Last week, Ohio State competed in the Rose Bowl Game for the 17th time in program history. But for the first time, the trip to Pasadena will not mark the Buckeyes' final contest of the season.
For younger fans who have long heard stories of the game's supposed majesty despite its place as a consolation prize most years, Ohio State's dominant performance against Oregon was not just an exhibition game. Instead, the 2024-25 Buckeyes continued to crest at their season's most important juncture, earning a trip to Dallas to compete in a CFP semifinal as overwhelming favorites to win it all.
Waiting for them will be a Texas team that features one of the nation's best defenses, as talented a roster as Ohio State has seen all season, and a head coach whose game plan was a magnum opus the last time he called plays against the Silver Bullets. Indeed, Steve Sarkisian remains one of the sport's best offensive minds and will provide Jim Knowles and his staff with their biggest schematic test of the year.
Here's what we go over in this week's video breakdown:
- Dressing up Counter runs to attack the edges of Oregon's defense
- Texas loves to play with a single-high safety, which is a bad idea against Jeremiah Smith
- Ohio State's base defense is officially Tampa 2 from a three-high safety look, and for good reason
- Playing with that "light box" can negate some of Sark's favorite tricks
Click the header photo above to watch the video, or head straight to YouTube.
