Kevin Hogan (8) and Stanford see 2014 Ohio State as a model of how to overcome an early-season loss.(Photo: Scott Olmos, -USA TODAY Sports) It’s a small sample size at the moment (just four victories), but it’s easy to draw comparisons between Ohio State last season and Stanford to date. Both teams suffered a brutal September loss, prompting most to write them out of the College Football Playoff picture. Last season the Buckeyes improved steadily despite losing two quarterbacks to season-ending injuries and won the national championship. Follow the road to the 2015 College Football Playoff at The Football Four, our home to rate and debate the nation’s best. Stanford saw that and has tried to use it both as a teachable moment and a confidence-builder. Offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren referenced Ohio State often in spring ball, trying to get his second- and third-stringers focused and prepared because they’ll never know when they’ll be needed. Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan said he’s heard teammates discussing Ohio State’s late-season run during the last few weeks. USA TODAY Inside the Game: How Stanford is turning around its season “You obviously don’t want to get too far ahead; it’s a long season,” Hogan said. “You want to take it game by game, but you see what Ohio State did last year. They lost an early one to Virginia Tech and they continued to get better and fought through adversity the rest of the season and were able to put together a heck of a streak at the end to win it all. That’s the kind of team we want to be. “We had all that adversity Week 1 and in Week 3 in LA against USC, battled back after being down two scores. …
Continue Reading: Why Stanford sees itself as this season’s Ohio State
