2017 COTTON BOWL – OHIO ST vs USC
OHIO ST -9 USC (65)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Ohio St -7
Sagarin ratings – Ohio St -9
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Ohio St 37 USC 28
The Game
This should be fun !
Two traditional powerhouses go head-to-head at Ohio St takes on USC in the Cotton Bowl. The Trojans finished up the campaign with an 11-2 record and won the PAC 12 Championship via their 2nd win over Stanford. They lost a close one to Washington St on the road and were blown out by Notre Dame mid-season (a 999 STAR MEGALOCKS MAX UNIT TOUT SCUMBAG WINNER). Ohio St beat Wisconsin to take down the Big 10 Championship and also finished the regular season at 11-2. They were beat at home early in the year by the Sooners and destroyed by Iowa on the road. They missed out on the college football playoff but have a shot to make a yuuuuuge statement Friday night.
The Match-Up
Ohio St offense vs USC defense
The Buckeyes torture opposing defenses with a devastating ground game (#15 FBS), an experienced and mobile QB, mixed in with a dash of deep balls when you have to focus on stopping the run. This is final game for JT Barrett, and while we know he has his critics, it’s hard to say he has had anything other than a fantastic college career. Barrett struggles against the better defenses he faces but still managed to throw for almost 3,000 yards and 35 TDs whilst running for over 700 yards and another 10 touchdowns. That doesn’t sound like a scrub to us. RB JK Dobbins is turning into a freak that can take it to DA HOUSE on any play. Dobbins and Weber combined for almost 2,000 yards rushing and 17 TDs. When Barrett chooses to MATRICULATE in the passing game he distributes the ball well. 11 players have a TD reception and 8 guys have 200+ receiving yards. If the Buckeyes are “on” like they were vs Michigan St (888 STAR MEGALOCKS YOU STUPID HACK DIE IN A CHEMICAL FIRE GAME OF THE WEEK loser) they will get into the 40s and it is Goodnight Irene. They have been a bit inconsistent at times so it will be interesting to see if they can put 60 minutes together. USC has done enough on defense to win 11 games BUT they are only ranked #75 in total defense. They do get good PENETRATION (#1 PAC 12 sacks per game) but Ohio St does a great job of limiting negative plays (#1 Big 10 sacks allowed per game and #1 TFL per game). USC is a surprising #4 in red zone defense and will have to be at their best. The best news for USC ? They are a LOT healthier on defense right now than they were for much of the campaign.
USC offense vs Ohio St defense
This is not some bunch of Big 10 scrubs. USC is going to provide a stern test for the excellent Ohio St defense. USC has an oustanding QB (S Darnold – 3,787, 26-12 TD to INT), a fantastic RB (R Jones II – 1,486, 18 TD, 6.1) and a loaded receiving corps that is VERY deep and talented. USC is #36 in the FBS in rushing and #18 in passing. Ohio St has had their moments where they did not look so hot on defense and they CERTAINLY do not face many teams like this during the regular season. The Sooners are similar (balanced and potent) and they managed to beat Ohio St in their own stadium. That was just one game early in the season but the takeaway has to be you just do not know how Ohio St will handle a really potent offensive juggernaut. Ohio St is ranked #8 in the FBS in total defense, #8 vs the run and #13 in pass efficiency defense. Their DL is excellent and the Trojans’ OL will have to play their best game of the year to give the offense a chance to be productive. Ohio St has allowed points in bunches at times but will be in really good shape if they can get consistent PENETRATION. They are in the top 20 in the FBS in sacks per game and TFL per game.
Motivation / Intangibles
Ohio St – Hard to say. EASY to get up to play USC. But they are NOT in the playoff. Meyer is awesome.
Grade – Above Average.
USC – Again. Difficult read. Already PAC 12 champs. EASY to get up to play Ohio St.
Grade – Average.
MEGA BOWL BITES
USC has a 7 (!) game winning streak over Ohio St that dates back to 1975.
Summary
We were hoping to see a line less than a TD on this bad boy but it was just not meant to be. And the more we looked at this game the more we could see the case for the Trojans. Ohio St should be able to rip USC’s run defense to shreds BUT they have been too inconsistent for us to lay more than a TD. USC is healthier now but we are not sure they can keep pace. They should score some points tho, yo.
Conclusion
Official play: None
Best play on the game: USC team total over 27.5 for extra-small potatoes. (27.5 at BetOnline as we go to press)