Ohio State football: Last year’s Rose Bowl helps this year’s team

The Ohio State football team did not want to go to the Rose Bowl last year. It wasn’t one of the College Football Playoff semi-final sites. But, because they did not qualify for the CFP, they were forced to settle for the Rose Bowl. It was quite a consolation prize.

That Rose Bowl against Utah ended up being one of the most entertaining Rose Bowls in recent memory. Not only that, but the Buckeyes were able to win the game 48-45. It was a game that saw historic performances from Ohio State’s offense and a better second-half effort on defense.

Don’t underestimate the impact that that bowl game will have on this year’s team. Having a second half that looked completely different from the first half on the defensive side of the ball is huge for a unit that was maligned much of the year. They really flipped a switch.

The offense did too, although they were still pretty good in the first half. But being able to fight their way through adversity and still beat a really good Utah team carried over to how the Buckeyes worked out during the offseason. They carried a sense of confidence with them.

That confidence is still with them just over a week away from the start of the 2022 season. This Ohio State football team wants to be better than last year’s version. How well they played against the Utes when they were down bad gives them a sense of confidence that they can.

C.J. Stroud and the offense are no doubt the center of that confidence. As long as he is back there slinging the ball around and Ryan Day is running the offense, this team thinks it can come down from any deficit it might face. Hopefully, there aren’t too many deficits to face though.

That bowl game meant a lot more than anyone around the team will likely admit. It’s why they are so heavily favored against Notre Dame in the opener too.