• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

Game Thread 2014 B1G Championship Game: tOSU vs. Wisconsin, Dec. 6, 8:17 PM ET, FOX

Our seats are 116 row 8. That's about. 35 yard line across from the home sidelines.
Thank you. And do you believe you are in osu territory, or did you just get best available tickets and didn't worry about that?

And for anyone who went last year, is it one half of the stadium split up by sidelines? I'm guessing so, but never been to a neutral field game so not sure if it's split up by endzones or something. And if sidelines I'm guessing OSU would have the home sidelines. Just trying to get seats in osu territory if possible.
 
Upvote 0
If Wisconsin gets through, which gives Ohio State the best chance of a playoff berth, then I think Ohio State enters the game with several challenges.
  • Although Ohio State wins the turnover ratio comparison, recent Buckeye turnovers are a real concern.
  • Wisky is #2 in the nation for rushing offense and Ohio State ranks #41 on rushing defense. Finding an answer for Gordon looks like a tall order right now.
  • There needs to be a plan to perform exceptionally well on offense. Wisconsin also has an excellent #3 passing defense and #5 rushing defense.
  • Wisconsin gives up few sacks (0.79 to 2.09 per game). However, they also run more, which would affect this statistic.
On the other hand, Wisconsin will have a tough Buckeye team to overcome.
  • They have had their own turnover problems.
  • They are bigger, but appear to be slower than the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball.
  • Ohio State leads the tackles for loss comparison (7.4 to 7.0 per game).
  • Ohio State give up marginally fewer tackles for loss (4.9 to 5.1 per game).
  • Wisconsin are ranked #119 in passing offense. They've hurt teams that stack the box and go for Gordon, but Stave has been running to do that rather than passing.
  • The teams are evenly matched for kickoff return yardage, but Ohio State is #17 on kickoff return defense. In comparison, there is really only 3 yards a return difference between the teams.
  • Wisky is one of the worst on punt return defense, giving up about 6 yards more on average than the Buckeyes. They net only 32 yards per punt, one of the worst in the NCAA, and Ohio State is among the best with nearly 41 yards net yardage per punt.
Some things to consider...
  • Both teams have been getting about the same time of possession per game. Each will need to find a way to keep the other's offense off the field.
  • Both have been intercepted ten times this year, but Wisky throws less. Comparatively, there is about a 3.2% chance of an Ohio State interception every time the ball is thrown, compared to a nearly 4.2% chance for Wisconsin. If the season performance is relevant in the game, that means that there is a 30% greater chance of an interception when Wisky throws the ball.
  • Ohio State intercepts 4.9% of opponent passes. Wisconsin intercepts 2.1%.
My reading is that the Buckeyes chances to win this game will hinge on line play on both sides of the ball, special teams, controlling field position, turnover-free play, and establishing a passing game to open the door for the run. First and second down will be very important. Barrett has to be on his game like he was at Michigan State.
 
Upvote 0
Thank you. And do you believe you are in osu territory, or did you just get best available tickets and didn't worry about that?

And for anyone who went last year, is it one half of the stadium split up by sidelines? I'm guessing so, but never been to a neutral field game so not sure if it's split up by endzones or something. And if sidelines I'm guessing OSU would have the home sidelines. Just trying to get seats in osu territory if possible.

LOL ... The seats were so awesome that it didn't matter much to me. I got them right after MSU while there were good seats available.

I'm not overly worried about it... 50:50 chance, right? And anyone going to this game will likely be fairly well behaved... It's not like Camp Randall.
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top