COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes will hold a final, team walk-through at Pinnacle High School Thursday before their Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame.
No. 7 (College Football Playoff rankings) Ohio State (11-1) vs. No. 8 Notre Dame (10-2) in the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (1:00 p.m. /ESPN)
The Scottsdale, Ariz., school has served as Ohio State’s home-away-from-home for their bowl trip. They held two-hour practice sessions Monday and Tuesday on the grass fields under gray skies with temperatures in the low to mid-50s.
RELATED: Ezekiel Elliot expected to play after being cited for driving with a suspended license.
After beginning the 2015 season as the unanimous choice for No.1 team in the nation, Ohio State saw the glow of admiration fade as the Buckeyes turned in several lackluster performances, seeming to struggle against inferior opponents until finally being upset by Michigan State at Ohio Stadium in the second-to-last game of the regular season. The loss cost OSU any chance of appearing in the Big Ten Championship game and effectively ended its hopes of defending its national championship.
“Seeing the College Football Playoff commercials, all that, and not being able to be part of that is kind of humbling from where we were last year. To be in this opportunity is what we have. We want to prove something,” receiver Michael Thomas told reporters Tuesday.
The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish – elite programs in college football – have only played five times previously, most recently in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, but Friday’s matchup still has the feeling of being a rivalry game.
“Both very storied programs; a lot of good players; a lot of history behind each and then, you know, head-to-head matchups. So it’s going to be a fun game,” said offensive guard Taylor Decker.
Ohio State has played in six previous Fiesta Bowls, dating back to 1980, winning four of them.