Three Shots: Cotton Bowl

Since the start of the College Football Playoffs, I haven’t know if series like this one are on their final leg before being put away until the start of the next college football season.

We picked up this series early in the season, my desire to have my own predictions piece had never been a secret, but I also wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just racking up points to falsify a score to rub in the faces of other writers, both at this site but also beyond.

I came to find out that making real picks opens yourself up for a lot of real misses. And this week was a bit of a heartbreaker.

Yes, Ohio State won and ultimately that is what the team plays for, but I was so close.

last time out

Free Throw: Will Howard throws for 327+ yards versus Oregon

Status: Miss

Are you kidding me? I missed this one by eight yards? One more pass attempt would have likely nailed it for me. Will Howard was throwing at a 12.2 YPA clip for the game.

If Ohio State didn’t get out to such a big lead, I get the number. Ohio State attempted two passes in the 4th quarter, completing one for 18 yards to TreVeyon Henderson.

Again, this game is just for fun, it is about winning games, not trying to build my ever-fragile ego.

But I came close to hitting all three picks this week, one way or another. This is the one that I came closest to hitting.

I am not sure how I will ever go on.

Three Pointer: Ohio State records at least two sacks and forces one turnover

Status: Miss

Again, I came close.

Ohio State had eight sacks, so that one was taken care of early on, and I knew that I had this in one of my picks.

I didn’t remember that I also added a turnover gained by Ohio State, and lord knows there were plenty of opportunties.

How many interceptions did Ohio State have a shot at in that game? Five? Six? More?

I am not one that says that, “they play defense for a reason” meaning that they can’t catch the ball. I also understand that they are doing everything in their power to prevent the offense from making a play and sometimes the football gets up on them too quickly.

But there were a couple that were ‘right there’.

I will trade the points for another trip, even if Dallas is really cold right now.

Full Court: Ohio State has a “fat guy touchdown”

Status: Miss

I really needed Ohio State to get a turnover, because that would have been my best chance. Sure, they could have called a tackle eligible, but you don’t want to rub a conference foe’s nose in it when you are having a really good day and they are not.

It would have been overkill, and I am the one who says, “score all you want, that’s the game”. But when you go into your bag of tricks, that is where I may feel like the line has been stepped over.

It was a 10-pointer, so I am not going to lose any sleep over this one, or any of them. But I had the distance nailed on my shots, my aim was just a little bit off.

Current Score: 13

the cotton bowl

free throw

Two different Buckeyes score at least one rushing touchdown

On the surface this just seems like I am trying to pad my score, especially after a hard luck goose egg the previous week.

But there is a method to my madness, and here it is. Texas has only allowed two or more rushing touchdowns in three games this season. Arizona State did it most recently and then Georgia did it twice.

Texas would have to give up at last two for this prediction to come true. Texas has held opponents to zero touchdowns in six games this season, so that happens more often than the times that has allowed multiple scores.

TreVeyon Henderson has been the hot hand for Ohio State in may regards, but I am expecting Quinshon Judkins or Will Howard to get into the scoring column on the ground.

Just to complete the picture, Ohio State has scored two or more touchdowns in 10 games this season.

three pointer

Will Howard throws for 300 yards and at least one touchdown

It goes without saying that a 300-yard passing day would infer that at least one passing touchdown took place, so maybe I am trying to get people to bite the cheese on this one.

Texas has allowed one team to throw for more than 300 yards and that was Clemson in the first-round of the College Football Playoffs. Arizona State came within four yards of doing it, and if that 4th down pass that ended up being intercepted was completed, the number would have been there.

Howard only has three 300-yard days for Ohio State but as I have said this week, Ohio State took its foot off the gas many times this season. Howard is on a two-game streak of 300 yards.

Maybe this is my easiest three-pointer of the season. If Ohio State wins, just wait until what I pick for the final game of the year.

full court

Ohio State records five sacks, recovers a turnover and scores on defense (or special teams)

Okay, all of these things have happened this season, but they have not all happened in the same game? Yes, but it is not often. It happened against Indiana, but Texas is not Indiana.

And according to ESPN, only one of them deserved to be in the playoff field.

Ohio State has not recovered a turnover since the Michigan game, so either they are due or it just isn’t happening. In the last two games, it was of little consequence, but the stakes get higher each round.

Ohio State has hit the sack number (five) three times this year, so it is not a regular occurence.

After a lower degree of difficulty with my three-pointer, I wanted my full court shot to be worthy of the point value but not be so outlandish that it had zero chance of ever happening. You only miss the shots that you never take, right?

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