There’s one team left in the College Football Playoff that can beat Ohio State: Andrew Gillis observations
PASADENA, California — Ohio State obliterated Oregon 41-21 on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl, moving the Buckeyes just two wins away from a national title.
Next up is Texas at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. But the Buckeyes might have gotten past their toughest test.
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The one team that can beat Ohio State
There’s one team left in the College Football Playoff field that can topple Ohio State.
It’s a team that has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It’s a team that has one of the best offenses, and defenses, in the sport. It’s also a team that has shown a maddening potential to implode at the worst moments this season.
And that team is Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have dominated their first two playoff games in a manner that is as impressive as possible. By beating Tennessee and Oregon in the first two rounds, with Texas on deck, the path might be getting easier for Ohio State.
Of course, Texas is a good team. So too Notre Dame, Georgia or Penn State. But perhaps the two most talented teams in the nation played on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl. And Ohio State led 34-0.
The Buckeyes have a path now clearly laid out to the national title game — and there’s no team left in the field that is as talented as they are.
The offensive line deserves your praise
The Ohio State offensive line has been great this season. They’ve been bad this season.
Not helped by two season-ending injuries to left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin, the Buckeyes have had to revamp, multiple times, the front five. And while no one will say the current group would be one capable of winning the Joe Moore Award, what they’ve done has been impressive.
Whenever quarterback Will Howard has hit deep shots to his receivers, the offensive line has given him protection. They paved the way for running back Quinshon Judkins to average five yards per carry against Oregon, and for TreVeyon Henderson to break a 66-yard touchdown run in the game to further cement a Buckeye blowout.
Put together with a three-man rotation at guard, their former left guard at left tackle and right tackle Josh Fryar, the Buckeyes have done enough through the first two games of the playoff to keep the offense humming along.
For a long time, there was worry that the offensive line could be the downfall of Ohio State in 2024. But the way the unit has come together after the end of the season has been admirable.
