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Last weekend in the CFP semi-final game, Justin Fields probably had the game of his career and led the Ohio State Buckeyes over the Clemson Tigers after suffering a gruesome hit to the ribs in the first half.
He’ll need a similar performance on Monday night if the Buckeyes want to take down the Alabama Crimson Tide and claim their second CFP National Championship.
Ceiling
Fields absolutely picked apart the Clemson defense last week, throwing for 385 yards and six touchdowns. He only missed on six of his throws and did throw one interception. A similar performance like that has to be the ceiling, as the only thing he really could have improved on was if he didn't throw a pick. It will be together this week though as Alabama’s passing defense is elite, particularly with Patrick Surtain II essentially locking down one side of the entire field. If he can throw for four scores and RB Trey Sermon can continue his impressive play over the last few weeks, they have a good chance to put up points on the Tide.
Floor
It really was a tale of two weeks for Fields. In the CFP semifinal he was fantastic, but in the Big Ten Championship Game he was anything but. He barely threw for 100 yards, had no touchdowns and turned the ball over twice. He was also sacked three times by the Wildcats, who led deep into the third quarter. He had another similar performance earlier in the season against Indiana, where he threw three picks. Sermon has been fantastic as of late, but he won’t be able to do all the heavy lifting against Alabama.