Buckeyes, Cowboys Kick Off Season’s Major Bowl Lineup

The early portion of the bowl season has proceeded rather uneventfully, with the exception of Wyoming’s upset of UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl and Fresno State’s shocker over Virginia in the MPC Computers Bowl. But things kick into high gear this week, with some attractive match-ups sprinkled among the second-tier bowls leading up to the New Year’s weekend BCS games.Among the better games during the week are today’s Alamo Bowl, which features a Big 10-Big XII battle between Ohio State and Oklahoma State, and tomorrow’s Holiday Bowl, which Pits Pac-10 runner-up and BCS no. 4 Cal against Texas Tech, also from the Big XII.ALAMO BOWL(Tonight, 8 p.m., ESPN)OHIO STATE (7-4, 4-4 Big 10) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (7-4, 4-4 Big XII)Both of these schools can boast some pretty solid credentials against teams that qualified for the BCS. Ohio State closed its regular season with a 37-21 win over archrival Michigan, which will represent the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl. Oklahoma State put major scares into both Oklahoma, which will face USC for the national championship in the Orange Bowl, and Texas, Michigan’s opponent in the Rose Bowl, before losing both games.Perhaps no team has dealt with more adversity this season than Ohio State, which endured an NCAA firestorm ignited by its former star tailback, Maurice Clarett, during a midseason losing streak that culminated in an embarrassing 33-7 loss at Iowa.A switch at starting quarterback, to Troy Smith from Justin Zwick, helped spark the Buckeyes to wins in four of their final five games. Smith was never better than against Michigan, when he proved to be a dynamic threat both rushing and passing. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, controversy has again struck, as Smith has been suspended from the Alamo Bowl for violations of team and NCAA rules, meaning Ohio State will turn to Zwick against the Cowboys.On the plus side, Smith was not the only star who emerged during Ohio State’s late-season resurgence. True freshman receiver/returner Ted Ginn became one of the nation’s most explosive players, scoring seven touchdowns (including four on just 14 punt returns) despite touching the ball only 40 times.Ohio State’s typical M.O. is to play things close to the vest, but coach Jim Tressel would be wise to have Zwick look downfield to Ginn and fellow wideout Santonio Holmes against Oklahoma State’s suspect pass defense, ranked just 73rd in the nation.Oklahoma State has one of the most unbalanced offenses in the nation, ranking eighth in rushing and 111th in passing, so expect the Cowboys to pound the ball with tailback Vernand Morency, who ran for over 1,400 yards this season. The Cowboys will face a formidable task trying to run against the Buckeye linebacker corps, which is led by All-American A.J. Hawk. When the Cowboys do throw the ball, they like to go downfield, with quarterback Donovan Woods looking for his brother, receiver D’Juan Woods, on deep routes.Ohio State has a decided edge in special teams, as Ginn is an explosive returner and Mike Nugent was the nation’s best kicker this season. Those two could make the difference in what should be a close game.HOLIDAY BOWL(Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN)CALIFORNIA (10-1, 7-1 Pac-10) vs. TEXAS TECH (7-4, 5-3 Big XII)The Holiday Bowl has a knack for producing high-scoring, close games – the last six have been decided by eight points or less, with the teams combining for an average of more than 58 points. This year’s edition could once again be the scene of scoreboard fireworks as two of the nation’s best offensives face off.Cal should enter this game with a chip on its shoulder after slipping to no. 5 in the final BCS poll behind Texas and getting left out of the Rose Bowl. Perhaps Cal could ask Texas coach Mack Brown for some advice on how to prepare for this game, since the Longhorns didn’t fare well in San Diego after narrowly missing out on BCS berths the last few seasons. Texas played in the Holiday Bowl in three of the last four years, losing twice.On paper, once-beaten Cal is the superior team, with the nation’s fifth-ranked offense and the 13th-ranked defense. But the Bears must be wary of a Texas Tech team that can score points in bunches, as it proved in a 70-35 win over TCU and a 70-10 rout of Nebraska. The Red Raiders struggled against Big XII South powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas, which outscored Texas Tech by a combined margin of 79-34 while holding Mike Leach’s spread offense in check.The Cal player that has gotten the most attention this season is quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was surgical in carving up no. 1 USC in October during a 23-17 loss that Cal dominated everywhere but on the scoreboard. But two other Bears, running back J.J. Arrington and defensive end Ryan Riddle, are likely to be the keys to this game.The Bears want to test the Texas Tech run defense (ranked 73rd nationally) with Arrington, who averaged seven yards per carry in gaining 1,845 yards this season. If Arrington runs out of steam, true freshman Marshawn Lynch, who averaged an astounding 9.1 yards per carry in spot duty, will pick up the slack. An effective rushing game will have the added bonus of keeping Texas Tech’s most effective weapon – its top-ranked passing attack – off the field.When it does get the ball, Texas Tech favors quick drops and short passes from Sonny Cumbie. Riddle, a lightning quick edge rusher who had 14.5 sacks this season, will attempt to disrupt Cumbie’s timing with his receivers, particularly 6-foot-4 Jarrett Lynch.If Cal plays like it has a score to settle (the Bear players probably have memorized the score of Texas’s 51-20 win over Texas Tech), it shouldn’t have too much trouble with the Red Raiders. But if the Bears plays like they’re too good for the Holiday Bowl, Texas Tech will pull off an upset.Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.

Buckeyes, Cowboys Kick Off Season’s Major Bowl Lineup

Buckeyes, Cowboys Kick Off Season’s Major Bowl Lineup

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