Three bold predictions for Ohio State football vs. Oregon

The Ohio State football team takes on the the toughest opponent they'll see this year. We give you some bold predictions for the game.

By Ryan Stano | Oct 11, 2024

Oct 5, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) makes a one-handed touchdown catch against Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Deshaun Lee (8) in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Samantha Madar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Samantha Madar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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3. The Ohio State football team won't commit a false start penalty

One of the big things that the Ducks have going for them is the home crowd. Autzen Stadium is one of the best home-field advantages in the country. With the way that stadium is built, the crowd noise is just immediately on top of you. It gets hard to think out there.

When a crowd is that loud, it's hard for opposing offenses to operate. A big way that manifests is with pre-snap penalties. Mainly false starts. The crowd screaming makes it hard for offensive linemen to hear the snap count. It requires a high level of discipline to make sure you don't move early.

The Ohio State football team is going to have to deal with that loud crowd on Saturday. It's going to be a wild atmosphere because everyone there knows how big of a deal the game is. It's going to be hard for Howard to communicate changes in the play and the snap count.

Still, I believe the Buckeyes won't commit a single false start penalty. I think they will have enough discipline to keep themselves from moving early and starting the drive with a five-yard penalty. Those kinds of penalties can be drive killers at the start or killers at the end on third-down.

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These are all things that can happen on Saturday. If they do, the Buckeyes should be able to win the game.

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