In a season full of firsts for the Ohio State football team, the most important one came after Saturday’s 14-9 win over Michigan.
For the first time since 1979, the Buckeyes will play for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3. This season also marks the first time the Buckeyes have finished 13-0.
“I’m just glad it’s finally over,” said safety and co-captain Mike Doss. “We have worked so hard for this and this was our only goal this season. I think the way we played hard and hung in there proves that Ohio State can play with anyone.”
In 1979, the Buckeyes came up just short in their hopes of winning a national title under first-year head coach Earle Bruce. After finishing the regular season 11-0, OSU lost to No. 3 Southern California 17-16 in the Rose Bowl. Bruce was named Big Ten Conference and national coach of the year in his first season.
“This win was just a great win for us this season,” Tressel said. “The only thing we do with history is try to learn from it.”
While the Buckeyes already have their ticket punched to Tempe, Ariz., OSU may not know its opponent for another two weeks.
If the season were to end today, No. 1 Miami (Fla.) would also be going to the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes, who are the defending national champions, have not lost a step from a year ago. Miami has won 32 straight games dating back to 2000. However, the Hurricanes still have tough tests against Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
“It looks as if we would play Miami,” said cornerback Dustin Fox. “But there is still a couple of weeks left to play.”
If Miami should falter in the next two weeks, the Buckeyes could face Oklahoma. The Sooners, despite losing earlier in the season to Texas A&M, have gotten back on track and will play Colorado in the Big 12 title game.
However, if history is any indicator, Oklahoma should not reserve rooms in Tempe just yet. Last season, Colorado saw its hopes of playing in the national title game washed away with a loss to Texas in the conference title game.
Teams with an outside chance of facing the Buckeyes are Notre Dame, Georgia, USC and Iowa.
The Buckeyes can count out a rematch with Washington State. The Cougars, who stood at No. 3 in the BCS rankings before this weekend, ended their chance at a national championship with a triple overtime loss to rival Washington on Saturday.
With the Fiesta Bowl more than 40 days away, OSU has some time to stop and enjoy the regular season they just finished.
“We can enjoy this a little,” Tressel said. “We can just take a deep breath right now, but we will get back to work and prepare for the big game we have in front of us.”
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