Ohio State Football: 4th and Short, questions for Week 11
Q: Will any team be able to slow down Tua Tagovailoa?
A: Tua Tagovailoa all but locked up the Heisman Trophy in Baton Rouge last Saturday. No defenses have been able to stop him even though LSU slowed him down at times and forced an interception. Tagovailoa will be the best player on the field regardless of Alabama’s opponent and will not be slowed down until the playoff where he will be forced to look human, but still see a high rate of success.
Q: Which FBS team has the most [legitimate] chance of beating Alabama? In your opinion, is [Alabama] going to easily win out and dominate like [Villanova] did in March Madness [a few years ago]?
A: Three teams come to mind when thinking of who can slow down Alabama.
- Clemson – The Tigers have one of the best defensive lines in the country as well as a balanced offense that can score in bunches. Currently, Clemson is the only FBS team that would be a single digit underdog versus Alabama.
- Michigan…maybe – Michigan and LSU draw similar comparisons and we saw how that went last Saturday in the bayou. The sole reason they are on this list is because of Don Brown’s sweltering defense. I think the Wolverines would be able to slow down the Tide, however, I do not believe their offense is built to come from behind defeat the Tide.
- Ohio State – the Buckeyes have the coaching staff and talent to defeat Alabama, but until they tighten up the defense and continue to develop the ground game they would get the doors blown off of the stadium if they had to play Alabama.
The Buckeyes also have a habit of playing to the level of their competition, so if they find themselves in the playoff and draw the Tide, do not be surprised if this is closer than expected or if the Buckeyes pulled the seemingly impossible upset.