Ohio State has a rich history in the Rose Bowl. This season marks the Buckeyes’ 15th appearance, more than any Big Ten program except Michigan at 20. If they beat Washington in Urban Meyer’s last game, they will equal the Wolverines’ eight Rose Bowl wins for the most all-time by a Big Ten team (and second-most by anyone behind USC, which has won the Rose 25 times.) But the story of OSU’s first Rose Bowl is the story of a team that wasn’t ready to play, and an opponent that had skills the Buckeyes didn’t prepare for. Much like the 1926 Rose Bowl would a few years later, the 1921 Rose Bowl was about an assertion of regional supremacy. But this was about the West Coast’s claim to the upper echelon of college football nationwide. There was no doubt that both Cal and Ohio State were good programs after the…
Continue Reading: How Cal spoiled Ohio State’s 1st Rose Bowl by beating the Buckeyes at their own game
