Steve Sipple at Husker Extra/Lincoln Journal Star posted an article on December 11th about which bowls were the best to watch and which weren't worth your time.
He included this quote from Lee Corso about the Ohio State - LSU game:
"Let me tell you something, Ohio State has the best offensive line in the nation," Corso says. "They will knock that LSU front seven right off the ball. They’re mean, they’re fast and they’re tough, and they’re well-coached. That will control a game.
That quote has been bugging me since I read the article. On what was Corso basing this observation? Rather than stay ignorant, I thought I'd check Ohio State's opponents rush defense rankings.
Ohio State's Opponents Rushing Defense
Youngstown State - Div IAA - No Stats
Akron - 88
Washington - 89
Northwestern - 74
Minnesota - 114
Purdue - 55
Kent State - 62
Michigan State - 42
Penn State - 6
Wisconsin - 49
Illinois - 23
Michigan - 56
Average: 59.82
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Other than Penn State and Illinois (their only loss of the season), the Buckeyes faced very mediocre opposition in terms of teams being able to stop the run. You'd think that Ohio State would have an incredible offense, given Corso's comment that their offensive line shoulds crush everyone in their path. Again, rather than leave it to my Buckeye-hating biased mind, I'll cite I'd the stats.
Ohio State rushing: 20th
Ohio State passing: 87th
Total Offense: 59th
Against mediocre competition, the best the Buckeyes did was 20th in rushing. Not awe-inspring by any means, so Lee Corso must have been just blowing smoke as usual. I can understand that. I blow smoke sometimes, don't I? But I'm just some schmoe, not a guy who analyzes and discusses national title games for ESPN.
LSU's rush defense is 13th, overall they're ranked third. Ohio State has their work cut out for them monday.