Texas vs. Ohio State | Fiesta Bowl Preview and Prediction

In what should be one of the better match ups this bowl season, the Texas Longhorns face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl on January 5.

Both teams come into the Fiesta Bowl with impressive records. Texas finished the regular season at 11-1, with the only loss coming from Texas Tech. Ohio State comes in at 10-2 after losses to USC early in the season, and Penn State in October.

With a tremendous amount of controversy regarding the BCS this year, the Fiesta Bowl has become a consolation prize for Texas, who barely missed going to the National Championship game against Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. Archrival Oklahoma faces Florida on January 8.

The Fiesta Bowl gives Texas the perfect opportunity to rack up style points and state their case against the BCS. Texas has been a dominant team all season, and this dominance should continue against the Buckeyes.
With Heisman Contender Colt McCoy leading the offense, Texas has numerous weapons to slice through the Ohio State defense. The Texas passing offense, with Jordan Shipley and Quan Crosby, has racked up impressive stats this entire season. With no established running game, look for Texas to go to the air for the majority of the game. Without an effective Ohio State pass rush, Colt McCoy should have enough time to find Jordan Shipley and the rest of his receivers.

Ohio State needs a big defensive game if they are to stop the Longhorns passing attack. While Ohio state has been impressive in a relatively weak Big Ten this year, the Ohio State pass rush has not been impressive this year, and if they cannot put some pressure on Colt McCoy, it will be a long game for Malcolm Jenkins and the rest of the Ohio State secondary. However, the lack of a strong Longhorn running game should benefit the Buckeyes as they can focus primarily on stopping the pass.

Brian Orakpo and the Texas defense have played extremely well all season. Texas led the NCAA in sacks this year, which was especially impressive given the talent at the quarterback position throughout the Big 12. Against Ohio State freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Texas needs to apply pressure and keep him from establishing a rhythm. With A powerful defensive line, this should not be too much of a problem. While Texas has not faced many quality-running teams, the Longhorn defensive line is extremely talented and should be able to hold Chris Wells and the Ohio State running game.

With a relatively weak secondary, the Texas defense can be exploited by Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State offense. While Pryor is still only a freshman, he has avoided mistakes for most of the season, and thrown for 1245 yards and 12 touchdowns. If the offensive line can keep Pryor safe, he will find his receivers. If not, it could be a long day for the Buckeyes.

After missing out on the BCS National Championship game through a flawed system, Texas has plenty to play for. Expect the Texas Longhorns to come out fast to establish a presence. It is imperative that Ohio State steps up. If the Buckeyes let themselves get pushed around, Texas will punish them. Texas needs to pressure Pryor early and often, otherwise this could turn into a shoot out. If Pryor cannot find his rhythm early, look for Texas to run away with this game.

Prediction: Texas is just too good with too much to prove. Texas Longhorns to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, 35-14.