Ten reasons Ohio State will win
— -- DALLAS -- This is what everybody predicted back on Sept. 6 when Ohio State lost at home to Virginia Tech, right? Hardly, but here the Buckeyes are, playing outstanding football and looking for their first national championship in more than a decade. I've come up with 10 reasons they'll win Monday night against Oregon:
1. Strength up front: Just about every national champion over the past several seasons has had a bona fide difference-maker on its defensive line -- oftentimes multiple difference-makers. That's no coincidence. You still win up front no matter how many points offenses are scoring these days, and the Buckeyes' front four of ends Joey Bosa and Steve Miller and tackles Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington will be Oregon's worst nightmare. They've combined for 50 tackles for loss this season.
2. Shootout-ready: Oregon has won nine straight games and scored more than 40 points in all nine of those games. The Ducks are right at home in a 50-something-to-40-something game. The only problem is that Ohio State can score points with the best of them. So if this game turns into a back-and-forth track meet, the Buckeyes have been there and done that. In their 12-game winning streak, they've scored more than 40 points 10 times and more than 50 points six times.
3. Playing for keeps: Ohio State's defense vs. Oregon's offense will undoubtedly be one of the matchups to watch in this game, especially given how the Ducks wear teams down with their blistering pace. The best way to combat that pace is to keep Oregon's offense off the field, and Ohio State has the running game to do that. Sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott has been red-hot with 450 rushing yards in his past two games, averaging 11.3 yards per rush, and quarterback Cardale Jones also moves the chains with his ability to extend the play and convert on third down.
4. Picking Mariota's pocket: Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has thrown just three interceptions in 408 passing attempts, which is an amazing statistic. But the Buckeyes have been hard on opposing quarterbacks this season with 24 interceptions, ranking them fourth nationally. Safety Vonn Bell has six, including a fourth-quarter pick against Alabama that was huge, and cornerback Doran Grant has five. With Ohio State's fierce pass rush, the Buckeyes should have some chances against Mariota, particularly with one of his top receivers, Darren Carrington, ineligible for this game.
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