You're right, 15 has the right to say anything he wants. If it is not suitable, then the Mods will ding it. One thing not mentioned is the DBs. Both teams return intact their back 4. USC has an All-American (Taylor) and OSU has an all-american (Jenkins). USC's wide-outs are 4-6 inches taller than OSU's DBs, and I'd expect the speed for both sets are about the same. I believe that USC's DBs and OSU wide-outs are about the same size, except for Stoneburner, who I do think might get in for a play or two, as it appears with early graduations, we're 'down' on numbers.
Maualuga is straight ahead bull rush, with Cushing better side-to-side, and in my opinion the better LB. I'd guess he'll match up with a TE or drop into coverage. USC had more LBs than carter has pills, do whoever fills the Will will be plenty good (just like OSU's Will). Whoever mentioned it, Athlon rates the USC tandem as higher, more pro-worthy than OSU's......but we'll see on the field. Everson Griffin is a Gholston clone, but Boone practiced against him for several years, so maybe there's a tiny chance he'll hold him in check. USC graduated two magnificant interior DL, but again, they have athletes in reserve. Folks, USC reloads just like the Buckeyes.
Motivation: OSU expects nothing less than a NC. They have made that known from the git-go, and rightfully so. USC makes that a priority also, but they're lying low in the weeds, have seen or heard nothing from Petey or the players about the game. Methinks that they have been pointing to this game since the Rose Bowl cheers faded into the Pasadena sunset.
We'll see, and whoever wins will have the inside track to the NC, and it promises to be a heckuva battle. On the whole, I see little pluses and little minuses up and down the comparison lines, but no large gaps to exploit. We'll see how well the coaches break down each team. Until then....
:gobucks3::gobucks4: