Key statistics should make bettors wary of Buckeyes

Is No. 4 Ohio State really Final Final material? The jury is still outside. And the jury will not have much evidence to study to make its decision.

Although the Buckeyes are scheduled for a regular season of 12 games, followed by an appearance in the Big Ten Championship match where they win the East Division, 2018 actually presents only a challenge from five games: a 40-28 win over TCU, Saturday's match. at Penn State No. 9, a November 10 game at Michigan State, number 21, a November 24 home game against Michigan, number 14, and the Big Ten championship on December 1. The others are virtual games given the caliber of the opposition.

Why would we say that the jury is still outstanding considering Ohio State's double-digit win in Texas against TCU? The Buckeyes' defense had serious problems of speed and athleticism. If you have not read the result of the box two weeks ago, check out these key indicator statistics:

Buckeyes problem with TCU
Ohio St. TCU Category
Total yards 526,511
Yards per game 6.6 6.7
Yards per rush 4.3 5.6
Third rate of decline 33% 47%
TD drives more than 50 yards 2 4

All the credit for the Buckeyes to have won the category of turnover, 3-0, and have scored touchdown return and a return on interception. Ohio State also had a relatively cheap 25-yard touchdown. The four TCU touchdowns occurred on orders of 52, 75, 84 and 93 yards. The problem is that no team can score "on command" touchdowns. Nobody in the defensive circle says, "OK … this game … let's intercept a pass and do it until the end.

In the categories over which the teams had the most control at the time of the attack, Ohio State was struggling to get permission from TCU. That could suggest problems Saturday night at the State College against the Nittany Lions. Penn State is most likely superior to TCU and will play on its own pitch rather than in a large cave of NFL fans.

The selection committee has a few months to think about today's question. Football punters must make a call immediately. Ohio State is priced at the final caliber on Saturday night. The Buckeyes are in the range of -3 to -3¹ / ₂ as the road favorite during the week. This would mean that the OSU is about 6 to 7 points higher than the Nittany Lions on neutral ground.

Note that some in Vegas currently consider the state of Ohio as inferior to Alabama in the national landscape. Golden Nugget Sports Book Director, Tony Miller, recently published very early odds for hypothetical national championship games. Alabama was -9¹ / ₂ in the state of Ohio, -10¹ / ₂ in Georgia, -11¹ / ₂ in Clemson and -14¹ / ₂ in Oklahoma.

If the TCU match statistics mean anything, Sunday, in the world of college football, one may wonder whether or not Penn State is of the Final Four caliber.