On January 8, 2007, Ohio State triggered the SEC’s college football dominance when it fell to Florida in a 41-14 rout in the BCS National Championship Game.
The Buckeyes will get a chance to end that eight-year streak of championship appearances on New Year’s Day, when they face top-ranked Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal hosted by the Sugar Bowl.
Members of the Ohio State football team are eager for that opportunity.
“It is definitely a game where a statement will be made,” Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott said, according to Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors. “The Big Ten is looked at as one of the weaker conferences and the SEC is one of the most dominant ones, we have a lot to prove in this game.”
The Buckeyes, shaping up as a figurative David to Alabama’s Goliath, will come into the game as 9.5-point underdogs. Despite coming off an historic 59-0 beatdown over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, the oddsmakers don’t expect Ohio State to keep pace with the Crimson Tide.
Is that because Alabama simply plays at a higher level—both as a team and as the result of its conference affiliation?
Many seem to think so. In fact, RealTimeRPI.com ranks the SEC as college football’s top conference, while the Big Ten is listed fifth among the Power Five leagues.
But when you ask Joey Bosa—Ohio State’s unanimous first-team All-American defensive end—he feels a little…
Continue Reading: Can Ohio State Finally End the SEC’s College Football Dominance?
