Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Missouri

X-Factor Confidence Level

I know talking about special teams is currently a depressing matter, but the x-factor for the Cotton Bowl is very positive. There are a lot of guys who could have opted out of this game. At the time I am writing this article, outside of Harrison Jr., the only other starters who might not play are Eichenberg because of injury, Ransom because he is injured, and McCord because he transferred. Everyone else is rumored to be playing.

This is a good sign that the heart and soul of this Ohio State football team is healthy and hungry for a victory. This means Missouri isn’t going to get a shell of a team come Friday evening. Rather, the Tigers are going to have to play a Buckeye team that is ready to roll and wants to be there. This should give all of Buckeye Nation hope that we are going to see a team that truly wants to win.

That hasn’t always been the case in the past. There were plenty of Bowl games I can remember where the Ohio State team we got gave a halfhearted effort in the final contest of the season. There were plenty of teams during the 1990s that should have never even gotten on the plane based on their level of effort. That isn’t going to be the case on Friday.

“So it's important, imperative that we come out of this season with something,” Day stated at his initial press conference at the Cotton Bowl. “So, I think that that is the main thing. So, we're coming down here to win a game. We're coming down here to enjoy ourselves and kind of have a celebration of the 2023 Buckeyes.”

I have complete confidence that this team traveled to Texas for all the right reasons. They are going to give Day and one another their very best effort, and although it isn’t going to be easy, I believe they can win this game. My confidence level with the x-factor is at an eight.