The Ohio State Buckeyes await their opponent for the Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas, with the TAMU Aggies hosting the Miami Hurricanes in a first-round College Football Playoff matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Obviously, playing a team from Texas, in Texas, is a disadvantage for the school from Columbus, Ohio. Cleveland.com's Stefan Krajisnik offered that as his reasoning why he wants to see "The U" win this weekend against the 12th Man.
Krajisnik felt the Canes and Aggies are so similar in key areas -- mainly the quarterback positions, with Miami's Carson Beck and TAMU's Marcel Reed being good, but not great, because their lows can be lower than hell, and along the offensive and defensive lines -- that the difference-maker is location, location, location.
"Texas A&M and Miami are similar in two important areas: under center and in the trenches," Krajisnik prefaced before saying, "The Hurricanes and Aggies have fierce defensive lines led by potential first-round picks. The Aggies lead the nation with 41 sacks, but the Hurricanes aren’t far behind with 34."
"At quarterback, both teams have battled inconsistency. Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed was among the Heisman Trophy favorites for most of the season, but he’s thrown at least two interceptions in three of his last five games."
"Miami’s Carson Beck was an early favorite to win the Heisman after leading his team to wins against Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida and Florida State. However, in Miami’s two losses, he combined to throw six interceptions."
"When the teams are so equal along the defensive line and at quarterback, outside variables matter. Because of that, I’d rather play Miami simply to avoid facing Texas A&M in Dallas."
TAMU may be slightly better in the trenches while having an intense traveling fanbase that's more plugged-in than Miami's.
Truth be told, Buckeye fans need to cheer for "The U" for the easiest road possible. If OSU is even into that after getting through last year's gauntlet and also having a regular season with many questions.
Margins for Ohio State not yet razor thin with Miami or TAMU
Not to overlook their next opponent, but Ohio State has proven it can handle teams like the Hurricanes and Aggies all year. TTUN is a similar caliber opponent to Miami and TAMU, if we're being honest with ourselves.
The step up comes with the Indiana Hoosiers, who of course defeated the Buckeyes 13-10 in the Big Ten title game, and the Georgia Bulldogs. That may be OSU's penultimate and final tests this year.
The Oregon Ducks and Texas Tech Red Raiders are the half step between your Canes and Aggies and the best of the best. The way the bracket is expected to shake out, neither may get a crack to prove they belong in the top tier.