What to Expect

Alabama relies on its passing game, and in all but two games this season it has had more receiving yards than rushing yards. It had a high of 288 rushing yards against West Virginia and a low of 66 against Arkansas. T.J. Yeldon has been dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries, so he may be limited in this game. In the passing game Alabama had a high of 430 against Florida Atlantic and a low of 161 against Arkansas. Cooper can be defended and in the Arkansas game he only had two receptions for 22 yards, and Alabama was fortunate to win the game. In the loss to Ole Miss he had 91 yards, but none of the receptions resulted in a touchdown. Ohio State can allow Cooper to catch the ball, but he can't reach the endzone. Look for Alabama to have 150 rushing yards and 200 passing yards.

Alabama has a strong rushing defense, but the passing defense has struggled at times. The rushing defense limited Texas A&M to 31 rushing yards, although A&M is not known for its rushing offense. Alabama never allowed a team to run for over 183 yards, and it only allowed over 150 yards in three games. This season it has only allowed three rushing touchdowns. The pass defense is a different story, with nine teams passing for over 200 yards, including 365 yards by West Virginia and 456 yards by Auburn. Look for Ohio State to have 200 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. Ohio State will win with a final score of 31-24.