Ohio State Football: Roundtable and Predictions vs Oklahoma
Predictions for the Ohio State vs Oklahoma game.
Ohio State will be traveling to Oklahoma for their third game of the season. Those of us who are contributors at Scarlet And Game will share our takes on how the game will play out and our predictions for the final score.
Last week Dano Opacich and I had Ohio State winning by 46 points and it was a 45 point win. I have to give the edge to Dano though, his prediction was 52-6, pretty close to the final score of 48-3.
Here we go with our predictions this week.
Dillon Davis: After two tune ups, the country finally gets to see if the Buckeyes’ talent will trump their inexperience. It is cliche to say that a football game will come down to the trenches. What football game in the history of the sport wasn’t widely swayed by who controlled the line of scrimmage?
Tonight, that will be especially true. Ohio State has to be able to run the football, no easy task with the mammoth defensive line of Oklahoma looking to shut it down. If the Buckeyes can establish the run, the Sooners’ suspect secondary could be the ones getting lit up in Norman.
Defensively, the Buckeyes will give up some yards. Baker Mayfield is too much of a wildcard to completely shut him down.
I think the Buckeyes do a good job of limiting the explosive plays. Expect somewhat of a shootout. I have the Buckeyes solidifying themselves as one of the best teams in the country. Ohio State 38 Oklahoma 27.
Thomas Scurlock: The Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 largely based on Urban Meyer and throttling two inferior teams.
Beating Oklahoma on the road at night will give Ohio State its first signature regular season non-conference win since 2006, set the tone for the rest of this season, firmly plant J.T. Barrett in the Heisman race and show the rest of country that the concerns about the inexperience were absurd.
In the larger picture, the outcome of this game will be used by the College Football Playoff Committee to size up the Big Ten and Big 12 should a comparison be needed.
Stakes are high and the Buckeyes are ready to exert their will on the Sooners. Barrett orchestrates a strong offensive performance passing for 350 yards with four touchdowns and the defense sustains its domination by chocking the Sooner rushing attack.
Buckeyes win 41-24.
Billy George: The Buckeyes are slight favorites in this game, and for good reasons. Their high-octane offense, led by one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, will be hard to stop, and the young Ohio State defense is the most athletic one that the Sooners will face all year. However, I imagine that Oklahoma will get off to a fast start when it comes to moving the ball. I see them moving the ball early on with tempo, only to find their drives stall in Ohio State territory, and for them to settle for field goals.
Meanwhile, Ohio State’s offense will get off to a fast start, too, as the Sooners’ defense won’t have an answer for guys like Curtis Samuel and J.T. Barrett. I see Ohio State getting an early ten-point lead. As the game progresses, however, the youth of the Buckeyes’ offensive line will show up for the first time this season, as well as their young I secondary.
And after a bit of a slow start, look for Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield get things rolling through the air. Sure Ohio State’s defense is tied for second in the country in terms of total interceptions thus far (7), but it hasn’t faced a QB of Mayfield’s caliber in quite some time.
I see this being a one-score game at halftime, but I think that Ohio State will jump out to (and maintain) a double-digit lead throughout the second half, eventually winning by roughly ten points. Ohio State 42, Oklahoma 31
Dano Opacich: The Buckeyes use Sooners backup QB’s calling their defense “basic” as bulletin board material and their defense excels.
Tough line of scrimmage game…
Final: OSU 35 Oklahoma 24
Alex Yoder: I think this will somewhat of a high scoring game, as well as a close one. I believe that it comes down to the coaches, and I trust Urban Meyer more than I do Bob Stoops. I’m going 42-39 Buckeyes.
Charlie Lockhart: Both Ohio State and Oklahoma have strong defenses but the offenses are explosive. It will probably be a game where a few big plays will make the difference. I see the Buckeyes making more of them than the Sooners. I have Ohio State winning 38-27.
Must Read: Will Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett win the 2016 Heisman Trophy?
See which guy you think is correct on how the game will play out. It’s interesting four of us have it an 11 point win for the Buckeyes.