Arkansas vs. Ohio State in Sugar Bowl: Five Early Reasons to Pick the Hogs
Arkansas learned its bowl opponent Sunday night when it was announced that the Razorbacks would face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the All State Sugar Bowl.
The Sugar Bowl had the first pick of at-large teams, and since Auburn will be playing in the National Championship game, they chose Arkansas, the highest-ranked remaining SEC team.
Their opponent, Ohio St, is the other at-large selection, and they were taken over Michigan St. to head to New Orleans for one of the better BCS bowls of the season.
Arkansas is No. 8 in the latest BCS Standings, just two spots below No. 6 Ohio St.
Perhaps due to their BCS Rankings, the Buckeyes are listed as three point favorites by BetMania to take down the Razorbacks.
This is one of the better bowl games on the schedule for this year, and the Razorbacks have a very good chance of pulling off an upset.
Here are five reasons the Razorbacks could beat the Buckeyes and win the Sugar Bowl.
Résumé
1 of 5
Ohio St. and Arkansas have both had outstanding seasons up to this point, but the Razorbacks have the more impressive resume.
The Razorbacks play in the SEC, arguably the tougher division.
The Razorbacks finished 4-2 against teams ranked in the top 25 of the BCS with wins against LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi St. and Texas A&M. The losses were to then No. 1 ranked Alabama, and current No. 1 Auburn.
The Buckeyes beat No. 12 Miami and No. 20 Iowa, and lost badly to No. 18 Wisconsin. Miami and Iowa have since faded from the BCS rankings, which mean that Ohio State is 0-1 against current teams in the BCS Standings.
With a tougher schedule and a better record against teams ranked in the top 25, the Razorbacks get the edge.
Streaking Hogs
2 of 5
Arkansas put together a sweet run to end the season and to secure a BCS bowl invite.
They finished 10-2 overall and earned a second-place finish in the SEC West. They ended the season with a six-game winning streak against formidable opponents.
After losing a pivotal game against Auburn that basically ended any hope for title in the West, the Hogs did not hang their heads. Instead, they rattled off impressive wins at South Carolina and a game against LSU that basically assured they would go to a BCS bowl.
When the pressure was on, the Hogs responded in a big way, and that momentum could carry them to a win against Ohio State.
History
3 of 5
If past history is any indication of how this game will play out, Ohio State could be in trouble.
One of the biggest story lines in this game will be the losing streak that the Buckeyes have against the SEC in bowl games.
The Buckeyes will be making its eighth appearance in a BCS bowl in the past nine seasons, which is mighty impressive, but they have been shutout against teams from the SEC.
They are 0-9 in bowls against opponents from the SEC, including back-to-back losses to Florida and Louisiana State in the national-title games. Although these schools have never met, the streak will be in the mind of the coaches and the players on the current team.
Current head coach Jim Tressel is 0-3 against teams from the SEC and has a reputation for losing to SEC schools.
The game against Arkansas gives the Buckeyes a chance to win a big game for Tressel and snap the streak against the SEC.
By the time this game kicks off, Ohio State will be sick of hearing about the streak, but Arkansas will try and extend it to 0-10.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Offense
4 of 5
Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino is known for his high scoring offensive game plan.
This offense is led by an elite college quarterback in Ryan Mallet. This season, Mallett has completed 242 of 364 passes for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns.
This season, the Razorbacks are third in the nation with an average of 338.4 passing yards per contest and during the six-game winning streak, they are averaging 42.5 points per game.
The offense is led by Mallett but has weapons all over the field.
Sophomore running back Knile Davis has emerged from a crowded backfield to rush for 1,183 yards. The receiving core is deep and currently has five pass catchers that all have over 500 yards receiving in Greg Childs, Joe Adams, Cobi Hamilton, Jarius Wright and D.J. Williams.
Defense
5 of 5
While known for its quick-strike offense, the Hogs defense is a big reason for the 10 win season. The Hogs are ranked 34th in total defense nationally this season, which is a far cry from the 89th national ranking they had a year ago.
The Hogs are fifth in the SEC in scoring defense and fifth in total defense. They can harass a quarterback and are currently second in the SEC in sacks.
The offense is the strength of the Razorbacks but the defense should not be overlooked.
The Sugar Bowl will be one of the better games to watch on the college football bowl season, and the Arkansas Razorbacks have a chance to get the victory!
Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.
Other College Bowl Game Articles:
New Mexico Bowl: Preview and Pick
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
