes opened up the second quarter with a 34-yard field goal, and Emeka Egbuka’s 12-yard TD reception gave OSU a 24-0 lead at the break.
Tennessee owned the third quarter, but not by much. While the Volunteers held the Buckeyes scoreless in the frame, they only managed nine points of their own. That came on a big 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Squirrel White, which included a missed two-point conversion attempt, and then a 48-yard field goal. If nothing else, the Vols’ defensive shutout in the third quarter make a 24-9 game heading into the fourth quarter look a bit more respectable.
That was short-lived, however, as Ohio State immediately scored on a short TD catch by Jelani Thurman to open the final frame. Jeremiah Smith hauled in a 13-yard TD pass from Will Howard on the ensuing drive, and the rout was back on. Nico Iamaleava added a short scamper for a TD and Dont’e Thornton snagged a 21-yard TD catch to make it a little more interesting with 5:57 still to go, but Smith’s second TD of the game put it out of reach for good as the Buckeyes secured the 45-23 victory.
Will Howard had a phenomenal game for Ohio State, completing 24-of-34 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers. His favorite target was Jeremiah Smith, who caught six passes for 70 yards and two TDs. Brandon Inniss tallied five receptions for 44 yards, while Emeka Egbuka had only three catches for 20 yards and a TD. The ground game was pretty split, with Judkins totaling 80 yards on 14 carries and Henderson 67 yards on 11 carries and a score.
Defensively it was a big night for Lathan Ransom, who on top of tying for the team lead with eight total tackles also added a tackle for loss and one of the Buckeyes’ two interceptions, the other by Denzel Burke. Six different players tallied at least one tackle for loss, with Jack Sawyer registering 1.5 sacks, Kayden McDonald earning a sack and Kenyatta Jackson credited with half a sack. Caleb Downs and Cody Simon both joined Ransom with eight tackles apiece.
Tennessee actually out-gained Ohio State 459-415, but the Volunteers turned the ball over twice while the Buckeyes kept the ledger clean. Both teams had nearly identical rushing stats, with OSU running 32 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns (4.8 yards per carry) and UT running 31 times for 150 yards and a TD (4.8 YPC). Neither side was particularly effective on third down, as Tennessee converted on just 5-of-14 tries and Ohio State on 7-of-15.
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