Drew Gordon
Drew Gordon
Drew Gordon
Today's Games...
1. 400,000♦ Ohio State
2. 50,000♦ Colorado
1. Ohio State- Do you really believe Coach Tressel and his Buckeyes learned nothing from their 41-14 debacle against the Florida Gators in last year's BCS Title Game? For a year now they've been hearing everyone with an opinion say that they're too slow, the SEC is too quick, and that they might as well kiss their Championship hopes goodbye this season. Well, fast forward a year, and the 11-1 Buckeyes have been playing inspired football all season, and tonight they get their redemption and here's why:
Besides the huge motivational factor, there's no question the Buckeyes defense is the more dominant stop-unit in this contest. Led by Butkus award winning LB Laurinaitis, this defense is dominant, ranking 1st in total yards (227 yards/game), passing defense (148 yards/game), and scoring defense (10.7 ppg allowed), and 3rd overall in rush defense (79 yards/game). Critics will argue this defense didn't play the same caliber opponents that LSU did, but if you saw the Tigers defense collapse down the stretch, how can you argue against this point?
Speaking of the LSU defense, they struggled mightily over their last 3 games, allowing a whopping 29 ppg on 440 total yards. What has to be scariest for LSU-backers is the fact the Tigers surrendered 226 rushing yards per game over that stretch... Can't you just hear the OSU O-line and Beanie Wells licking their chops at that stat?! Again critics will say that they're collapse at the end of the season was due to Glen Dorsey's injury, but that's a long way to fall because of one player.
While I expect both offenses to struggle somewhat against these defenses, I'm just not convinced the Matt Flynn/Ryan Perrilloux combo is going to be able to get it done against this Buckeyes stop-unit. Flynn struggled with inconsistency, finishing with a below average 55% completion rate. You can make the same argument against QB Boeckman, who struggled down the stretch, but with plenty of time to make adjustments (51 days off) and RB Beanie Wells pounding his way through a suddenly vulnerable Tigers defense, Boeckman will prove why Tressel is so high on him (not to mention the fact his stats this season far supercede anything Flynn and/or Perriloux did).
Bottom line, the Buckeyes got embarrassed from top-to-bottom in last year's BCS Title game, and tonight, they're not only playing for the championship, but also for personal pride, which can be the greatest motivator of all. Ohio State has all the motivation it needs, plus the defensive and coaching edges. I'd call the offenses a push, but its hard not to like RB Wells against a suddenly struggling LSU defense. We'll take the points, as I expect a close contest here, but don't be too surprised if the Buckeyes pull out the outright upset tonight at the Superdome!
Take Ohio State plus the points over Louisiana State as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Colorado- While Tulsa has been padding its stats with 5 straight home wins against sub-par competition, tonight they take their show on the road, where they're 0-3 & 1-2 ATS. Granted, the Buffaloes are 3-3 SU and 0-4 ATS at home this season, but they've won two straight there, and are playing much better basketball at this point in the season.
Another unintended benefit of the Buffaloes numbers at home is the very conservative price tag on this contest. Listen guys, Colorado may not have the best numbers, but having watched both these teams play, I can tell you Tulsa's road play is atrocious, averaging 58 ppg on just 35% shooting. Their 84-70 loss at Oral Roberts in a non-lined contest should tell you a lot about their ability to get it done in hostile territory.
Match ups also favor the Buffaloes, as their 4-guard attack of Roby, Hall, Silas, adn Higgins can and will run circles around a bigger, more lumbering Golden Hurricane squad. There's no question Colorado will have some trouble with 6'11 C Jordan, but he's still a project offensively, and has averaged only 7 ppg in Tulsa's 3 road games!
Bottom line, Colorado protects its house, building off consecutive home wins to beat a road-weary Tulsa team in this one. With more than a week off, its possible we see Tulsa come out flat, which would doom them from the beginning. Either way, count on the Buffaloes to eventually pull out the home win and cover against a Tulsa squad that can't hit the broadside of barn in hostile territory.
Take Colorado at home over Tulsa in this college hoops match up.
