Ohio State Football: 3 Bold predictions for Buckeyes vs Alabama

OSU will shut down Najee Harris

Against the Tigers, Ohio State’s defense was able to win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Travis Etienne didn’t play a huge role in the outcome and that’s exactly what the Buckeyes need to do to Najee Harris.

It’s hard enough to stop Alabama’s passing game if everything is in your favor, but it’s nearly impossible when the Crimson Tide have the balance of a solid running game too.

Ohio State was able to take that away from Clemson. The Buckeyes got five tackles for loss and a couple of sacks, even though this unit doesn’t have the elite edge rushers of the past.

The best way to try and limit Alabama is the same formula as the Sugar Bowl. Run Sermon, get the lead and force Alabama to be one-dimensional.  That will make it easier to defend the passing attack and to get pressure on Jones, which is the best way to stop the offense.

In the end, both teams are going to light up the scoreboard and this will probably be a race to 30 or 40, but by taking away Harris, Ohio State will force a turnover or two and will get there first in a lower-scoring game than expected.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Alabama 28