All I know is when it comes to X's and O's Bama has a lot more than OSU. Depth is decidedly in Bama's favor as well.
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Bama first team OSU faces with more talent
- Thread starter Redwood Forrest
- Start date
You may think the level of competition a team has faced is not relevant to how they will do when facing a team with equal or better talent...I disagree. Our guys have been through the fire, playing high grade talent teams all season.
Urby has certainly done well recruiting...but when a team has to play lesser competition all season long it does not help them as much in dealing with being in a tough game.
Average ranking on 247:
Alabama - 1.8
Florida - 5.8
Ohio State - 6.6
LSU - 7.6
Auburn - 8.2
Georgia - 9
Tennessee - 14.8
In the last five years, Ohio State is behind Florida in recruiting and one spot ahead of LSU.
Is that because the SEC dominates the B1G in that regard? You can dismiss it all you want, but it matters. While Ohio State is playing teams not ranked in the top 25 recruiting, Alabama does it week-in and week-out. Do you not see the importance of that? Or do you just not want to see it?
I'm going to guess you guys do care since you won't shut up about SEC teams playing OOC games in November.
It's not a statstical thing so it's not as easy to measure but you are exactly right. It's whistling past the graveyard to act like it doesn't matter what the level of competition two teams who are about to face one another have played. But "iron sharpens iron" and it's decidedly in our advantage!!!
....and of course St. Nick or any other legendary coach has never had a game wherein his team didn't perform up to their expectations? Is that what you're saying? C'mon man.....
I get you guys have some history with Urby - which is fine - and we all have massive built in biases, but to somehow effort to diminish his record or fantasize that somehow he isn't an outstanding football coach and among the game's elite is just silly......there is no other coach in the game that I'd rather have on the sideline in New Orleans
I'm not sure that anyone in the country is openly being realistic about the QB situation for you guys. If you can't have at least enough success passing to keep our defense honest then tOSU is toast. Crisply burnt, stink up the house toast. To think that your 3rd QB will have the success vs us that he did vs Wisky is, IMHO, just not being honest about the situation with yourself. You know your not going to want him running or even holding the ball because if he goes down it's likely over right then and there. So you come into the game being forced to run a somewhat predictable offense comprised mostly of runs and quick passes in the short-to-medium range with a few deep balls in select spots. I'm not saying that our D-Line will blow you off the ball but we both know that the formula for success does not include 20 7-step drop pass plays.
Meanwhile....you have to score. Likely around 40 points. Your strength is your D-Line but I assure you that we will negate it early with some HUNH zone/reads and WR screens. We'll suck you in to the LOS, spread you wide laterally, and then beat you deep. I know that the tSOU D-Line has been dominant but it has been dominant vs far less dynamic offenses than what you will see from us. I've read several writers (notably ESPN) claiming that this game will come down to the trenches. I think that's 1/2 right. I think you must win vs our D-Line to move the ball at all but I think that for our offense it will be more about our skill players vs your back 7.
I don't agree that UM being favored over tOSU is humor. IMHO, blowing UM off is a little bit of homerism on your own part. UM has a very good defense of their own and skill players to boot. UM would actually match up with very well, especially considering their D-Line and your current QB situation. Either team could be favored by 1-2 points on a neutral field and I don't think anyone would be shocked.
It's all debate until the teams take the field and it's the debate that, as fans, eases our pregame anxieties. You've handled yourself well under fire, it seems, and I commend you for it. Merry Christmas to the Buckeye Nation and their families. Roll Tide.
I was just yanking your chain. Meyer is head and shoulders above any other current B1G coach. I'd rather Alabama play Ohio State than TCU or Baylor.
You're going back 5 years which includes the Fickell year for Ohio State. I'm looking at recruiting since Urban Meyer took over. We aren't comparing the same period but that's ok.
I don't really care who SEC teams schedule OOC nor do I complain about it. As to the B1G, I'm an Ohio State fan. As we like to say about tsun I don't give a d*mn about them.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions we are encountering here is being a TALENTED team is the equivalent of being a GREAT team. Where Florida can be on any list of most TALENTED teams (and as I said earlier is equally talented to tOSU), they aren't good. Whereas a team like Mississippi St (or Ole Miss for that matter) isn't at the very top of anyone's list as far as overall TALENT goes, but they are REALLY good teams.
So comparing recruiting ranking sites is nice and all, but the product put on the field is where it matters. It is a huge combination of recruiting/coaching/injuries/schedule/adversity/etc...
So if you look at it that way, and go through it let's look at it.
TALENT - Alabama holds a slight edge over tOSU (and everyone else in the nation). Alabama is the king of recruiting in college football over the past 5+ years, and that can't be disputed.
COACHING - Alabama, again, holds a slight edge. Nick Saban is THE best coach in college football, and has a staff that is pretty well accomplished in their own rights. tOSU answers with what most (should) consider the next best Coach/Recruiter in football, Urban Meyer.
INJURIES - Alabama holds a significant edge in this too, as most all players who contributed down the stretch are healthy (or will be by game time). The loss of Kenyan Drake early in the season contributed to Alabama's only loss. The same can be said about tOSU. The loss to Va Tech was in large part due to breaking in a new QB on the fly. The problem with THAT is, the guy who had become one of the best QB's in college football is gone too. So while tOSU is relatively healthy, they have their biggest questions at the most important position.
SCHEDULE - Alabama has a significant edge in this as well. College Football Power Ratings has Alabama as having the 5th ranked SoS in the nation. tOSU comes in at a respectable 39th.
ADVERSITY - Alabama has faced 9 teams that have played a top 35 schedule, and came away with 1 loss. They played hostile games on the road against Ole Miss, LSU, and Auburn. They beat the #1 ranked team in the country (at the time) Miss St. They thoroughly beat Mizzou in the SEC Championship game. They had to play in several close games, and aside from the Ole Miss loss (which easily could have been a win) always found a way to deal with adversity. tOSU, while not playing QUITE the caliber of competition, played through more adversity than almost anyone this year. No, there aren't near the amount of ranked teams on the schedule, but losing a Heisman Candidate QB then replacing him and only having the ONE setback (an inexplicable loss to Va Tech of all people) is amazing. On TOP of that, they lost their NEW QB and still absolutely DECIMATED Wisconsin in the B1G Title game. So even though Alabama has faced more adversity by way of schedule, I give the slight edge to tOSU for winning with their 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd string QB's.
In the end, even though Alabama holds an advantage in most of the areas the games are not played on paper. tOSU will be another tough test for Alabama, and Alabama (inversely) will give tOSU it's biggest test to date. Whoever comes out of this game should feel good about their chances going forward, and hopefully we BOTH play injury free football.
So comparing recruiting ranking sites is nice and all, but the product put on the field is where it matters. It is a huge combination of recruiting/coaching/injuries/schedule/adversity/etc...
So if you look at it that way, and go through it let's look at it.
TALENT - Alabama holds a slight edge over tOSU (and everyone else in the nation). Alabama is the king of recruiting in college football over the past 5+ years, and that can't be disputed.
COACHING - Alabama, again, holds a slight edge. Nick Saban is THE best coach in college football, and has a staff that is pretty well accomplished in their own rights. tOSU answers with what most (should) consider the next best Coach/Recruiter in football, Urban Meyer.
INJURIES - Alabama holds a significant edge in this too, as most all players who contributed down the stretch are healthy (or will be by game time). The loss of Kenyan Drake early in the season contributed to Alabama's only loss. The same can be said about tOSU. The loss to Va Tech was in large part due to breaking in a new QB on the fly. The problem with THAT is, the guy who had become one of the best QB's in college football is gone too. So while tOSU is relatively healthy, they have their biggest questions at the most important position.
SCHEDULE - Alabama has a significant edge in this as well. College Football Power Ratings has Alabama as having the 5th ranked SoS in the nation. tOSU comes in at a respectable 39th.
ADVERSITY - Alabama has faced 9 teams that have played a top 35 schedule, and came away with 1 loss. They played hostile games on the road against Ole Miss, LSU, and Auburn. They beat the #1 ranked team in the country (at the time) Miss St. They thoroughly beat Mizzou in the SEC Championship game. They had to play in several close games, and aside from the Ole Miss loss (which easily could have been a win) always found a way to deal with adversity. tOSU, while not playing QUITE the caliber of competition, played through more adversity than almost anyone this year. No, there aren't near the amount of ranked teams on the schedule, but losing a Heisman Candidate QB then replacing him and only having the ONE setback (an inexplicable loss to Va Tech of all people) is amazing. On TOP of that, they lost their NEW QB and still absolutely DECIMATED Wisconsin in the B1G Title game. So even though Alabama has faced more adversity by way of schedule, I give the slight edge to tOSU for winning with their 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd string QB's.
In the end, even though Alabama holds an advantage in most of the areas the games are not played on paper. tOSU will be another tough test for Alabama, and Alabama (inversely) will give tOSU it's biggest test to date. Whoever comes out of this game should feel good about their chances going forward, and hopefully we BOTH play injury free football.
Why wouldn't you go back five years? There are fifth year seniors on nearly every team in America.You're going back 5 years which includes the Fickell year for Ohio State. I'm looking at recruiting since Urban Meyer took over. We aren't comparing the same period but that's ok.
I don't really care who SEC teams schedule OOC nor do I complain about it. As to the B1G, I'm an Ohio State fan. As we like to say about tsun I don't give a d*mn about them.
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Thank you my friend, your points are well made.
The players around our QB will have to rally to his side and he just needs to play within himself and I think we'll have to play the finest defensive game to date. That said, we have alot of very talented athletes that are very capable and well coached football players.....this wouldn't be the first time in college football history a team has rallied in similar circumstances and it wouldn't be the first time we've won a NC against long odds opposite a great team.
I think all told that is the element that is most amusing to many Buckeye fans.....we've been a big underdog before and heard all the same rhetoric.....that one worked out well.....
Happy Holidays to all Tide fans.....Go Bucks!
I get it....true for us as well, there is nobody else we'd rather play than Bama
Florida, Ole Miss, Auburn, and LSU. Florida is probably the worst of the group too. Compared to OSU, you would probably just be splitting hairs by saying one is more talented that the other.
Fair enough. It's probably because of the break from the Tressel era to the Meyer era that I did it that way.
Honestly, I see Alabama having a huge advantage in this game due to depth on the D Line (we lost most of our depth before the season started) and the quarterback issue. Most Buckeye fans that I know think that Ohio State is a year ahead of schedule right now. 2015 is supposed to be the year and I think the preseason rankings next year will reflect this. We're playing with house money right now and since Alabama is the platinum standard in college football we get to see exactly where we stand. With 22 freshmen and sophomores in the two deep the future is very bright.
Totally agree with you. I don't think the Buckeyes were a year away. That's due to the B1G though. I think we are all anxious to see this game.
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Bama has one of the youngest teams in the country also. I don't have the link handy but I think we are in the top 10 in the country as far as having freshman/sophomore in our two deep..
Phil Steele has Bama as the 107th most experienced team:
http://www.philsteele.com/Blogs/2014/JUNE14/DBJune16.html
There is no reason to think Urben can beat CNS.
If Urben doesn't have a breakdown, BAMA by 20.
If Urben quits, then CNS can pick the score.
If Urben doesn't have a breakdown, BAMA by 20.
If Urben quits, then CNS can pick the score.
You are in for a rude awakening. No clouding facts here- Ohio St has clearly not played anyone this year that is in the same universe as Bama talent-wise. I have looked at your schedule. Your facts need to be straight to debate on this board.
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