Ohio State vs. Oregon

Ohio State offense vs. Oregon defense
• A rushing attack that significantly improved down the stretch is a big reason Ohio State played its way into a Rose Bowl bid. From what we can tell in studying tape on this group, there are two noticeable differences. First, the Buckeyes are allowing QB Terrelle Pryor to run the ball more, particularly in the zone-read option game. As far as we're concerned, Ohio State cannot let Pryor run the option enough versus Oregon. Pryor is the team's most dynamic weapon and he's clearly most comfortable when working the option game. Plus, No. 2 tends to draw extra attention as a runner, which opens up room for RBs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron to operate when Pryor opts to pitch. Secondly, the offensive line is healthy and has developed into a cohesive unit with much more confidence. The Buckeyes should be able to control the line of scrimmage on this side of the ball versus a vastly undersized Oregon defensive front seven. Only one of the Ducks' defensive linemen weighs more than 268 pounds and only one of their linebackers weighs more than 226 pounds. Quite simply, Ohio State's chances of upsetting the Ducks increase with every rushing attempt.