Sugar Bowl Early Preview – (1) Bama Looks to Cut Down (4) Buckeyes

Sugar Bowl: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans (Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.)

(1) Alabama Crimson Tide (-9.5, 58.5 o/u) vs.  (4) Ohio State Buckeyes

The good news for the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-1) is that they made the first-ever College Football Playoffs. The bad news is the Urban Meyer-led squad has to face the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) with their third-string QB.

For Alabama coach Nick Saban, it’s business as usual with his team in contention yet again for a national championship. He said, “[It’s] a real honor for our team to be able to come back to the Sugar Bowl, to be a part of the first-ever playoff system playing against an outstanding, very traditional, a great tradition-ed program like Ohio State, with a great coach like Urban Meyer.”

Look for the well-rounded Crimson tide to put the game in the hands of quarterback Blake Sims and future first-round NFL draft pick wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Heisman Trophy finalist enjoyed quite a junior season with 115 catches for 1,656 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

Odds are Ohio State Buckeye cornerback Doran Grant – who projects as a third or fourth round pick, himself – will be handed the task of keeping Cooper in check.

Grant said, “I know he’s a great receiver, a very polished receiver. He has big play ability. Looking forward to the matchup, honestly. Not sure how we’re gonna handle everything, but looking forward to going against a great team period.”

Furthermore, the senior is confident the defense will rise to the occasion against the heavily favorite Crimson Tide.

“Handling the adversity, just coming together as a group,” Grant said. “I feel the same way because I think we improved a lot because of how close we became over every week. Overcome the obstacles, adversity, and we just remained together. And I think that’s a big part of our improvement.”

Overcome they did. In the Big Ten title game, the Buckeyes were forced to start Cardale Jones at QB against then-No. 17 Wisconsin. Jones came into the year as the third-string quarterback, but was pressed into action after Braxton Miller was injured in the preseason and backup J.T. Barrett was knocked out against Michigan. Despite having just 21 pass attempts in his two year career, the sophomore led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 rout of the Badgers, crushing the spread as four-point dogs and surpassing the over/under by six points on their own.

Saban will inevitably have his veteran team primed for the Sugar Bowl, but don’t discount two-time National Championship-winning coach Meyer, even with a relatively untested sophomore under center. Take the Buckeyes and the points (+9.5).

(Photo credit: Rkevins at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)