Buckeye Bracket: Elite Eight

Our quest to crown the best Ohio State play of the last decade continues. We’re now through two rounds of our Buckeye Bracket, and this past round of voting provided quite a few surprises. We saw our first No. 1 seed fall last week, and we have a Cinderella story brewing in the quarterback region. Let’s take a look at where things stand.

We move on today with the Elite Eight. While three of the four No. 1 seeds remain, the No. 1 seed in the defense/special teams region went down to the No. 4 seed. The No. 6 seed in the QB region has put together quite the resume, having now knocked off both the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the region. Can it continue this impressive run into the Final Four? Only one way to find out...

Quarterback Region

No. 1 Seed (Miller’s lob TD vs. Wisconsin) vs. No. 6 Seed (Miller’s spin vs. Virginia Tech)

Our final matchup in the quarterback region has Braxton Miller matched up against himself. His spin move against Virginia Tech is the lowest seed remaining in the tournament, and has already knocked off some very tough opponents. Ironically, it is also the only play in the region not technically by a QB, as Miller was in as the H-back on this play. It will face its toughest competition thus far, however, as Miller’s game-winning lob touchdown against Wisconsin is an Ohio State classic. Which Miller play will advance to the Final Four?

Running Back Region

No. 1 Seed (Zeke’s TD vs. Alabama) vs. No. 2 Seed (Samuel’s TD vs. Michigan)

Our two top seeds in the running back region have made it to the Elite Eight rather unscathed, and for good reason. This is the toughest matchup we have seen in this tournament thus far. Ezekiel Elliott’s 85-yard touchdown run against Alabama is one that every Ohio State fan has replayed in their heads over and over again. However, the same could be said about this play by Curtis Samuel, whose overtime TD sealed the deal against Michigan. Two fantastic plays in Buckeye history, but only one can advance.

Wide Receiver Region

No. 1 Seed (Thomas’ TD vs. Alabama) vs. No. 3 Seed (Brown’s TD vs. Oklahoma)

Our No. 3 seed in the wide receiver region defeated the No. 2 seed surprisingly handily in the previous round, garnering 74 percent of the vote over Devin Smith’s one-handed snag. Noah Brown was a flash in the pan at Ohio State, but he had a career day against Oklahoma in 2016 — including this spectacular TD catch around a Sooners defender. While making it to the Elite Eight pretty easily, it will be tough to upset this region’s No. 1 seed, as Michael Thomas’ TD against Alabama is an all-timer. The trickeration. The pass. The catch. The foot in bounds. What’s not to love? Still, a great matchup and two plays with Final Four aspirations.

Defense/Special Teams Region

No. 2 Seed (Miller’s pick-six vs. Alabama) vs. No. 4 Seed (Bosa’s sack vs. Penn State)

The only region whose No. 1 seed did not make the Elite Eight, the D/ST region has been a slugfest. Steve Miller’s interception against Alabama was great, and is the third different play from the 2015 Sugar Bowl to make it this far. A defensive lineman securing a pick-six is always a pleasure to watch, but so is a defensive lineman securing a game-winning sack in overtime. Joey Bosa bodied Penn State’s running back right into their QB, walking it off for Ohio State on the road in 2014. It seems fitting that a school that has become a hotspot for defensive line talent would see two plays by D-linemen fight it out for a spot in the Final Four.

Make sure to cast your vote for your favorite Ohio State play of the last decade. The winners of this round will advance to the Final Four, which will take place later this week. This section of voting will close on Wednesday at midnight.

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