Joel Klatt backs Ohio State for CFP Round 1 despite ugly loss to Michigan
The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes are looking to regroup after losing 13-10 to the Michigan Wolverines on Nov. 30. Michigan has beaten their rivals for the past four years.
On Saturday, the Buckeyes take on the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff. College Football analyst Joel Klatt believes fans shouldn't count out the Buckeyes despite their last defeat.
Klatt backed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) to perform well against Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference). On Thursday's episode of "The Joel Klatt Show" podcast, the analyst pointed out that Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has shown he can help his team rebound from a loss, particularly by being more aggressive on offense.
"In 2019 and Ryan Day's first year as a head coach, he went out there and lost what was a gut-wrenching loss in a playoff game to Clemson. Ever since then, when he's had a chance at a playoff, they've gone for broke offensively," Klatt said.
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The podcaster reflected on Day leading Ohio State to a 49-28 win over Clemson on Jan. 1, 2020, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Former Buckeyes and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields ended the game by completing 22 passes for 385 yards and six touchdowns.
Klatt also noted that Day's team has performed well in their next game after losing to Michigan (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) for the last four years.
"The history suggests that the way they play against Michigan is not the way they will subsequently play in their playoff game or in their Bowl game," he added.
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Joel Klatt believes Ohio State's offense will be aggressive against Tennessee
The former college football quarterback thinks Day coached his team to play aggressively on offense based on their history. He predicts Ohio State will try to overwhelm Tennessee by throwing the football rather than relying on their rushing offense.
"In these other instances, you got a dynamic, open and aggressive game plan from Ohio State, and I think that's exactly what you are going to get this week as they welcome Tennessee because it would be crazy to lean into the strengths that Tennessee is going to put on the table, namely their defensive line and their rush defense," Klatt said.
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The Buckeyes will look to Will Howard to play better than when he faced Michigan. He enters the first-round playoff game with 227 completed passes for 2,860 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Who do you think will win when the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.