We now know the real power of something as trivial as a Coaches Poll ballot. It seemed to be enough to push No. 3 Ohio State all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship
OK, so maybe the Buckeyes still would have beaten No. 2 Clemson in the 2021 Sugar Bowl semifinal without the help of Dabo Swinney's flapping gums, but the Buckeyes admitted there was more than a bit of motivation after seeing, watching and hearing why the Clemson coach ranked them out of the top 10 (at 11th) on his ballot.
In filling out his last regular-season top 25, Swinney favored teams for the top 10 that had played at least nine games. That was quite an accomplishment for some in this season of COVID-19. Made aware, Ohio State -- playing in only its seventh game Friday night -- showed no mercy.
"No, I don't regret any of that," Swinney after his team had been humbled 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl. "Polls have nothing to do with motivation. I said they were good enough to beat us."
Yes, but on Friday, the Buckeyes were provoked enough to club the Tigers. It wasn't immediate -- the teams were tied 14-14 after the first quarter -- but it was inevitable. The 639 yards against Brent Venables' fifth-ranked defense suggested it had purpose.
"That just gives us extra motivation," Ohio State center Josh Myers said of BallotGate, "extra ways we can get our guys pumped up, get them going."
Yeah, it all sounds a bit trite, but Ohio State might as well play the no respect card all the way from New Orleans to South Florida for the national title game. It is there inside Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 11 where the weapons will become more conventional.
Ohio State must find someone to cover Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
Alabama must find a way to slow down Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. (Before that, doctors must treat the ache in Fields' ribs has been throbbing since Clemson's James Skalski was tossed from the game in the second quarter for targeting.)
Considering, well, everything, it will go down as one of the most legendary performances in Ohio State history. The Buckeyes' ability to even reach the semifinal has been well chronicled. Three games were canceled due to COVID-19. OSU needed a special ruling from the Big Ten to even play in the conference's championship game. Coach Ryan Day himself contracted the coronavirus.
Fields emerged from Skalski's hit wincing on every throw on his way to 385 yards passing and a Sugar Bowl-record six touchdowns. It was the second-best individual performance in CFP history next to Joe Burrow's seven TDs thrown last year in a semifinal against Oklahoma.
It was also a reason No. 1 Alabama shouldn't be handed the trophy just yet. Ohio State suddenly looks like it has the weapons to match up. In the last two games, Ohio State running back Trey Sermon has run for more yards (523) than seven teams did all season.
In the meeting between the top two recruits from the Class of 2018 -- both from Georgia -- Fields prevailed this time. Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence left the college stage after being sacked twice, intercepted once and losing a fumble while throwing for 400 yards.
The Ohio State magic may not have happened had Fields not retreated to the medical tent after the shot to the ribs and taken "a shot or two and ran back out there." Day saw a motivated Fields for another reason. The quarterback was coming off the worst game of his career -- two interceptions, no touchdowns, 44.4% completions against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.
"The conversation we had was, 'You go out and play good in this game, win this game, and nobody is going to remember the Big Ten Championship Game,'" Day said.
"Fields' Ribs" now promises to be a trending subject from now until that Jan. 11 title game. We don't know if they are broken, separated, bruised or just sore. But in one night, Fields led the Buckeyes from suspect to the brink of a championship. A team that hadn't played up to its potential its abbreviated season suddenly has momentum and purpose.
The only two undefeated teams left will play for it all.
Smith, the Heisman Trophy favorite, will matchup against Ohio State All-American cornerback Shaun Wade in a piece of appointment TV. Alabama QB Mac Jones, also a Heisman finalist, quietly Friday became the program's single-season passing leader. In 10 days, Alabama will see of those two can lead it to its sixth title since 2009.
The Buckeyes were motivated by plenty on Friday. Ohio State WR Chris Olave broke the wrong way in the end zone at the conclusion of last year's Fiesta Bowl semifinal meeting with Clemson. The resulting interception clinched a 29-23 Tigers win. In that game, Fields threw two picks. He had thrown one all season to that point.
"I think that loss fueled our whole offseason," said Day, now 23-1 as the Buckeyes coach. "I think it fueled our whole season."
On Friday, Olave had 132 receiving yards and caught two of Fields' touchdown passes.
Ohio State and Alabama haven't met since the Sugar Bowl semifinal in Year 1 of the CFP that concluded the 2014 season. The Buckeyes won that game 42-35 on the way to their last national championship. That was Urban Meyer's team.
This continues to be Alabama's era. The matchup makes possible the SEC's 11th national championship in the last 15 years.
Now, the challenge becomes more strategic. Swinney won't be around to shoot his mouth off. Saban remains Belichickian in his ability to keep his comments as bland as day-old cauliflower. It also helps to have the best team in the country.
There are several hills to climb in the next 10 days. Fields' ribs are throbbing. College football has to avoid another threat from COVID-19. There is a Crimson menace attempting to be conquered by the Scarlet and Gray .
Not bad for a team ranked outside the top 10.
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