Ohio State Football: How Buckeyes benefit if no crowd allowed at Oregon

With news breaking that the state of Oregon may not be allowing fans at games, the Ohio State football team’s trip to Autzen stadium looks like a little easier contest.

One of the premier non-conference match-ups this fall was going to be Ohio State taking on Oregon in Autzen Stadium. Both the Buckeyes and Ducks are currently ranked inside the top 10 and have their eyes set on making the College Football Playoff.

What was set to be the exciting first leg of a home and home series to be finished in Ohio Stadium in 2021 now looks like it could be a little tamer.

In a recent announcement, Oregon Governor Kate Brown had this to say:

"“There is some difficult news to share. Large gatherings, including live sporting events with audiences, concerts, festivals, and conventions will not be able to return until we have a reliable treatment or prevention like a vaccine.”"

That would mean if football is able to be played this fall, the Ducks would host the Buckeyes in a mostly empty stadium.

This would take away a huge advantage Oregon would have had, and one that could be important when playing a top team like Ohio State.

Autzen Stadium is consistently ranked as one of the most difficult stadiums for opposing teams to play in. Before the 2019 season, it was ranked as the 6th hardest stadium in the country (ahead of Ohio Stadium).

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Even though the stadium is smaller than most in the Big Ten or SEC, the design makes the noise echo and it gets very loud.

Now, Ohio State would be able to play a game without any influence from screaming fans, raucous marching bands or blasting pump-up music. This means there is no need to adjust the snap count, go with visual cues or change anything from how the Buckeyes would prepare for a home game.

When looking at these teams on paper, Ohio State seems to hold an advantage, especially with Oregon breaking in a new offensive line and quarterback. Take away the crowds and the Buckeyes are going to gain even more of an advantage in this game.

As a result, one of the toughest games on Ohio State’s schedule this fall may be a little easier than expected.