The Hoosiers were 3.5-point underdogs in that matchup, holding Ohio State to just 58 rushing yards while sacking quarterback Julian Sayin five times.
Both teams are vastly different this season, and Ryan Day’s team has had plenty of time to study what went wrong, and the Buckeyes have the talent and motivation to reverse the outcome.
Ohio State enters at 5-1 following last week’s 45-16 victory over Maryland, while Indiana is 6-0 but needed a fourth-quarter rally to escape Nebraska, 20-17. The Hoosiers deserve credit for finding a way to win, but their narrow escape exposed vulnerabilities Ohio State can exploit.
The key matchup is Ohio State’s offensive line against Indiana’s aggressive defensive front. The Hoosiers have recorded 20 sacks and 49 tackles for loss through six games, with edge rushers Tobi Osunsanmi and Stephen Daley providing considerable pressure. That presents a legitimate challenge for Sayin, but Ohio State has another weapon in running back Bo Jackson, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland.
Establishing the ground game would prevent Indiana from pinning its ears back and targeting Sayin, while opening opportunities for Jeremiah Smith, who remains the Buckeyes’ premier playmaker. Ohio State must also do a better job converting on third down and finishing drives in the red-zone.
Indiana’s home-field advantage and Curt Cignetti’s coaching make this a dangerous road assignment, particularly with the Hoosiers riding a 22-game winning streak and looking to establish themselves among the nation’s elite once again. However, Ohio State has the defensive personnel and offensive firepower to disrupt that momentum.
The Buckeyes also have the added incentive of correcting the mistakes that cost them the championship, and Day has emphasized the importance of establishing the run and maintaining focus throughout the game. With Ohio State favored by 3.5 points, I am all about the Buckeyes executing more effectively in the decisive situations, containing Indiana’s late-game opportunities and deliver a measure of payback.
Take Ohio State to win and cover.
This is just too many points.
Indiana is rightfully the favorite in tonight's National Championship Game, but I don't see Miami getting blown out in this contest.
While they won't be listed as the official "home team" for this game, there is no denying the fact that this game is indeed being played in the Hurricanes' home stadium, and Miami will have the comforts of sleeping in their own beds, as well as eating and practicing in their home facilities.
Carson Beck did not win the Heisman Trophy like his counterpart, Fernando Mendoza did, but he has done everything his coaches have asked him to do. And that game-winning touchdown drive to clinch Miami's semifinal victory over a very scrappy Ole Miss team was a thing of beauty.
As usual, though, this game will NOT be about Beck having to outshine Mendoza; this game will be about the Miami defense setting the tone so that Beck can keep the chains moving, the clock ticking, and the football out of Mendoza's dangerous hands.
Miami only sacked Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss once in its semifinal win, but it did have 7 sacks in its playoff opening win at Texas A&M, and recorded 5 more in its quarterfinal upset win of Ohio State. The fact that Miami's defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman coached the defense at James Madison for Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti for 3 seasons certainly gives the 'Canes a bit of an advantage when it comes to what Cignetti might be thinking in tonight's title contest.
Listen, I have watched Indiana this season, even had them as a 75 dime winner in their semifinal trouncing of Oregon. I know what they are capable of, and if this were a straight-up proposition, I would be inclined to back the Hoosiers to lift the trophy at the end of the night, but with the generous points, I cannot pass on backing Miami in their home stadium tonight.
Play the 'Canes plus the points.
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