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We now know the real power of something as trivial as a ballot for coaches. That seemed enough to push the Ohio State No.3 to the college football playoff national championship.
OK, so maybe the Buckeyes would still have beaten No.2 Clemson in the 2021 Sugar Bowl semi-finals without the help of Dabo Swinney’s throbbing gums, but the Buckeyes admitted there was more than one little motivation after seeing, watching and hearing why the Clemson coach ranked them in the top 10 (in 11th) on his ballot.
By completing his last top 25 of the regular season, Swinney favored the top 10 teams that had played at least nine games. It was quite an achievement for some in this COVID-19 season. Made aware, the state of Ohio – playing only in its seventh game on Friday night – showed no mercy.
“No, I don’t regret any of that,” Swinney after his team were humiliated 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl. “The polls have nothing to do with motivation. I said they were good enough to beat us.”
Yes, but on Friday the Buckeyes were provoked enough to club the Tigers. It wasn’t immediate – the teams were tied 14-14 after the first quarter – but it was inevitable. Brent Venables’ 639 yards against fifth defense suggested he had a goal.
“It just gives us extra motivation,” Ohio State center Josh Myers said of BallotGate, “extra ways to motivate our guys, to get them going.”
Yes, it all sounds a bit trite, but the state of Ohio might as well play the New Orleans disrespect card to South Florida for the national title game. It is there inside Hard Rock Stadium on January 11 that the guns will become more conventional.
Ohio State needs to find someone to cover Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
Alabama must find a way to slow down Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. (Before that, medics must deal with the pain in Fields’ ribs that has been throbbing since Clemson’s James Skalski was kicked out of the game in the second quarter for targeting.)
All in all, this will go down as one of the most legendary performances in Ohio State history. The Buckeyes’ ability to even reach the semi-final has been well documented. Three games have been canceled due to COVID-19. OSU needed a special Big Ten decision to even make it into the conference championship game. Coach Ryan Day himself has contracted the coronavirus.
Fields emerged from Skalski’s shot wincing with every pitch on his way to 385 passing yards and a Sugar Bowl record six touchdowns. It was the second best individual performance in PSC history after Joe Burrow’s seven touchdowns thrown last year in the semi-finals against Oklahoma.
It was also a reason why the Alabama No.1 is yet to receive the trophy. The state of Ohio suddenly seems to have the weapons to match. In the last two games, Ohio State running back Trey Sermon has rushed for more yards (523) than seven teams all season.
In the meeting between the two best rookies of the class of 2018 – both from Georgia – Fields prevailed this time. Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence left the varsity scene after being sacked twice, intercepted once and losing a fumble while throwing for 400 yards.
The magic of the state of Ohio might not have happened if Fields hadn’t retreated to the medical tent after the rib stroke and taken “a hit or two and run back in. “. Day saw a motivated Fields for another reason. The quarterback was coming off the worst game of his career – two interceptions, no touchdowns, 44.4% completions against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.
“The conversation we had was, ‘You go out and play well in this game, win this game, and no one will remember the Big Ten Championship Game,” “said Day.
“Fields’ Ribs” now promises to be a trending topic from now until this title match on January 11th. We don’t know if they’re broken, separated, bruised, or just painful. But overnight, Fields drove the Buckeyes from suspect to the brink of a championship. A team that hadn’t played to their potential in their shortened season suddenly has momentum and a goal.
The only two undefeated teams that remain will play for everything.
Smith, the Heisman Trophy favorite, will face Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade in a televised fixture. Alabama QB Mac Jones, also a Heisman finalist, quietly became the program’s one-season passing leader on Friday. In 10 days, Alabama will see these two able to lead him to his sixth title since 2009.
The Buckeyes were motivated by abundance on Friday. Ohio State WR Chris Olave broke the wrong path in the end zone at the end of last year’s Fiesta Bowl semi-final with Clemson. The resulting interception earned Tigers a 29-23 victory. In this game, Fields threw two picks. He’d been throwing one all season at this point.
“I think that loss fueled our entire offseason,” said Day, now 23-1 as Buckeyes coach. “I think that has fueled our entire season.”
On Friday, Olave collected 132 receiving yards and caught two of Fields’ touchdown passes.
Ohio state and Alabama haven’t met since the Sugar Bowl semi-final in the CFP’s first year that concluded the 2014 season. The Buckeyes won that game 42-35 on the way to their last national championship. It was Urban Meyer’s team.
This continues to be the Alabama era. The game makes possible the 11th SEC National Championship in the past 15 years.
Now the challenge becomes more strategic. Swinney won’t be there to pull his mouth off. Saban remains Belichickian in his ability to keep his comments as bland as a day-old cauliflower. It also helps to have the best team in the country.
There are several hills to climb over the next 10 days. Fields’ ribs beat. College football must avoid another threat from COVID-19. There is a Crimson menace trying to be defeated by the Scarlet and Grays.
Not bad for a team ranked outside the top 10.
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