Arkansas, Ohio State bound for Sugar Bowl

Arkansas defensive end Tenarius Wright and the rest of the seventh-ranked Razorbacks had plenty to celebrate this season, winning six consecutive games and finishing 10-2 after losing 65-43 to Auburn on Oct. 16.
Arkansas defensive end Tenarius Wright and the rest of the seventh-ranked Razorbacks had plenty to celebrate this season, winning six consecutive games and finishing 10-2 after losing 65-43 to Auburn on Oct. 16.

— Arkansas is going to the Sugar Bowl.

The No. 8 Razorbacks earned the school's first ever Bowl Championship Series bid Sunday. Arkansas will face No. 6 Ohio State on Jan. 4 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Both teams enter the game with impressive resumes. The Razorbacks (10-2) won six consecutive games to end the regular season, including three wins against BCS Top 25 opponents in the final month.

Arkansas has already sold out its allotment of 17,500 bowl tickets, as of 7:40 p.m. Sunday. More than 24,000 pre-orders were put in, and the university said Razorback Foundation members and season ticket holders who pre-ordered will get tickets, but general public pre-orders will not be fulfilled.

Ohio State (11-1) is going to its sixth consecutive BCS game and eighth in nine years. The Buckeyes finished in a three-way tie with Wisconsin and Michigan State for the Big Ten championship, but by virtue of the BCS rankings, Wisconsin earned the league's automatic berth to the Rose Bowl.

Arkansas hasn't played in the Sugar Bowl since losing to undefeated national champion Alabama following the 1979 season. The Buckeyes last played in the bowl following the 1998 season, but met LSU in the Superdome in the BCS National Championship Game three years ago.

The Razorbacks have played in the bowl game five times, with each contest coming against an SEC opponent prior to Arkansas joining the conference. The Hogs' only win in the bowl came over Georgia in 1969.

It will be the first meeting between Arkansas and Ohio State. The Razorbacks are 1-5 all-time against the Big Ten, including 0-3 in bowl games.

The Buckeyes are 0-9 all-time against SEC opponents in the postseason, with BCS National Championship Game losses to Florida (2006) and LSU (2007).

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