Fiesta Bowl: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
December 10th, 2008 at 12:10 am by Displaced Cleveland Fan
On January 5, the Ohio State Buckeyes will be in Glendale, AZ to play the #3 Texas Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Good - Despite a disappointing start (35-3 loss to USC in September), the Buckeyes finished 10-2, ranked #10 in the country, and have reached another BCS Bowl game. This team has an opportunity to prove to the nation that they can, in fact, win against a top opponent on the big stage. They’ve got an offense with Terrelle Pryor and Chris Wells and a defense with James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins, two seniors who you can be sure want to finish their careers at Ohio State on a high note.
The Bad - The opponent is #3 Texas. This is the Texas team whose fans believe they were ripped off by not getting to play in the Big 12 championship game for, potentially, a shot to play for the national championship. Though they conveniently forget that Texas was not tied with Oklahoma for the Big 12 South title. They were tied with Oklahoma and Texas Tech - the Texas Tech team with beat Texas 39-33 and then lost to Oklahoma 65-21. Even still, the team and their fans believe they were slighted so they want payback. Plus, the Longhorns are just a very good football team.
The Ugly - The Buckeyes have to avoid another embarrassing loss in a bowl game. After losses in two consecutive national championship games (a 41-14 loss to Florida and a 38-24 loss to LSU) and a lopsided 35-3 loss to USC early this season, the Buckeyes have developed a reputation of being overrated and unable to perform in big games. If Ohio State does not win, or at least keep this game close, this opinion will only become stronger around the country.
The Buckeyes are a good team. Even though they are the underdogs, they certainly have the potential to win this game. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to take care of business in January.
Tags: Chris Wells, Fiesta Bowl, football, James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Terrelle Pryor, Texas
