COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State football Buckeyes close out their season tonight on a national stage at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
No. 7 Ohio State (12-1) meets No. 12 Clemson (10-2) in the Discover Orange Bowl (8:30 p.m./ESPN) as their consolation prize for missing out on the BCS National Championship Game. The Buckeyes are coming off their first loss in two years, falling in the Big Ten title game.
OSU’s defense will be challenged without suspended defensive end Noah Spence and injured defensive back Bradley Roby.
The Buckeyes got more bad news yesterday: Senior safety Christian Bryant’s appeal for a redshirt year because of injury has been denied by the NCAA.
Both coaches have experience with BCS bowl games, though with different results.
Ohio State’s Urban Meyer (above) took Utah to a BCS game, and won. He took Florida to three of them, and won them all, including one over Ohio State.
Coach Dabo Swinney feels, if his Tigers are really going to have a breakthrough moment to cap this season, they need to win a BCS game.
Clemson was in the Orange Bowl two years ago, losing 70-33 to West Virginia, a game that the Tigers were leading early.