ESPN analyst predicts final result of the Cotton Bowl between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes
An interesting prediction on the Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Miami ahead of New Year’s Eve.
We are now past Christmas, and the Ohio State Buckeyes will be back in action against the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl in just a few days.
When Ohio State suits up against Miami on New Year’s Eve, it’ll be trying to get back on track after a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship. Miami will be a tough out for the Buckeyes after beating Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round.
ESPN predicts a Buckeyes win over Miami
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently predicted every game in the College Football Playoff, and he came away with one key potential worry about this matchup.
“A key matchup will be Ohio State’s offensive line (which allowed five sacks to Indiana after surrendering six during the entire regular season) facing a talented Miami defensive front led by Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr,” Rittenberg wrote. “The Buckeyes will need to run the ball effectively, especially in short-yardage situations. But they can also lean on their defense to fluster Beck and the Hurricanes a bit.”
The prediction was that Ohio State would defeat Miami 27-20.
Ohio State can’t allow big problem against Indiana to creep up again
Julian Sayin was sacked five times against Indiana and faced the most pressure that he had all season. Indiana has an excellent front, but the Miami front is even better, and the Buckeyes have to be a better unit up front in the Cotton Bowl. Rueben Bain Jr. leads a group of a couple of future NFL players that will be looking to get after Sayin.
Miami total sacks in last 5 games
- Texas A&M: 7 sacks
- Pitt: 4 sacks
- Virginia Tech: 5 sacks
- NC State: 1 sack
- Syracuse: 2 sacks
Pairing the pressure that the offensive line issues with the red zone collapse the Buckeyes had against Indiana, those are two things that can’t show up again. Ohio State is predicted just about everywhere to defeat Miami and move on; now, it has to go out and do it.
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