Zanesville native and former Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio has led Michigan State to back-to-back top 5 finishes.(Photo: Mike Carter/USA TODAY Sports) It’s a pre-game meal Ohio State coach Urban Meyer will never forget — not because of the food, but the food for thought. His Buckeyes were just sitting down to eat before their Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl encounter with SEC champion Alabama when Wisconsin rallied for a 34-31 overtime victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. “What happened was, ‘Maybe we (the Big Ten) aren’t that bad,” Meyer said. “That was our team speech right there.” Meyer believes Wisconsin’s performance was the impetus for OSU’s 42-35 victory over the Crimson Tide in SEC country (New Orleans). The Sugar Bowl served as a semifinal game in the inaugural College Football Playoff, delivering Ohio State to the title game where it rolled past Oregon 42-20 for the 2014 national championship. “It was ‘lit,’” linebacker Josh Perry said of the fire Wisconsin’s win ignited in the Buckeyes. “That was cool to see. We were extremely excited. “I can’t necessarily repeat what (Meyer) said, but it was just that the tide is turning; times have changed; it’s not what it was before. …
Continue Reading: OSU’s win over ‘Bama helped change view of Big Ten
