Did you know that ESPN aired Da U Part 2 last night? Do you think they talked about the 2003 National Championship Game? I'm sure they did not complain about the penalty in overtime.
What I hope Alabama fans look like at the end of the game.
Alabama enters the Sugar Bowl with statistical strengths. The Tide are ranked in the top 20 in the following seven statistical categories:
- Points For (16th)
- Total Offense (16th)
- Total Defense (11th)
- Points Against (4th)
- Rushing Defense (2nd)
- Offensive 3rd Down Conversions (2nd)
- Net Punting (2nd)
As you can see from the list above, Alabama has an impressive resume.
Below you will see what the Buckeyes' offense did to opponents and their Points Allowed stats. The teams are listed in order of their Points Allowed Average entering the game. Teams with the lowest Points Allowed Average entering the game are listed first.
Note:
Negative (-) numbers are good for Ohio State
Positive (+) numbers are bad for Ohio State
3 Things
- Ohio State had the largest difference against Kent State (- 46.0) and Wisconsin (- 42.2). The Badgers had the 4th ranked Points Allowed defense and left with the 13th best after facing Ohio State's offense.
- Indiana's defense held the Buckeyes' offense to the lowest point difference (- 8.4).
- If the average holds, Ohio State should score at least 40 points against Alabama.
| Team | Avg. Before Ohio State | Points Allowed Against Ohio State | Difference | Rank Before | Rank After | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 9.0 | 21 | - 12 | 21st | 27th | |
| Penn State | 15.2 | 31 | - 15.8 | 6th | 9th | |
 |
16.6 | ----- | ----- | 4th | ----- | |
| Wisconsin | 16.8 | 59 | - 42.2 | 4th | 13th | |
| Maryland | 19.8 | 52 | - 32.2 | 31st | 66th | |
| Kent State | 20.0 | 66 | - 46.0 | 50th | 102nd | |
| Michigan State | 20.3 | 49 | - 28.7 | 22nd | 41st | |
| That Team | 20.6 | 42 | - 21.4 | 21st | 28th | |
| Minnesota | 21.3 | 31 | - 9.7 | 23rd | 28th | |
| Rutgers | 21.7 | 56 | - 24.3 | 42nd | 65th | |
| Navy* | 24.4 | 34 | - 9.6 | 40th | 88th | |
| Cincinnati | 29.0 | 50 | - 21.0 | # | # | |
| Indiana | 33.6 | 42 | - 8.4 | 104th | 106th | |
| Illinois | 34.4 | 55 | - 20.6 | 104th | 111th | |
| Average | 22.0 | 45.2 | - 23.2 | 39th | 57th |
*Navy before stats based on 2013 season.
# Like a dope I did not record Cincinnati's rank for Points Allowed.
The 2014 Buckeyes totally dominated opposing defenses. Every defense's Points Allowed stats were demolished by Ohio State's offense. If you are an opponent of Ohio State it has to be frustrating knowing that the Buckeyes on average will score 45 points.
Below is a compilation of the average season stats of the teams Ohio State played in 2014. To get a fair comparison for the "Ohio State Effect" I removed the points Ohio State scored against the opponent and divided the total by 11 (10 for Navy).
| Team | Season Avg. Without Ohio State | Points Ohio State Scored | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 16.5 | 31 | - 14.5 |
|
|
16.6 | ----- | ----- |
| Wisconsin | 16.8 | 59 | - 42.2 |
| Michigan State | 17.3 | 49 | - 31.7 |
| Virginia Tech | 20.4 | 21 | - 0.6 |
| That Team | 20.6 | 42 | - 21.4 |
 |
21.2 | ||
| Minnesota | 22.7 | 31 | - 8.3 |
| Kent State | 23.0 | 66 | - 43.0 |
| Cincinnati | 24.7 | 50 | - 25.3 |
| Maryland | 26.8 | 52 | - 25.2 |
| Rutgers | 28.6 | 56 | - 27.4 |
| Navy | 29.5 | 34 | - 4.5 |
| Illinois | 32.0 | 55 | - 23.0 |
| Indiana | 32.0 | 42 | - 10.0 |
| Average | 23.9 | 45.2 | - 21.3 |
When the season stats are taken into account, Ohio State's first two games of the season are the least productive in points scored differential. As the season progressed the differential continued to widen. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Tom Herman won the Broyles Award.
