Enough Said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-kqU4yll4

GO BUCKS!!!!

FOCUS - DETERMINATION - VICTORY

The 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes are the champions of the 2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl after a 31-26 victory over #8 Arkansas last night!!

There is a lot to get to, but it is best to let it soak in for now before divulging into everything that happened last night.

I have plenty to say about Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor and the suspended players, the silver bullet defense, and my thoughts on what happened last night from both team's perspective.

12-1 baby!! Forget the haters, because the Buckeyes FINALLY took down the SEC!! GO BUCKS!!!!!!!

2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl- #6 Ohio State (11-1) vs. #8 Arkansas Razorbacks (10-2)

Where: New Orleans, LA (Superdome)
When: 8:30 PM EST
TV: ESPN

41-14 in January of 2007 to the national champion Florida Gators. 38-24 in January of 2008 to the national champion LSU Tigers.

Those were the last two times Ohio State faced an SEC team in a BCS game. Short description: awful. It was not pretty to watch those two games, and for different reasons the ball just didn't bounce in favor of the Buckeyes. The Florida game seemed to be a combination of lack of focus, the "fat-and-happy" theory, and playing an extremely talented and motivated team with a great gameplan. The LSU game...well...they were simply better and were the best team in football that season when they were healthy, so that is that.

What is different about this year's match up with an SEC foe? Well... I'm not quite sure. We will find out tomorrow night.

It is tough to defend OSU after 9 straight losses to 'dem boys from the south in bowl competition, and is equally tough for me to say that the Buckeyes are clearly the better team from top to bottom. Factor in the distractions of the suspended players fiasco and you have yourself a complete mystery in terms of what to expect tomorrow night. I really do not know what will happen tomorrow night or what Buckeye team will show up... but I will go ahead and speculate.

Arkansas is a very fast, athletic offensive machine that features future NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett and a slew of talented receivers and a first team All-SEC running back in Knile Davis that has averaged 6.6 yards per carry this season. Not that this team hasn't seen offenses like this in past seasons, but this season in particular? Not really...not at all. This is a dynamic offensive attack that will present several issues for Ohio State to deal with. TE D.J. Williams, winner of the Mackey Award for the best TE in college football, could end up being the X-factor in this game going up against a potential mismatch with the Buckeye linebackers (unless Jermale Hines is challenged with keeping him under wraps from the secondary). The defense isn't anything special, but it has gotten better each and every game since the Auburn game and that is never a good sign if you are playing a vastly improved defense heading into a bowl game. Enough of me drooling over Arkansas, though, although it is certainly tough to do. Let's look at the Buckeyes.

Yeah...you know what I am going to say. If you read this blog then you are Buckeye fan and know what this team is capable of. This has been one of the best offenses in the Tressel era statistically and is led by a dual-threat QB that could give any defense in the country fits on any given night. The issue at hand, in my opinion, is how will the NCAA sanctioned players - including Pryor - respond in this game and handle the adversity? Forget whether they shouldn't play in this game or not for one second (they shouldn't be playing, but that is beside the point), but rather focus on how this team will perform with these guys playing tomorrow night in New Orleans. I don't know how they will play, but I have a feeling that they will want to prove a lot in front of a national television audience against a big time SEC foe. That may lead to forcing some plays that aren't there, but could also produce some big time plays for this offense. That, to me, is the biggest aspect of the game: how will Pryor and the other players involved in the violations play in this game and handle the adversity. It should be fun to watch, regardless of it all.

Deep down, I can see OSU losing this game the majority of the time based off of past experiences. But guess what? I am sick of all that SEC talk, because it has NOTHING to do with THIS team. THIS team has yet to play an SEC opponent, so we need to hold off all judgement until the two teams take the field. The 2010 Ohio State Buckeyes are 0-0 versus the SEC, and have a great shot at making that record 1-0. If the team has that mind set tomorrow night, then I would bet money that OSU ends up winning this game. Otherwise if the distractions take its toll on the mental focus of the team, then I would bet that Arkansas wins in big time fashion.

My final conclusion... well, of course I am picking the Buckeyes. This game scares the hell out of me, but I will go ahead and say that OSU wins a classic Sugar Bowl in the Big Easy.

http://www.alongtheolentangy.com/2010/12/30/1894985/sugar-bowl-preview-the-arkansas-offense-v-osu-defense

http://www.alongtheolentangy.com/2011/1/3/1894986/sugar-bowl-preview-the-arkansas-defense-v-osu-offense

The above links feature outstanding analysis of the game. Just so you can see first hand that I am not crazy in picking OSU to beat an SEC opponent, I recommend that you check it out.

Prediction:

Ohio State- 24
Arkansas- 23

Final Sugar Bowl Updates/Thoughts

Just wanted to run down some final thoughts on the Sugar Bowl that is a mere two days away (unbelievable). Practice got under way this past week and everything seems to be going as smoothly as possible.

- It seems as if the team is focused at the task at hand despite the news on December 23rd about the 2011 suspensions. I expect big games out of the players involved in the controversy.

- Why do I think they'll have big games? All of them keep mentioning sending their seniors out the right way, which is generally the Tressel mantra that has payed dividends over the years....except against SEC opponents :(

- The SEC hype machine on ESPN hasn't been too overwhelming this bowl season, since most of the attention has been on OSU in light of the NCAA suspensions. What has Arkansas been doing this whole time? Preparing and enjoying the usual dose of not being in the spotlight and out of the national stream of consciousness. This is a very good football team and will be extremely prepared for the Buckeyes.

- What type of game plan do I expect from OSU on Tuesday night? I am not sure at this point, as I usually have more inside info from the Scout insiders. I'll go out on a limb and say that the offense will be put in Pryor's hands and the team will go only as far as his arms and legs take them - ala the Rose Bowl. This isn't exactly rocket science, as this has been the average Buckeye game plan all season long and ever since 2009, really.

- Guarantee: Arkansas RB Knile Davis will NOT rush for 100 yards... but neither will Boom Herron. Both will be close though.

- One big factor when Ohio State plays SEC opponents is the play of the offensive line. This is one of the best offensive lines the Bucks have had since 2005, so I'll go ahead and say that if there is a time to get it done against an athletic defensive line from the SEC, this is it.

- The Florida game was simply OSU being fat and happy and Florida wanting to kick their ass. LSU was a sheer mismatch as the Tigers were by far the best team in the nation when healthy. I talked a big game that Ohio State would beat LSU based off of motivational hype. Why do I think Tressel can lead the Bucks to a victory over an SEC team this time around? Because they are better than Arkansas- plain and simple.

- Why won't I go ahead and say that Ohio State will win now? Because Arkansas scares the hell out of me with their offensive balance, the strength of their wins this season and how their defense has improved each and every week since the Auburn loss.

I'll have my game preview tomorrow...