Bama, OSU meet in 2nd semifinal
NEW ORLEANS, LA (The Spread) – Two of the top coaches in the country meet up in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, as No. 1 Alabama faces No. 4 Ohio State at 8:30PM ET in the second college football playoff semifinal.
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Alabama got back to the top of the SEC in 2014, winning the championship game over Missouri, 42-13. The Tide won their last eight games to go 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. Their lone loss this season came against Ole Miss, 23-17, on the road. Alabama was just 5-8 against the spread this season, but they have covered the spread in two straight and have hit the over in their last two games.
Ohio State had an interesting season. The Buckeyes lost Braxton Miller just prior to the start of the season with a shoulder injury, then went 11-1 in his absence only to have J.T. Barrett get hurt in the season finale. Third-string QB Cardale Jones stepped in for the Big Ten Championship and led Ohio State to a 59-0 win over Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are 12-1 on the season, with the lone loss against Virginia Tech in Week 2, 35-21. OSU was 8-5 against the spread this season, but went 1-3 ATS in its last four games. The Buckeyes have hit the over in nine of their last 10 games.
According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, Alabama is the clear favorite in this game, as the Tide are getting odds of -9 points against the Buckeyes. The over/under total has been set at 58.5 points (View Matchup). These two have not met since 1995, where Alabama picked up a 24-17 victory, covering a 3.5-point spread.
The story of this game will likely be what Jones can do for the Ohio State offense against a strong Alabama defense. The Buckeyes averaged 507.6 yards per game on offense this year, while Ohio State allowed just 312.1 yards per contest. Jones threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns against a good defense in Wisconsin, but he is facing a much superior defense tonight in Alabama.
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