Ohio State in unexpected role of underdog

By David Briggs • Yesterday at 6:00 PMCOLUMBUS — The Ohio State football team began the regular season as an all-time favorite, burdened by championship-or-bust expectations The Buckeyes will end it in a more agreeable — if not regrettable — role. As an underdog. In the wake of Ohio State’s dispiriting 17-14 loss to Michigan State, coach Urban Meyer said he is reworking his motivational playbook. Though he would not elaborate, expect Meyer to lean hard on the underdog card. With much of America expecting the eighth-ranked Buckeyes’ slide to continue Saturday at No. 12 Michigan, a team favored by double digits in every game this season and that opened the year as a 16-point favorite over the Wolverines has tumbled all the way to a 1-point underdog. It is a remarkable turn for such a talent-rich team once given 2-1 odds to repeat as national champions, and yet one Meyer the psychology major will no doubt embrace. Ohio State is 6-0 as underdog under Meyer, with wins at Michigan State and Wisconsin in 2012 and against Michigan State, Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon during its title run last year. If the Buckeyes have faced entitlement concerns this season, players expect they will respond with an urgent edge Saturday. Much remains on the line, including a possible trip to the Rose Bowl and more. Ohio State can win the Big Ten East with a victory in Ann Arbor and a Michigan State loss to visiting Penn State later in the day. “There’s two ways we can take this loss: We could feel sorry for ourselves and not want to come back and work and lose the rest of the games this season,” junior defensive end Joey Bosa said…

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