Preview and pick for the College Football National Championship

There was so much controversy around the Ohio State Buckeyes gaining a spot in the college football playoff. In fact, so much that it prompted something that may have helped give the team the boost that got them to the national title game.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, on his ballot for the coaches' poll, ranked OSU #11. That was a little dig. And the Buckeyes took that to heart. You saw the result. And here we are. Ohio State is after a national championship as it faces the Alabama Crimson Tide. The site is Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the Dolphins.

It's a strange atmosphere, as the stadium parking lot has been functioning as a site for COVID-19 vaccinations. And the Buckeyes have been hit a little bit by the virus, with rumors swirling about whether they will have a full contingent of defensive linemen.

Kickoff is at 8 PM ET. ESPN televises it, and they will have different versions of their coverage on different platforms.

The Numbers

At BetOnline, here are the NCAA football championship odds on this game:

Alabama Crimson Tide -9 (-111)
Ohio State Buckeyes   +9 (-109)

Over 74 points (-113)
Under 74 points (-107)

Let's talk about the underdogs in this game - OSU.

Justification for the Buckeyes

Are there people asking, "Should Ohio State even be here?' Not in the wake of their 49-28 win over a very good Clemson team in the national semi-final. But the Big Ten broke its own rules by letting the team into its own championship game. The Buckeyes played just five regular season games, but it was Michigan that canceled the season finale, not the Buckeyes.

Fields is hurting - maybe

What was extremely impressive about Justin Fields was that he threw six TD passes. That was part of the onslaught against Clemson. And in the middle of all that, he took a terrific hit from James Skalski of the Tigers, who got thrown out of the game for it. That injury, to his rib cage, still looms over the festivities. He'll play, but he's got to be careful here. OSU has CJ Stroud as a backup, and he's got a lot of promise.

There is said to be an awful lot of interest on the part of the New York Jets toward Fields as the #2 pick. And of course, Urban Meyer may wind up in Jacksonville, which might put Fields in play for the #1 selection.

Buckeyes send some top weapons out there

Fields has a pair of excellent receivers in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who combined for 82 catches and 1332 yards. And he has a running back who is on fire. Trey Sermon, a transfer from Oklahoma, took a while to get himself started. But now he has run for 331 yards in the Big Ten title game and then 193 more against Clemson.

Alabama's defense not operating at customary standard

There is nothing impenetrable about the Alabama defense, except maybe the "island" that cornerback Patrick Surtain can sometimes put his opponent on. But if you take a look, capable offense with capable quarterbacks have gained a lot of ground against them.

That much was known early on. Texas A&M and their coach Jimbo Fisher (a former offensive coordinator for Nick Saban) had 450 yards on 5.8 yards per play. Georgia had almost six yards per play. Ole Miss, now led by another of Saban's former O-coordinators, Lane Kiffin, had their way. Not only did they move the ball through the air (379 yards) but on the ground too (268). That's 647 yards against Alabama. And then in the SEC title game, Florida had 462 yards and 46 points.

This kind of thing would have been unheard of with some previous editions of the Crimson Tide. So no one should be under the impression that Ohio State can't move the ball.

Ryan Day brings a lot of background to the table

We're not sure if Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is going to use a little tempo or not. Remember that his first coaching mentor, before his experience with Urban Meyer, was Chip Kelly. And of course, Kelly promoted the spread offense with a lot of tempo.

Day has a head coaching record of 23-1. and he is known as a pretty good tutor of quarterbacks. That much may come naturally to him, as he was a QB at New Hampshire under Kelly. He had stints with Kelly's staffs with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

He might mix things up a little to keep Alabama's defense off-balance. There is weaponry, for sure, and we are relatively confident that in a game that could be a donnybrook, it will go over the total.

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