Rose Bowl Preview

(courtesy of gasolinealleyantiques.com)

As the holiday season fast approaches, so too does another magical part of this time of year: bowl season.  With only 15 days left until the first BCS bowl, we will begin counting down the days and giving a preview of each of the BCS games to come.  These previews will take the place of the 'Your Daily J' post for the day, but will hopefully provide some real information, rather than our ignorant opinions.  So, here we go, our BCS preview begins.  As with everything else in this place, be sure to give us your feedback.  As gameday draws closer, you'll be able to show us your thoughts by voting on who you think will win on the side bar.  In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment or shoot us an e-mail.

We kick things off with the first BCS game of the new year.  The Grandaddy of Them All.  The Rose Bowl.  Oregon v. Ohio State.  3:30 CT, January 1st, 2010.  This should be a good one featuring two teams that are near-perfect mirror images of each other.  Ohio State is predicated on tradition, conservatism and fundamentals.  Oregon is the definition of new-age.  Rumor has it the Ducks have upwards of 300 uniforms to choose from when they take the field on Saturdays and nearly as many offensive weapons.  They run the spread with an option-style QB in Jeremiah Masoli and average nearly 38 points per game.  Ohio State and their "Tressel-ball" play smash-mouth defense and run more of a pro-style offense.  The two, at a glance, appear to be a great matchup of very different styles of football and very different football cultures.

(courtesy of openline.medialine.com)

For the most part, both teams will be full-strength heading into the matchup.  Ohio State, however, will be without a Rose in their bowl.  Reserve defensive end Rob Rose and wide receiver Duron Carter have both been ruled ineligible to play in the Rose Bowl due to academic issues.  Rose had seen action in 11 games this season, recording 10 tackles and 2 sacks, according to ESPN.com.  Carter, as in the son of former NFL-great Chris Carter, will be a bigger blow.  He had appeard in all 12 regular season games and was third on the team in receiving with 176 yards, according to ESPN.com.  On the Oregon side of the ball, there appears to be no news of major injury or ineligibility so this figures to live up to the hype (well, at least everyone you'd expect to see out there should still be there).

The meeting will be the first time since '97 the Buckeys have been to the Rose Bowl, and is Oregon's first trip since '95.  The last time the two teams faced off was in 1987 where OSU won, as it has done in all 7 of the teams' previous meetings, including the '58 Rose Bowl.  As of this moment, the brilliant folks over at AccuScore are predicting a little change of fate, with a final score projected to be Oregon 26, OSU 22.  The Ducks are predicted to have a 61% chance of winning and are thus the favorite (again, compliments of AccuScore).

(courtesy of blog.cleveland.com)

A look at the numbers shows why the game has been so hyped.  Both teams come into the game with arecord of 10-2 and are ranked #7 and #8 in the BCS Standings.  The Ducks, as previously mentioned, put up nearly 38 points per game (7th) on roughly 425 yards per game (25th).  They do much of their damage on the ground, averaging 236 yards per game (6th) and only 198 through the air (95th).  The Buckeyes, on the other hand, score 29 points per game (51st) on 365 yards (71st).  They too, do much of their damage on the ground, averaging 199 yards per game (19th), while only picking up 180 yards in the passing game (106th). The real story here will be about the defenses.   The Ohio State defense is only giving up about 12 points per game, while the Ducks have given up nearly 24.  This will be a good test for both teams.  Ohio State will have to show tough D to slow down Masoli and the Ducks.  Oregon will need to improve their defensive play if they hope to outscore the Buckeyes, who have not lost when scoring 30 or more dating back to 2001.

All in all, this should be a great matchup and a great way to spend a few hours resting after New Year's Eve.  Expect the Ducks O and Bucks D to put on a great performance.  Come New Year's Day, just kick back, relax, and enjoy the show.  Until then, let us know how you think this one will play out.  As mentioned above, polls to come soon. 

(courtesy of ESPN.com)

Note: All stats derived from ESPN.com.