Thursday, January 1st at 8:30 PM ET. Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA. ESPN.
(1) Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1, 7-1 SEC) @ (4) Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1, 7-0 B1G)
Line: Bama -7.5
The second semi-final, and final game of the day, brings us a matchup of old SEC foes, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. Alabama is seeking an opportunity to play for an impressive 16th national title in their 61st bowl appearance. Ohio State begins their run at an 8th national title in their 45th bowl game.
The Numbers:
These are the top two teams in the FEI+ rankings with Alabama occupying the top spot. On offense, The Tide ended 2014 as the 17th ranked scoring offense averaging 37.1 ppg. They finished 36th in run, 22nd in pass and 16th in total offense. On defense they're typical Bama allowing just 16.6 ppg (4th). They finished as the 2nd ranked run defense, 59th passing defense and 11th in total defense.
Ohio State finished the year ranked 4th in scoring offense averaging 45.2 ppg. They were the 11th rush, 50th pass and 8th total offense all engineered by a back-up QB. They were also solid on defense, allowing 21.2 ppg. They were 33rd against the run, 17th against the pass and 15th in total defense.
One Random Fact:
Bama's mascot is Big Al, the elephant. The name came from a sportswriter in 1930 who wrote "here comes the elephants" to describe the team running onto the field.
The Vegas Edge:
Bama finished the year 5-8 ATS. Ohio State finished with the inverse of that going 8-5 ATS. The total for on this game is 59. Bama was even on the year going 6-6 against the total. Ohio State went 10-2 against the total.
The Sweatpants Verdict:
Does it really matter who pilots an Urban Meyer offense? I think we're going to find out. Bama is good and is playing well right now. I think Ohio State has enough offense to keep this game interesting, but Bama defense does enough to ward off the Buckeyes. Bama 33 -27.
CyClown Says:
I took Bama -8 on my second parlay card of the day. I'll stick with that.