By: John Kampf (News-Herald.com) — COLUMBUS — It’s been a while since members of Ohio State’s football team ended a season with smiles on their faces.

With practices ramping back up this week in preparation for a Rose Bowl matchup with Oregon on New Year’s Day, that is the goal — to end the season on a winning note for the first time since a 34-20 win over Notre Dame in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

“Just to go out on top and be in a good mood, that’s something you can carry with you the rest of your life,” said senior offensive tackle Jim Cordle, one of a handful of Buckeyes who played in the win over Notre Dame. “And to set the young guys up that have played so well for us this year, to set them up for next year for a big season and a high ranking going into next year, that would be great.”

What’s not great is OSU’s recent bowl history.

After defeating the Irish in Glendale in 2005, the Buckeyes lost back-to-back national championship games to Florida (41-14 in 2006) and LSU (38-24 in 2007), followed by last year’s last-second 24-21 loss to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

Ohio State is hoping a change of scenery — a bid in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997 — is a good-luck charm.

“It would be great just to go out on top and take the pads off for the last time as a Buckeye in a good mood,” Cordle said. “The ‘05 Fiesta Bowl, when we won, was such a great feeling. You could see the smiles on all the seniors’ faces.

“The last three times in the locker room, obviously, it’s been completely dead and sad and depressed.”

In the recent days, Ohio State’s players have been on final-exam duty, making sure work gets done in the classroom before work resumes on the field.

The Buckeyes have not been completely idle since a 21-10 win over Michigan way back on Nov. 21.

Tressel and his staff have been hitting the recruiting pavement nationwide. Additionally, up to 17 recruits visited OSU’s campus for their official visits over the past few weeks.

“We’ve probably had two or three padded practices and a couple in shells,” Tressel said. “I can tell you our guys are excited about playing in the Rose Bowl. They’re excited to turn their full attention this week to preparation for a great Oregon team.”

Tressel is excited to be heading back to Pasadena for the first time in a while, too. He was an assistant for the Buckeyes and then-Coach Earle Bruce in 1984’s Rose Bowl, won by…..

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