The Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1) put their 12-game win streak on the line when they square off with the Oregon Ducks (13-1) for the opportunity to close out the season with a College Football Championship win. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan 12 and will be available on ESPN.
Ohio State beat Alabama 42-35 in its last game. Ezekial Elliott had a huge game running the ball in the win, totaling 230 yards and two TDs on 20 attempts. Devin Smith also had a great game with 87 yards and a TD on two catches.
In its last game, Oregon cruised past Florida State 59-20. Carrington had a big game for the Ducks, recording seven receptions for 165 yards and two TDs. Thomas Tyner had a big game as well, totaling 124 yards and two TDs on 13 attempts.
The Buckeyes are a seven-point underdog and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 73 points for this matchup. The Buckeyes enter the game with records of 13-1 Straight Up (SU) and 9-5 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Ohio State is 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS. A focal point of Ohio State’s offense may be the passing game, because of the Ducks’ weak pass defense that ranks 103rd in the country with 259.5 passing yards allowed per game. During their last five games, the Buckeyes have done an better job of keeping their opponents from throwing the ball, only giving up an average of 174.8 passing yards.
A pivotal part of the game will be if the Ducks can protect their quarterback from Ohio State’s hungry defense. It averages the 12th-most sacks in the nation with 3.1 per game. Keep an eye on Ohio State to turn it up a notch during the third quarter, when they average 10.4 points per game. Oregon, one of the most penalized teams in Division I with 8.4 calls per away game, will want to stay focused during this week’s clash against the Buckeyes to avoid hurting themselves.
On the other side, the Ducks head into the championship game with records of 10-4 ATS and 13-1 SU. Oregon is on a roll, going undefeated SU and ATS over the last five games. The Ducks offense is on fire as of late, averaging 587.2 total yards over their last five games.
Over that same span, the Ducks turned it up on the defensive side of the football as well, only allowing an average of 17 PPG. Their season average is 22.3 points, so they’ve shown a marked improvement. The pass defense is a highlight of Oregon’s defense over those five weeks, only giving up 220.4 yards passing per opponent. The Buckeyes need to recognize the importance of keeping the quarterback off the ground against the sack-happy Ducks. The defense ranks 17th in the country in sacks with 3.1 per road game. The Ducks generally save their best for last, averaging 10.1 points in the fourth quarter. Special teams usually provides a spark for Oregon. They average the 19th-most return yards in the land with 38.1.
Predictions: SU Winner – OHST, ATS Winner – OHST, O/U – Over
Notes
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Oregon is 11-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Ohio State is 10-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Oregon is undefeated this season (6-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 4-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Among all FBS teams, the Ohio State offensive passing game is ranked 50th in the country, while the Oregon pass defense is only ranked 103rd. The Ducks passing attack is ranked 11th, compared to the 17th-ranked pass defense of the Buckeyes.
Oregon has given up 18.0 points per contest on the road, which is ranked 22nd in the nation. Ohio State has put up 39.4 points per game at home (ranked 12th in FBS).
