Three Reasons Why the Ohio State Buckeyes Will Win the National Championship

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

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We have come to the end of the road in this crazy COVID-infected college football season as Alabama and Ohio State will face off this Monday for the National Championship. Alabama is coming into the game 12-0 after defeating Notre Dame (31-14) in the semifinals. Ohio State is coming into the game 7-0 after upsetting Clemson (49-28) in the other semifinal. The Buckeyes had three games canceled due to the coronavirus and many people didn’t believe they deserved a spot in the playoff; however, Ohio State silenced the doubters by taking down Clemson.

The Crimson Tide are currently going for the 18th national championship overall and sixth under head coach Nick Saban with their last coming in 2017. The Buckeyes are shooting for the ninth national championship with their last coming in 2014.

Alabama is currently an eight-point favorite over Ohio State, but no one should count the Buckeyes out after they were seven points underdogs to Clemson.

The following are three reasons why Ohio State will defeat the mighty Crimson Tide and lift another in Miami on Monday night.

Why Ohio State Will Win the National Championship

Running Back Trey Sermon

The graduate-transfer from Oklahoma brings balance to this offensive attack as the 6’1”, 215 pound, back has burst onto the scene by rushing for 636 yards and four touchdowns in the last three games including 331 against Northwestern in the Big Ten title game. Sermon’s rise to fame late in the season makes it harder for defenses to plan against Ohio State.

The explosive running back also has the benefit of running behind a dominant offensive line who are also playing at a high level down the stretch. In Sermon’s last game for Ohio State, he’ll need to put up one more encore performance in order to help lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.

Ohio State’s Passing Game

Alabama struggled against Florida’s passing game in the SEC Championship Game and will have to face another great passing game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have arguably better weapons than Florida, especially if Justin Fields plays the same way he did against Clemson when he threw for 385 yards and six touchdowns.

The two biggest weapons are sophomore wide receiver Garrett Wilson (6’0”, 195 pounds), who has caught 40 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns, and junior wide receiver Chris Olave (6’1”, 188), who has snagged 42 passes for 660 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Luke Farrell have also proven they can be as weapons in the receiving game.

The Buckeyes’ Linebackers

The key to Ohio State’s defense is their linebacker corps. This unit has that great ability to make plays near the line scrimmage or by dropping back in the coverage. They also have the talent to make plays sideline to sideline.

The top two tacklers on the Buckeyes are senior linebackers Pete Werner, who has 46 total tackles including 2.5 for a loss, two forced fumbles, and a sack, and Tuf Borland, who has 34 total tackles including 3.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. These two tackling machines combined for 17 tackles against Clemson. Two other linebackers to watch against Alabama includes seniors Justin Hilliard and Baron Browning. This experienced unit helps the Buckeyes give up just 21 points a game.

Ohio State will have a chip on their shoulder as they face Alabama on Monday night, but if everything is clicking for the Buckeyes, they certainly have the talent and ability to take another trophy back home to Columbus.

*Related article: Statistical National Championship Game Preview

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Photo credit: Getty Images; Ohio State RB Trey Sermon