"Ohio State is 1980's Mike Tyson" - CFB insider unveils Ryan Day's most lethal weapon to dominate in CFP semifinal

The Ohio State Buckeyes, under coach Ryan Day, will play in the Classic Cotton Bowl against the Texas Longhorns for a shot at reaching the national championship game. The Buckeyes are six-point favorites for the matchup after blowing out the No. 1 Oregon Ducks 41-21 in the Rose Bowl.

During Saturday's segment of the "Yahoo Sports" podcast, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde and Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel discussed Ohio State's potency in offense while pinpointing explosive wide receiver Jeremiah Smith as Day's secret weapon against Texas.

"I mean, Ohio State is just obliterating teams, good teams," Forde said. "They didn't even need Oregon to turn the ball over or do anything just catastrophically dumb. They just blew past them on offense and smashed them on defense. I could not be more impressed with what Ohio State is doing.

"While Texas, they gave up 510 yards and 29 first downs to Arizona State. The next offense they're gonna play is much better. Ohio State is 1980s Mike Tyson. I'm Mike Tyson, I come out and throw an immediate left hook that tries to decapitate the other guy, and in this case, the left hook is Jeremiah Smith. There's no settling in, there's no jab, there's nothing.

"There's just haymaker after haymaker immediately. Bell rings, I'm coming across like a bull and I'm going to deck you. They knocked out Tennessee and they knocked out Oregon. Good luck stopping it. I'm not totally out on Texas being able to do something here but six points, I feel pretty good about that one."

Jeremiah Smith has tallied 1,224 yards on 70 receptions, resulting in 14 touchdowns for Ryan Day's team this season.

Ryan Day highlights team peaking at the right time

After unexpectedly losing to the Michigan Wolverines despite being overwhelming favorites, Ohio State coach Ryan Day has been under the microscope with Buckeyes fans incensed at losing to their eternal rivals for the fourth consecutive year.

Despite the criticism, the Buckeyes have romped into the College Football Playoff semifinals. During his weekly news conference ahead of the Cotton Bowl, Day said his team was peaking at the right time of the season.

"I think we've learned a lot about our team," Day said. "I think we've grown a lot as a team and we're banking on this to be our best football this season. You can see the passion. And I think the way that this format is and the way the playoffs are set now, it allows us an opportunity to grow as a team and to learn and to get better late in the season."

Should Ohio State win the national championship, Ryan Day will go a long way in repairing his frayed relationship with Buckeyes fans.