Sugar Bowl 2015: X-Factors in Ohio State vs. Alabama Showdown

The moment Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State, the goal was to beat the SEC, and the Alabama dynasty in particular, on the way to multiple national titles. Now, the Buckeyes have their chance in the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

You know the main actors in this matchup already.

Third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, running back Ezekiel Elliott and deep threat Devin Smith will lead the Buckeyes against quarterback Blake Sims, wide receiver Amari Cooper, running backs T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry and the rest of the Crimson Tide.

However, there are bound to be some X-factors outside of just the main players that help shape the outcome of the game. With that in mind, read on for some details on those X-factors.

A Healthy Dontre Wilson

PAUL VERNON/Associated Press

Ohio State announced to the nation that it was back and ready to compete for a playoff spot when it walked into East Lansing and knocked off Michigan State, but it lost H-back Dontre Wilson in the process.

Wilson broke his foot (but still managed to catch a critical touchdown down the stretch) and was lost for the remainder of the regular season.

Jalin Marshall filled in, and the offense didn't miss much of a beat. Marshall is versatile enough to play on the outside, in the backfield or out of the slot, and he even took some snaps as a Wildcat quarterback. He saved the game for Ohio State against Indiana.

Since Marshall thrived in November, the injured Wilson became something of the forgotten man in the Ohio State offense while he was sidelined. However, having both Marshall and Wilson on the field at once makes the Buckeyes offense, which was fourth in the nation in points per game, all the more dangerous. 

It appears like that will be the case in the Sugar Bowl, via Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors:

Wilson is fast enough to score from anywhere on the field anytime he touches the ball and is an all-purpose player who will impact the game in a number of ways.

Before getting hurt, he tallied 100 rushing yards on 5.6 yards per carry, 300 receiving yards and three touchdown catches on 14.3 yards per catch, 136 yards on punt returns and 528 yards on kick returns. While Marshall will continue to return punts in the Sugar Bowl, Wilson was Ohio State's main kick returner while he was healthy and likely will be again in the postseason. 

Adding a game-changing speedster to an offense that was already dominant as well as to a dangerous special teams is a solid formula for an upset.

Alabama's Defense Dealing With No-Huddle

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Alabama's defense has been one of the most consistent units in all of college football for years, but there has been one perceived chink in the armor the past couple of seasons.

Whether it was Johnny Manziel torching the Alabama secondary, Oklahoma shocking the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl with an aerial onslaught or Auburn nearly scoring at will the past couple of Iron Bowls, Alabama's defense struggled to stop the no-huddle offense. That could be a problem against the Buckeyes in the playoffs.

Alabama safety Landon Collins discussed his team's issues against the no-huddle attack before the 2014 Iron Bowl, via Kelly Ward of The Tuscaloosa News.

"Definitely in the past," Collins said. "Definitely saw it as, especially with Auburn and with Oklahoma, they ran that fast-pace offense against us and ran us out the stadium. Definitely saw that as a downside of our defense, and we had to pick that up and show that we are very dominant against it."

So much for that.

The Tigers torched the Crimson Tide for 630 total yards even in defeat. While Auburn couldn't stop Cooper and the Alabama offense and ultimately lost the game, it provided yet another example of an uptempo attack having its way against Alabama.

How the Crimson Tide deal with Ohio State's version of the no-huddle offense will go a long way toward determining the outcome of the Sugar Bowl. For as impressive as Jones and the rest of the Buckeyes looked in a 59-0 win over Wisconsin, it is asking an awful lot of a young quarterback in his second career start to deal with Alabama's defense.

What's more, head coach Nick Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will have three weeks to prepare a game plan for Jones. There are a lot of national championships in the coaching room when Alabama prepares for an opponent, and that should not be overlooked. 

No pressure, Mr. Jones.

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