The 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl kicks off tonight at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This highly anticipated match-up between the Big 12's Texas Longhorns and the Big 10's Ohio State Buckeyes is set to start at 8:00pm ET and will be broadcast on FOX. College bowl picks at online bookmaker BetUS.com are favoring the Longorns -8.5 against the spread.
The Longhorns were about four seconds away from lassoing an undefeated season, but they were unable to hang on in the final seconds against Texas Tech in Lubbock, losing 39-33. Texas, despite the loss, had a remarkable 11-1 record and were the only team to get past the number one ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Mack Brown's team, which won their final three games by an average of 30.6 points per game, finished 7-1 in Big 12 South play and in second place in the division standings. They currently sit at third place in the BCS rankings.
The Longhorns are led junior quarterback and Heisman finalist, Colt McCoy. McCoy passed for 3445 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing nearly 78 percent of his throws. He also rushed for a team leading 576 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns. Texas averaged 43.9 points and 476.4 yards per game this season thanks to his efforts under center.
The Texas defense was certainly no sloutch either. The tough unit held teams to an average of just 18.6 points per game in the high-flying, quick scoring Big 12 South.
The Buckeyes had national title hopes entering the season, but USC derailed those aspirations back in September by pounding Ohio State 35-3 at the Colisieum. However, Jim Tressel's team did not let the loss get them down as they finished their schedule with wins in eight of their final nine games. The resulting 10-2 record and 7-1 conference mark were good enough for second place in the Big 10. The Buckeyes enter tonight's game ranked 10th in both the AP Poll and the BCS standings.
Ohio State features a ground oriented offensive attack that averaged 191.6 rushing yards per game and generated 28.2 points per contest during the regular season. The Buckeyes, however, are known more for their stout defense, that limited teams a mere 13.1 points per game and held opposing rushing attacks to a lowly 73.6 yards per outing.
2009 Fiesta Bowl Betting Trend: The Over is 5-3 when the Buckeyes played as an underdog in the month of January.
BetUS.com's Texas vs Ohio State 2009 Fiesta Bowl Betting Odds:
Texas Longhorns -8.5 (-110), Over 52 (-110), -320 (Money line)
Ohio State Buckeyes +8.5 (-110), Under 52 (-110), +260 (Money line)
Matt Foust has completely dominated the bookies this season in College Football hitting a documented 57% (75-57-1) on all his NCAA Football releases (including the bowls), growing his clients bankrolls +1039.89 units. Foust has a huge winner going off in tonight's 2009 Fiesta Bowl showdown between the Longhorns and Buckeyes for just $15.00.
