From: Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Head Coach Jim Tressel On playing in the Rose Bowl Game…“I think they are anxious to play in the Rose Bowl. They have heard about the Rose Bowl their entire lives, or at least certainly their entire playing lives. Here at Ohio State is one of the goals that you have and now they are here and they have worked extremely hard. They know they have a very, very good opponent that they are being matched up with ... Read More

By: Molly Gray (TheLantern.com) -- For the three Ohio State captains and defensive leaders, anticipation for Friday’s game is four years in the making. For Austin Spitler, Doug Worthington and Kurt Coleman, the Rose Bowl will be their last game as Buckeyes and they are ready to leave their legacy behind with a victory in one of the most historic and traditional games in all of football. “You wouldn’t want any other surroundings as your last game than the Rose Bowl and the tradition and ... Read More

By: Toledo Blade staff -- LOS ANGELES - It did not take long for the oft-repeated question to come up. For the Ohio State Buckeyes, it is their version of Groundhog Day or dj vu all over again. One of the first inquiries sent Kurt Coleman's way after the Buckeyes faced the media in Southern California sought an explanation from the OSU senior safety as to why the Buckeyes have been unsuccessful in the last three bowl games - two National Championship ... Read More

By: Jon Spencer (StatemanJournal.com) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was easy to picture roses wilting and dreams dying as former Ohio State All-American guard Jim Lachey talked about his final football game as a Buckeye. "You go back in your mind and think, 'Boy, if we could have taken care of business one more time' … (and) not doing it on the field," said Lachey, reflecting on a 20-17 loss to underdog USC in the 1985 Rose Bowl, his only trip to Pasadena. "Taking off ... Read More

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 ... Read More

By: Adam Rittenberg (ESPN.com) -- Jim Tressel doesn't mind if you point out Ohio State's recent BCS failures. Just be accurate about them. "I get more weary when they talk about what we have done and pat us on the back than I do anyone saying something that we haven't done because it's the truth," Tressel said during Ohio State's Rose Bowl media session Monday in Columbus. "No, I don't get tired of hearing it. If someone said something that wasn't true, I ... Read More

By: Tim Bielik (BleacherReport.com) -- New Years' Day in 2006 was the last day that Ohio State has won a BCS bowl game, a 34-20 blowout over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Since then, Ohio State has been blown out in shocking fashion one year, over-matched and overrun the next, and fell one minute short of pulling a huge upset on the national bowl spotlight. But Buckeye Nation has high hopes that the tide will finally turn and 2009 can be the start of ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Just like last year, Ohio State will put bowl tickets on sale to the public. The reasons behind the availability are a little different. Last season, fans of the Buckeyes were less than excited to head to the Phoenix area for the fifth time in seven years to play in another Fiesta Bowl, even if it was against Texas, the No. 3 team in the country. This season, nobody is sick of the Rose ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the last three years, a Heisman Trophy winner, seven first-team All-Americans, 15 first-team All-Big Ten players and 18 NFL draft picks have all ended their Ohio State careers the same way. From Troy Smith to Vernon Gholston to James Laurinaitis, Buckeyes who spent their entire careers winning departed school with a bowl loss as the last thing on their minds. "I've been around a great bunch of seniors, from Troy to James, and ... Read More

By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) -- COLUMBUS - Earle Bruce is clearly no Martha Stewart, but the crusty former Ohio State coach grows roses in his garden, just like the famous horticultural maven. Roses mean a lot to Bruce, and not just for their brilliant hues and subtle perfume. In the botanical plot in his mind, roses to Bruce signify what at Ohio State was traditionally the ultimate accomplishment - a trip to the Rose Bowl. This year, the Buckeyes are back in ... Read More

By: Peter Schrager (FoxSports.com) -- In light of Jay Leno's ratings struggles in his new 10 o'clock timeslot, Newsweek.com posted one of those pithy Internet lists, highlighting 12 "Comics Who Aren't Funny" last week. Tops on the list was comedian Dane Cook. Though I understand where Cook could rub some people in the wrong way, the caffeinated stand-up comedian did just sell out Madison Square Garden, once had over 2.6 million fans on his MySpace page, and has been cast in the leading role ... Read More

By: Rusty Miller (AP via RecordPub.com) -- COLUMBUS — Ohio State is 40-8 over the past four seasons, a record that might have most fans of the 15th-ranked Buckeyes flush with confidence heading into Saturday’s game at No. 11 Penn State. It shouldn’t. The last six times the Buckeyes have played a team as good or better based on rankings, they’ve lost. No one has to tell the players, either. “I haven’t led us to a big win yet,” said quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a central figure ... Read More

By: MYRON P. MEDCALF (StarTribune.com) -- Kurt Coleman is accustomed to winning often and winning big. As an Ohio State senior safety, he's played in two national championship games, won at least 10 games every year and concluded his first three seasons with a Big Ten championship. So how did he wind up on the wrong end of a shocking upset at unranked, one-win Purdue Saturday after entering the year as a BCS title contender? "We were in disbelief," he said. "I don't think we felt ... Read More