Ohio State-Texas: The Complete Fiesta Bowl Guide

No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) vs. No. 3 Texas (11-1) Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, 8:00 PM ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ Spread: Texas -8   How they got here... The Ohio State Buckeyes started the year of with very high expectations. With 20 returning starters, the Buckeyes, who went to the previous two BCS National Championship Games, were expected by many to make a third consecutive appearance. In the pre-season AP Poll, the Buckeyes were ranked second, behind the Georgia Bulldogs, receiving 21 first place votes to Georgia's 22. But the Buckeyes ran into trouble early. In the third week of the season, Ohio State traveled to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans in a game considered by most to be the game of the year. But the Trojans proved to be too much for the Buckeyes, and USC went on to win the game, 35-3. From that point on, the word "overrated" was generally used when discussing the perennial Big Ten powerhouse, and much respect was lost. The rest of ... (link)