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Nick Saban lists key question for Ohio State-Oregon matchup

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Nick Saban knows what it takes to win at the highest levels of college football, and he’s uniquely tuned into the sport this year. Previously the legendary head coach at Alabama, Saban is now a key piece of ESPN’s “College GameDay” coverage on Saturday mornings.

This week, the popular pre-game show will be out in Eugene to cover the Game of the Week between Ohio State and Oregon, and Saban stopped by “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday to discuss the game. In the process, Saban outlined his key to the game.

When it comes to facing the Buckeyes, Saban says running the ball — and stopping the run — is ultimately the key. In the last 6 losses for Ohio State, the team has been outgained on the ground.

“To beat Ohio State you’ve gotta be able to run the ball. The last six games they’ve lost the other team ran for more than they did, because (Ohio State) is going to try to run the ball,” explained Saban. “So if you can control the line of scrimmage, you’ve got a chance.”

Are the Ducks, in their first season of the Big Ten, capable of matching up in the trenches? That’s the major question Saban had for Oregon entering the season and it remains that way as the Ducks face Ohio State.

“Now, can Oregon do that? Can they matchup up front? That’s going to be the big question,” said Saban. “…The big question going into this season was can the offensive line overcome the issues? …To do it against Ohio State, that’s another question that needs to be answered, we’ll soon find out.”

Overall, Saban does believe Oregon has the best shot of any of the West Coast programs to become successful in the Big Ten. He remains positive on what Dan Lanning has done to date and for his future with the program.

“I think he has done a great job here, they’ve had a fair amount of success and I think this is the one team that can be successful in the Big Ten out here, probably more than the others,” Saban claimed in regard to the 4 West Coast schools. “You talk about USC but their big issue is they can’t run the ball, they can’t protect the QB.”

As it relates to this week’s game, Ohio State is a 3-point favorite in the latest odds at bet365 despite dealing with the travel out west. Fans can take advantage of the best and latest offers with Tradition’s OH betting apps.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.