What are the predominant Christian views on whether Jesus had to specifically die by crucifixion? Could he have chosen another kind of death? As I understand it, Jesus was sentenced to die "under Pontius Pilate" and was crucified as punishment.  It seems to me that Jesus had no choice but to be crucified.  After all, if a criminal is  sentenced to death by the State today, they are forced to die and don't have a choice.  However, I believe Christianity teaches that Jesus chose to die for our sins.  So, I am trying to understand: 

What are the current, predominant Christian views regarding whether Jesus had to die under Pontius Pilate specifically?

I'm specifically interested in what the beliefs are with regard to his having to die in this particular way, by the hands of the government of Roman Empire. How could he, as man, avoided the death once the sentence was handed down? Couldn't he have chosen to die another, less painful way, to "die for our sins?"
I am mostly familiar with the evangelical perspective, which I think is shared with mainstream Protestant denominations, since they all rely on Bible evidence alone (instead of relying on the writings of the Church Fathers or St. Thomas Aquinas).  The Catholic viewpoint may have been answered already (link provided by Peter Turner).

From sermons I heard and books I read about why Jesus had to suffer and die this way, the virtually unanimous reason I keep hearing is to fulfill Old Testament prophecies.  (Surprisingly the above Catholic answer didn't touch on OT prophecies at all.)  Furthermore, it is very obvious that the Gospel writers themselves refer to those prophecies when writing about the Passion of Jesus, as though they try to find as many of those as possible to give additional proof / authentication that Jesus was really the Messiah promised by God because he died &amp; suffer that way, in addition to non-Passion identifying OT prophecies fulfilled by the life, the saying, and the ministry of Jesus.

The main prophecies about his suffering are in Isa 53, Ps 22, etc.:


Isa 53:3 ("like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised")
Isa 53:7 (led like a lamb to slaughter, did not open his mouth)
Ps 41:9 (betrayal by close friend who shared bread)
Zech 11:12 (Judas's 30 pieces of silver)
Ps 22:1-2 ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me...")
Ps 22:7-8 ("All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 'He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him...")
Mic 5:1 ("... with a rod they will strike the leader of Israel in the face")
Isa 50:6 ("I give my back to those who beat me .... I do not hide from shame, for they mock me and spit in my face")


In addition, the OT verses closest to crucifixion are:

Ps 22:14-16 (NLT): (pierced hands and feet)


  My life is poured out like water,
      and all my bones are out of joint.
  My heart is like wax,
      melting within me.
  My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
      My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
      You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
  My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
      an evil gang closes in on me.
      They have pierced my hands and feet.


Zec 12:10 (NLT) (pierced)


  “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. 


Ps 22:17-18 (NLT) (stare and gloat, dice for clothing)


  I can count all my bones.
      My enemies stare at me and gloat.
  They divide my garments among themselves
      and throw dice for my clothing


Isa 53:12 (NLT) (exposed himself to death, counted among the rebels i.e. the thiefs on either side, interceded for rebels see Luke 23:40-43)


  I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
      because he exposed himself to death.
  He was counted among the rebels.
      He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.


Deut 21:22-23 (NLT) (executed and hung from the tree, cursed, must not remain hanging overnight)


  “If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree,  the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession.


Ps 34:20 (NLT) (bones not broken)


  For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
      not one of them is broken!


Ex 12:46 (NLT) (Passover lamb's bones should not be broken)


  Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones.


By looking at those verses it is obvious that the manner of death Jesus had to undergo had to be crucifixion, if it had to be done during the Roman period.  If Jesus were to come today, the nation of Israel / Palestine wouldn't execute someone like that anymore.

For an extensive collection of OT verses that cover most of the above as well as other non-suffering related prophecies see a list of matching OT and NT verses here. 

This is an even more extensive list covering all possible types of OT references: prophecies, typologies, shadows, allegories, illusions, also from Reformed / evangelical perspective.