Alabama, Ohio State One Step Closer to Meeting in Glendale

Heading into October, Alabama and Ohio State are the frontrunners to make it to the BCS title game. 

No disrespect to Oregon, Boise State, TCU, and Nebraska, but the Tide and Buckeyes control their destinies. Both teams are looking strong right now, but there are some areas they will need to improve if they want to meet in Glendale on January 10. 

 

Alabama

The Alabama faithful were sweating a little against Arkansas. 

An ineffective offense, coupled with a young secondary looking vulnerable, led to a 17-7 halftime deficit. Of course, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart were able to make the necessary halftime adjustments to take control in the second half, but the game was still in doubt late in the fourth quarter. 

In the end, the Tide made plays when it mattered, and that is the characteristic of a championship-caliber team.

Between the powerful running game, solid leadership from Greg McElroy, strong run defense, and Saban on the sidelines, there are few reasons to believe the Tide are in danger of losing this year. There are two areas, however, that could be problems for Alabama if they are not corrected.

First, the Tide rank fourth in pass-efficiency defense in the FBS, despite the inability to get into the backfield very often. Putting pressure on opposing QB’s, forcing mistakes, and disrupting the timing of the offense are important—just not for Alabama.

Fortunately, this is not a major issue considering the remaining opponents. Only South Carolina and Auburn have the offensive firepower to give this defense any significant concern.

The second issue is their offense is allowing too many sacks. With a fairly-veteran offensive line, giving up two sacks per game is unacceptable. 

Alabama’s season would be in jeopardy if McElroy got injured. Beyond his efficiency and experience, McElroy is not going to crumble when the offense is not clicking.

Navigating the SEC with an untested QB is a recipe for disaster, so keeping McElroy upright should be a top priority on the short list of fixes for this team.

Alabama passed a significant road test last Saturday, but that was just the beginning of a three-game stretch against ranked opponents. If the Tide beat the Gators at home this week, they should be undefeated going into November. 

It is almost unfair that their running game is so strong. Mark Ingram is just a beast. 

Knowing that the defense will continue getting better as the season progresses is just scary. Alabama appears to be the legitimate No. 1 team, and it will take a perfect game to beat them.

 

Ohio State

Coming into the season, the primary issue facing the Ohio State Buckeyes was Terrelle Pryor’s maturation as a QB and leader. 

Four games into the season, the evidence is mounting that he has total command of the offense. His confidence level is incredible, and Jim Tressel’s willingness to let Pryor do just about anything is clearly a sign that Pryor’s promise has arrived. 

The Buckeyes look ready for the championship run.

Like Alabama, Ohio State has very few weaknesses. The staff has done a good job in assembling a well-balanced team that is tough to exploit. 

Despite their strengths, the Buckeyes need to work on two problems if they want to go through the Big Ten unbeaten.

First, coverage on special teams, specifically punt coverage, is poor.  For a team coached by the man who said, “The punt is the most important play in football,” it almost seems absurd that Ohio State is dead last in net punting in the FBS. 

The Hurricanes exposed this weakness, and others are sure to follow unless they stop over-pursuing the return man.  Luckily, most of OSU’s remaining opponents are lousy returning the ball, though that could change when facing the Buckeyes. 

Secondly, safety play needs to improve. Without question, the inexperience and lack of depth at the safety position are the main concerns on the defensive side of the ball. 

Ohio State is ranked fifth in rushing defense, so it is probably safe to assume that no team is going to be effective running the ball against the Buckeyes. 

Defending the pass will be a premium, and Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell need to find ways to keep the safeties from being burned. Most Big Ten teams emphasize the run, so this may not be a major problem, but in tight games the Buckeyes will need the safeties to make a big play. 

Ohio State soundly defeated Miami in their only tough non-conference game. They also destroyed Marshall, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan, which is actually a good indication that the team is focused on playing one game at a time. 

The Buckeyes have not let off the gas pedal against any team, which was not necessarily the case in previous years. Going to Wisconsin and Iowa won’t be easy, but if they carry that intensity into every game, Ohio State will finish the regular season undefeated.