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
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