Oregon Receives Less Practice Time Than Ohio State

One of the biggest topics that has surrounded Oregon and Ohio State in the week leading up to the inaugural college football championship game has been the amount of time both teams have been able to practice. Mainly, that the NCAA reportedly didn’t allow Oregon the same amount of practice time as it did OSU–putting a time restriction on the Ducks but not on the Buckeyes due to when their academic spring semesters start.

You don’t have to know a lick about sports to know that practice plays an impactfu role leading up to any game. And as adorable as it was that Jimmy Fallon can insist to the world that puppies can foresee the outcome of next Monday’s game, the teams actual preparations are probably more of an indication of how the Ducks and Buckeyes will play.

So as the teams make their way to Arlington to kick off the weekend leading up to the big game we wonder: How much is the amount of practice time going to play a factor once they finally get to the opening kickoff?

Really, both teams know what they have to prepare for, so a time limit on either one of them shouldn’t make too much of a difference. Oregon has made it known this week that they know the big key to stopping the Buckeyes is to neutralize their run game–Arik Armstead reportedly told Aaron Fentress of CSNNW that Ohio States ground game was the best the Ducks would see all year.

GoDucks.com revealed practice notes from Thursday Jan. 8, the day before the team flew to Texas, highlighting the Ducks’ focus on the “attack mentality” and extra physicality it will take to stymy the stout Buckeyes. From that angle, it doesn’t sound as though a time restriction on practice has affected the team’s ability to focus on what will make them successful come Monday at AT&T Stadium.

Also, perhaps an injury-plagued roster like Oregon’s probably shouldn’t be pushing a 20-hour practice week anyways. We saw earlier this season how the Ducks faltered with a beaten-up offensive line, and the last thing they need is to have someone pull or pop something out of place before the big game. Not just on offense, but defense as well. Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones might a third-stringer, but it will still take a healthy defense to take down the 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore with a cannon for an arm.

Of course by the time we get to Monday’s game, the pomp and circumstance might down out any means of practice that either team put in over the past week of preparation. But it will still be interesting to see how truly prepared Oregon is headed into the final game of the College Football Playoff campaign–and give us an idea of whether or not future match ups will suffer due to certain teams not being allowed the same amount of practice time.

*Section Photo credit to Ronald Martinez, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Kelvin Kuo, USA Today Sports. 

LSU FB and BB Taking Next Steps
LSU FB and BB Taking Next Steps