Mess With Texas

Buckeye fans clamoring for a BCS at-large bid got what wanted Sunday night, as Ohio State was officially invited to the Fiesta Bowl to face the Texas Longhorns. The predominantly senior team wanted to go out in a big bowl, with a shot to redeem some high-profile losses the past few seasons. The conference and the school certainly won't be complaining about the large pay day. And fans believe the Buckeyes are a different team with a healthy Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor at the helm. Certainly The Ohio State University couldn't be passed over for a non-BCS school, right?

There's nothing wrong with any of these perspectives, but this could fall into the category of "be careful what you wish for". The Buckeyes will face an angry, bitter Texas team in the rubber match from the '05-'06 split. The Longhorns beat then (and now) #1 Oklahoma on a neutral field, and it took a Michael Crabtree miracle and a foolishly worded fifth tiebreaker to keep them out of the national title game. The Bucks opened as an eight point dog and the media will certainly assume that Colt McCoy and the Longhorns will mow down an OSU squad that has not performed in big games lately.

The Texas offense will be as dynamic as the USC offense that rolled Ohio State in September, and they'll be playing with an eye on a split championship through the AP ballot. Should Ohio State play it conservative and fall behind early, the "pound Beanie" gameplan will be neutralized, forcing a freshman quarterback to take a big step forward with his passing game.

This should be the best defense Texas has seen all year, and I think the Buckeyes present a great test for McCoy's efficient offense. There is much to be gained here. A win against this year's "we got screwed" team would go a long way to repairing the Bucks big game credibility. Keep in mind that Ohio State and Jim Tressel built their reputation in BCS games winning in '02 and '03 as underdogs. As badly as the Buckeyes have done against the SEC, they've got an impressive record against Big 12 foes.

But the risk is incredibly high. Each season, there are plenty of innocuous bowl games that mean nothing and are forgotten by the masses by February. Because of the history, and because of the "slight" against both Texas and Boise State, OSU is really putting it on the line. A big loss would cause immense damage to Ohio State and the Big Ten, threaten future at-large bids and further deteriorating their reputation in a sport based largely on perception. keep in mind that Penn State will be facing a top 5 team in a virtual road game, and the second at-large means every conference bowl team is "pulled up" one slot to face a better opponent. Ohio State asked for this game, and now they to bring it. They're headed to Fiesta and Glendale, the bowl where they won a title in '02 and the stadium where the crushing Florida defeat occurred in '06. What happens will give the seniors a chance to write their legacy. Dominate Michigan, but lose all of the big ones? Or go out with a bang?