If you go to the game beware of 'Bama Babe.
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' defense did to opponents and their Total Defense stats. The teams are listed in order of their Total Defense Average entering the game. Teams with the lowest Total Defense 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 Wisconsin (297.7) and Michigan State (288.6). The Badgers had the 2nd ranked defense and the Spartans the 5th ranked defense before facing Ohio State's offense.
- Penn State's defense held the Buckeyes' offense to the lowest difference (9.7).
- If the average holds, Ohio State should gain over 460 total yards of offense against Alabama.
| Team | Avg. Before OSU | Yards Allowed Against OSU | Difference | Rank Before | Rank After | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 193.0 | 327 | - 134.0 | 11th | 13th | |
| Wisconsin | 260.3 | 558 | - 297.7 | 2nd | 4th | |
| Michigan State | 279.4 | 568 | - 288.6 | 5th | 10th | |
| Penn State | 283.3 | 293 | - 9.7 | 6th | 7th | |
| That Team | 301.8 | 416 | - 114.2 | 9th | 10th | |
 |
312.4 | ----- | ----- | 11th | ----- | |
| Minnesota | 335.3 | 489 | - 153.7 | 21st | 33rd | |
| Kent State | 392.0 | 628 | - 236.0 | 73rd | 106th | |
| Navy* | 394.7 | 420 | - 25.3 | 57th | 79th | |
| Rutgers | 396.7 | 585 | - 188.3 | 70th | 82nd | |
| Maryland | 405.2 | 533 | -127.8 | 89th | 97th | |
| Indiana | 432.7 | 527 | - 94.3 | 89th | 97th | |
| Cincinnati | 463.5 | 710 | - 246.5 | 106th | 122nd | |
| Illinois | 475.4 | 545 | - 69.6 | 112th | 112th | |
| Averages | 354.9 | 507.6 | - 152.7 | 50th | 59th |
*Navy before stats based on 2013 season.
The 2014 Buckeyes totally dominated opposing defenses. Every defense's 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 will gain over 150 yards the average your defense allows.
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 total yards Ohio State gained against the opponent and divided the total by 11 (10 for Navy).
| Team | Season Avg. Without Ohio State | Yards Ohio State Gained | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 260.3 | 558 | - 297.7 |
| Penn State | 267.7 | 293 | - 25.3 |
| Michigan State | 268.6 | 568 | - 299.4 |
| That Team | 301.8 | 416 | - 114.2 |
|
|
312.4 | ----- | ----- |
 |
328 | ||
| Virginia Tech | 332.1 | 327 | + 5.1 |
| Minnesota | 351.2 | 489 | - 137.8 |
| Kent State | 373.2 | 628 | - 254.8 |
| Cincinnati | 424.0 | 710 | - 286.0 |
| Indiana | 425.4 | 527 | - 101.6 |
| Rutgers | 426.3 | 585 | - 158.7 |
| Navy | 427.2 | 420 | + 7.2 |
| Maryland | 429.5 | 533 | - 103.5 |
| Illinois | 457.0 | 545 | - 88.0 |
| Averages | 365.0 | 507.6 | - 142.6 |
When the season stats are taken into account, Ohio State's first two games of the season are the only games in which the Buckeyes' offense under-performed. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Tom Herman won the Broyles Award.
