Ohio State's New Focus? Rose Bowl Now, Changes Later

As painful as the USC 35-3 loss is, I remember a few quick things as it relates to relatively recent Ohio State history:

1. The last time Ohio State scored as few points was in 1993, when it blew a chance at the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl in losing to Michigan, 28-0.
2. This was the worst defeat for Ohio State since Penn State absolutely crushed them in Happy Valley in 1994, 63-14. (Yes, SEC fans—Ohio State was defeated even worse by a Big Ten opponent, and it was not for the BCS Championship.)

OK, we have those cathartic statements out of the way. Let's get down to what Ohio State can do in the immediate future, and long-term, to prevent these types of further embarassments on the national stage.

As an Ohio State fan, I would rank this loss to USC the most embarassing in terms of the national focus or stage, considering Ohio State was never in this game. The Florida loss in the 2007 BCS championship game ranks second, then last year's loss to LSU ranks third. But, again, I am only one Ohio State fan, and I am sure there are differing opinions.

Short Term: Involve Terrelle Pryor more and more with the Starting Offense

While Todd Boeckman may have the best knowledge and understanding of the offense, the reality of the situation is that Ohio State coaches, players, and fans have now seen what Todd Boeckman can and cannot do, talent-wise.

Terrelle Pryor needs a lot of work with his passing motion and check-offs in the passing game, but his athletic skills are obvious and can truly help to spark the team. It would be in the team's best interests to see how well Pryor can do against upcoming opponents Troy and Minnesota before the next big game on the schedule, at Wisconsin at night on Oct. 4. Focus on preparing for the future now, rather than later.

Short Term: Focus On Winning the Outright Big Ten Championship

While many members of the media focused on how many of the Ohio State seniors returned to contend for the national championship this year, the reality even prior to this shellacking by USC was that the BCS championship game was an event largely outside of the Ohio State senior players' control; in a championship environment, that is determined by a vote. Who can say who will play for the title, even if someone winds up undefeated?

But I digress. What is still within the control of this team is to win the Big Ten as the outright champion for the third consecutive year. No team in Big Ten history has ever won the Big Ten as an outright champion for three years in a row. This challenge falls exclusively on the senior leadership of this team.

Ohio State cannot play for the BCS championship this year, but there is no reason why Ohio State cannot do everything from here on out to win the Big Ten's berth to the Rose Bowl.

Intermediate to Long Term: Adjust the Scheduling Philosophy

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?