Rose Bowl Preview: The Case For The Ohio State Buckeyes

After losing three straight BCS games, most football fans outside of Columbus are expecting much of the same from the Ohio State Buckeyes. With a lackluster passing game, Ohio State will be facing an Oregon defense that will stack the box, thus daring quarterback Terrelle Pryor to beat them through the air. Meanwhile, Oregon has proven to be an offensive juggernaut all season behind the stellar play of quarterback Jeremiah Mosoli.

With the concern over Oregon's speed on offense and the ability of Ohio State to score enough points to keep this game close, why is the line only Oregon -4 ?  In the weeks leading up to this game the concensus view was that this line would move higher as we approached kickoff. Furthermore, Oregon seems to possess the same traits that have given Ohio State fits in their past three BCS losses. Here is why Ohio State will win the game.

Talent. In their past BCS failures, Ohio State found themselves matched up against superior teams. Whereas the Buckeyes were clearly the class of the Big Ten, they did not have the team speed to compete against the likes of Florida and LSU. Last years close loss to Texas demonstrated that Ohio State may have closed that gap. Remember this, as talented as Oregon is offensively, man for man Ohio State has the more talented team. 

Defense. This is a much improved defensive unit from earlier this year. While Oregon will make a few big plays, the key will be Ohio State's ability to limit the number of big plays. One thing we have learned during this bowl season is the weakness of the PAC-10, specifically from a defensive standpoint. Week in and week out, teams routinely posted 40+ point games on each other.  Ohio State has a stout, disciplined defensive unit that will show up tomorrow.

Terrelle Pryor. If his injury that was reported earlier in the week was serious, the line would reflect this. With another year under his belt, Pryor has shown grittiness and the ability to make plays. Despite having an abysmal passing attack, if there was ever a time to find a passing game, it will be tomorrow. If the Buckeye offensive line can give Pryor time, expect their wideouts to expose the Oregon secondary that will be stuck in single coverage.

Coaching. Earlier in his career coach Tressel was lauded for his success in big games. Despite an ultra conservative, close to the vest(no pun intended) style of coaching, his results were beyond reproach. However, following recent bowl failures, coach Tressel has been constantly second guessed for his "outdated" offensive play calling and inability to let athletes like Terrelle Pryor improvise. Expect to see an Ohio State team that will be prepared for every scenario they face.

Prediction: Ohio State +4 and I expect they will win the game outright. While the long layoff is an obvious negative, I expect the Buckeyes to end their BCS skid and right the ship against a very good Oregon team.