An Ohio State victory will make the troll's smile go away.
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)
- Points Against (4th)
- Total Offense (16th)
- Rushing Defense (2nd)
- Total Defense (11th)
- 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' defense did to opponents and their Points For stats. The teams are listed in order of their Points For Average entering the game. Teams with the highest Points For Average entering the game are listed first.
Note:
Negative (-) numbers are good for Ohio State
Positive (+) numbers are bad for Ohio State
| Team | Avg. Before OSU | Points Against OSU | Difference | Rank Before | Rank After | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 45.5 | 37 | - 8.5 | 5th | 6th | |
| Cincinnati | 44.5 | 28 | - 16.5 | 14th | 29th | |
| Wisconsin | 37.5 | 0 | - 37.5 | 14th | 29th | |
 |
37.1 | ----- | ----- | 16th | ----- | |
| Maryland | 36.8 | 22 | - 14.8 | 41st | 39th | |
| Virginia Tech | 34.0 | 35 | + 1.0 | 56th | 55th | |
| Navy* | 33.5 | 17 | - 16.5 | 35th | 90th | |
| Minnesota | 30.7 | 24 | - 6.7 | 57th | 59th | |
| Rutgers | 29.5 | 17 | - 12.5 | 68th | 79th | |
| Illinois | 28.5 | 14 | - 14.5 | 74th | 79th | |
| Indiana | 25.1 | 27 | + 1.9 | 88th | 85th | |
| Penn State | 21.2 | 24 | + 2.8 | 108th | 103rd | |
| That Team | 20.3 | 28 | + 7.7 | 111th | 109th | |
| Kent State | 13.5 | 0 | -13.5 | 117th | 124th | |
| Averages | 30.8 | 21 | - 9.8 | 61st | 68th |
*Navy's average before stats are based on 2013 season.
Michigan State (45.5), Cincinnati (44.5) and Wisconsin (37.5) entered their games against Ohio State with higher Points For averages than Alabama (37.1). The Buckeyes held those teams to a combined 62.5 points below their average Points For.
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 the opponent scored against Ohio State and divided the total by 11 (10 for Navy).
| Team | Season Avg. Without Ohio State | Points Scored Against OSU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
45.2 | ||
| Michigan State | 43.6 | 37 | - 6.6 |
| Wisconsin | 37.5 | 0 | - 37.5 |
|
|
37.1 | ----- | ----- |
| Navy | 36.3 | 17 | - 19.3 |
| Cincinnati | 36.1 | 28 | - 8.1 |
| Minnesota | 29.8 | 24 | - 5.8 |
| Maryland | 29.7 | 22 | - 7.7 |
| Illinois | 27.7 | 14 | - 9.4 |
| Rutgers | 26.4 | 17 | - 9.4 |
| Indiana | 24.9 | 27 | + 2.1 |
| Virginia Tech | 22.3 | 35 | + 12.7 |
| That Team | 20.3 | 28 | + 7.7 |
| Penn State | 19.5 | 24 | + 4.5 |
| Kent State | 18 | 0 | - 18.0 |
| Averages | 28.6 | 21.0 | - 7.6 |
