Matt Tamanini
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What will be the biggest factor in Ohio State beating Oregon on Saturday?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
Before the season started, this Saturday was circled on the calendar of every Buckeye and college football fan, because we knew that it would be a battle between not only Big Ten title contenders but national championship contenders, as well. Now, six weeks into the season, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will travel across the country to take on the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in a primetime matchup at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
As we look forward to this weekend’s marquee matchup, we wanted to take the pulse of Buckeye Nation to see where your collective heads are when it comes to the game. So, in our weekly fan survey, we have a couple of questions to see how you are feeling about OSU’s chances in Eugene on Saturday night.
So, check out the questions below and head down to the bottom of the article to make sure that your voice is heard. If you want to add any context to your response, or throw in an option that isn’t available, feel free to do so in the comments at the bottom of the page.
I know that there are a number of Buckeye fans who have found faults along the way in Ryan Day’s team, but for the most part, I have been thoroughly impressed with the team so far this season. However, I know that they are not infallible and that Saturday night’s game is going to present a significant challenge.
From allowing opponents to convert way too many third downs to a developing bad habit of turning the ball over on offense, there are issues that still need to be resolved in order for the Buckeyes to reach their full potential. However, I’m still not convinced that any of them are tragic flaws that will cause OSU to lose this — or any — game on their own.
I usually hesitate to share my answer to these questions before the results come out because I don’t want to influence the respondents, but I think that the linebacker play will be the most important factor in the Oregon game.
Because of how many weapons the Ducks have on offense and the fact that quarterback Dillon Gabriel is a threat to run, the LBs need to play fundamentally sound football and not get caught up in any motion or misdirection pulling them out of position. Sonny Styles played a really good game against a much different Iowa offense, but if the Ducks pick on the first-time linebacker and exploit his lack of experience at the position and over-eagerness to make an athletic play, that could prove to be devastating for OSU.
When FanDuel released its opening line, the Buckeyes were 3.5-point road favorites. The gold-standard college football analytics model SP+ projects OSU to go into Autzen Stadium and win 29-26.
All of the metrics point to it being a close game, but honestly... I don’t think it will be that close. Don’t get me wrong, when I make my official prediction on Saturday, I’m not calling on OSU to hang 100 on ‘em, but I guarantee that I won’t be picking a three-point victory either. What are you going with?
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
Before the season started, this Saturday was circled on the calendar of every Buckeye and college football fan, because we knew that it would be a battle between not only Big Ten title contenders but national championship contenders, as well. Now, six weeks into the season, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will travel across the country to take on the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in a primetime matchup at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
As we look forward to this weekend’s marquee matchup, we wanted to take the pulse of Buckeye Nation to see where your collective heads are when it comes to the game. So, in our weekly fan survey, we have a couple of questions to see how you are feeling about OSU’s chances in Eugene on Saturday night.
So, check out the questions below and head down to the bottom of the article to make sure that your voice is heard. If you want to add any context to your response, or throw in an option that isn’t available, feel free to do so in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Question 1: What will be the biggest factor in Ohio State beating Oregon on Saturday?
I know that there are a number of Buckeye fans who have found faults along the way in Ryan Day’s team, but for the most part, I have been thoroughly impressed with the team so far this season. However, I know that they are not infallible and that Saturday night’s game is going to present a significant challenge.
From allowing opponents to convert way too many third downs to a developing bad habit of turning the ball over on offense, there are issues that still need to be resolved in order for the Buckeyes to reach their full potential. However, I’m still not convinced that any of them are tragic flaws that will cause OSU to lose this — or any — game on their own.
I usually hesitate to share my answer to these questions before the results come out because I don’t want to influence the respondents, but I think that the linebacker play will be the most important factor in the Oregon game.
Because of how many weapons the Ducks have on offense and the fact that quarterback Dillon Gabriel is a threat to run, the LBs need to play fundamentally sound football and not get caught up in any motion or misdirection pulling them out of position. Sonny Styles played a really good game against a much different Iowa offense, but if the Ducks pick on the first-time linebacker and exploit his lack of experience at the position and over-eagerness to make an athletic play, that could prove to be devastating for OSU.
Question 2: What will the margin of victory be in Saturday’s game against Oregon?
When FanDuel released its opening line, the Buckeyes were 3.5-point road favorites. The gold-standard college football analytics model SP+ projects OSU to go into Autzen Stadium and win 29-26.
All of the metrics point to it being a close game, but honestly... I don’t think it will be that close. Don’t get me wrong, when I make my official prediction on Saturday, I’m not calling on OSU to hang 100 on ‘em, but I guarantee that I won’t be picking a three-point victory either. What are you going with?
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Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...