Ohio State's Rose Bowl Win Continues Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx

Ohio State's Rose Bowl win continues Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Of the teams eligible for the Rose Bowl, my favorite is USC. It's no secret. Today, though, I donned the colors of an opponent USC defeated rather than the colors of a foe USC fell to in their rebuilding year of "I'll-Be-Back" proportions. It's a shame I did not have a canister of nuts with the label of "Emerald" on it during my overnight stay on Colorado Boulevard.

I summoned a curious question to many fans, boosters, alumni, and students alike of THE Ohio State university. I asked "O-H?" They said "I-O," completing the simple spellout of their home state.

I summoned the question again. "O-H?" Again, the answer: "I-O."

Once more, I asked, "O-H?" The answer once again, "I-O."

I called the question and received the response for the longest time. After coming to terms with the pattern, I said this as they took their seats for the parade, "You got this one, I promise you. I did this to build up your confidence, and tonight you will feast on tea-smoked duck on the house while the weary travelers from Eugene will nibble on nothing but crow, tears and feathers."

And it wasn't just the Ohio University Marching 100 of Athens falling in. Nor was it just the touching story of neighbors Ohio State School for the Blind, nor the presence of Pickering Central High School that added to the Buckeyes' advantage that culminated in their eventual 26-17 victory over the Oregon Ducks in the 2010 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi.

But it was something that goes back many years, and whose impact was felt this night on the hollowed pitch of the stadium in the Queen City.

The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is something many of you should you should know. And on January 1, 2010-on New Year's Day-its nasty backfiring wrath reared its ugly head yet again.

Chip Kelly's Ducks were featured in a 2009 Season Preview issue for SI. That was a signal that this would be the breakthrough game for a program swimming through the doldrums of mediocrity under head coach Jim Tressel.

After a string of previous failures in the Bowl Championship Series when it mattered most, Ohio State finally tasted their first BCS victory since 2006.

Lee Corso did not believe it. Kirk Herbstreit did not believe it. Even Desmond Howard chose Oregon (although, given that he is a Wolverine alum, it's understandable. Sort of). None of the ESPN College GameDay crew, save perhaps Kirk Fowler (just to make things fair), gave Ohio State a chance.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. With all due respect to their football savvy and knowledge, do these experts not know of the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx? Shame to those who did not, regardless of which side the contractual sellout crowd of 92,542 supported.

Not even the University of Oregon Marching Band with their unorthodox uniforms (heck, they even had the honor of playing the Star-Spangled Banner) could prevent the return of the jinx.

Terrelle "The Detoxifier" Pryor was on a mission to make the green and gold Oregonians sober after many days of chronic quack abuse. Pryor passed for 266 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 72 yards.

While Devin Barclay and Aaron Pettrey each converted two field goals, it was Ohio State's last scoring drive that made the purification process complete, and the diagnosis of the jinx as the trigger. 13 in 81 yards culminated in a 17-yard strike to DeVier Posey with 7:02 remaining.

The missed field goal by Morgan Flint with 5:10 remaining in the game was just icing on the top of a rich frosted cake dressed in Scarlet Rose and Ribbon Gray.

So to begin what will be an eventful year-if not decade-in sport, the moral of this story is: Never let the Sports Illustrated Jinx rear its ugly head again.

Otherwise, all in Eugene is quiet and nothing will change on New Year's Day.