Ohio State University head coach Urban Meyer speaks during a press conference after arriving at the Executive Terminal at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on December 27, 2015. Ohio State will play Notre Dame in the 45th annual BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl.(Photo: Cheryl Evans/azcentral sports) Minutes after Ohio State landed at Sky Harbor Airport on Sunday, coach Urban Meyer gave the obligatory pat on the back to the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl. “This is my third time here as a head coach and you’re not allowed to politically have favorites but this is one of my favorite bowl games,” Meyer said. “More importantly my wife Shelley, this is one of her favorite bowl games because of the Valley of the Sun and the way we’re treated out here by the Fiesta Bowl committee.” Marital bliss aside, the truth is Ohio State didn’t want to be in Glendale on New Year’s Day. While the game against Notre Dame on Friday at University of Phoenix Stadium might be the most attractive bowl matchup outside the College Football Playoff, it’s a rung below the goal the Buckeyes had set for themselves at the start of the year: Winning a second straight national championship. AZCENTRAL Notre Dame back in Arizona for second straight season That dream went out the window when Ohio State was beaten by Michigan State, 17-14, on Nov. 21. Ohio State rebounded a week later with a 42-13 trouncing of Michigan, but Meyer admitted he was apprehensive about the Buckeyes’ focus. Now, after nearly five weeks off and the College Football Playoff semifinals being played less than 24 hours before the Fiesta Bowl, is he concerned Ohio State might be emotionally flat? “I was worried about that after the loss,” Meyer said. “I think what’s happened, it started actually with the BCS era. We were part of that at the University of Florida when the BCS was separated from all the other bowl games. …
Continue Reading: Urban Meyer confident in Ohio State’s focus
