Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Missouri
By Eric Boggs
The last time we watched the Ohio State football team, they suffered their first and only loss of the season as they fell for a third straight season to rival Michigan. Many things have changed since that dreadful day in Ann Arbor, none greater than the fact that starting quarterback Kyle McCord decided to enter the transfer portal and will be QB! Next season for Syracuse.
Despite having a 12-1 record with his only loss being his last start, McCord’s move to the state of New York has opened the door for redshirt freshman Devin Brown, who competed against McCord during the off-season for the quarterback starting position. McCord obviously won the opportunity, and following his game-winning drive in South Bend, Indiana against the Fighting Irish, it was McCord’s position moving forward. That was until he decided to jump into the portal after allegedly not being guaranteed the starting quarterback position moving forward.
The exit of McCord guarantees that head coach Ryan Day will be heading into the Cotton Bowl against Missouri with a new signal caller under center. This change will undoubtedly affect the offense on some level. Whether that effect is directly felt in the passing game remains to be seen. One thing is for sure and that is that Brown will give the Tigers' defense something different to prepare for given his athleticism and ability to run the football.
It remains to be seen which current Buckeyes who didn’t leave the program via the transfer portal will opt out of playing in the bowl game. However, quite a few have announced that they will be playing, which could possibly be a precursor for many deciding to come back for a final season of eligibility next year, which might be an indication of why so many decided to enter the transfer portal.
Even if Marvin Harrison Jr. decides to opt out of playing, which I believe he will, I still believe that the Buckeyes will look more explosive offensively given the time they have had to adapt to Brown’s style. That is just one interesting aspect of this game that I am looking forward to seeing. Let’s dive into five different categories and see what our confidence level should be when it comes to whether or not Ohio State will come away victorious over Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.