JEFF ALLEN GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE at OKLAHOMA
In arguably the most highly anticipated football matchup of the 2016 college football regular season,
the No.3 Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Norman, Oklahoma to face the No.14 Sooners. The game has
lost some of it’s luster in that Oklahoma didn’t keep it’s end of the bargain getting upset by Houston in
it’s opener. Both teams are loaded from a talent stand point. Oklahoma has an edge in experience. The
Buckeyes have a perceived edge in coaching with Urban Meyer vs. Bob Stoops.
Early in the summer, you could have taken more than a touchdown with Ohio State with the Buckeyes
returning just six starters, three on each side of the ball. The Buckeyes have proven the old adage that
the super powers don’t recruit, they just reload … with dominating blowout wins over tune ups Bowling
Green (77-10) and Tulsa (48-3). The current Vegas line is Ohio State -2 with the total down a full point
to 63.5 and still heading south. Weather is not expected to be a factor with the temperature for the 7:30
PM EST in the high 70s with just a 20% chance of rain.
Though the Buckeyes are young, QB J.T. Barrett is a proven big game signal caller. Mike Weber is the
next big time Buckeye running back and Curtis Samuel is the next in a long line of OSU deep threat wide
receivers. The Ohio State defense has already suffered two major season ending injuries, one on the
defensive line and one in the secondary. That said, next man up in Columbus is probably better than at
least 100 of the other FBS outfits.
Brash Sooner QB Baker Mayfield talks a lot of smack and puts up big numbers but is yet to come up with
a signature win to hang his hat on. Joe Mixon and Samaje Perrine form arguably the best backfield in the
country but that tandem did not fire against Houston and will be up against it here. The Sooner defense
is ranked 112th in the country against the pass allowing better than 286 per. In the end, Oklahoma is at
home with their season and possibly the season of the Big 12 on the line.
Oklahoma was beat up physically in their loss to Houston and had absolutely no answer for Cougar QB
Greg Ward. The Sooners rebounded well as they should have by clobbering UL Monroe but the War Hawks
will never be confused with the Buckeyes and J.T. Barrett is every bit as good as Greg Ward and can kill
you with his legs. Ohio State 42-31.