Ohio State is used to playing (and winning) against Heisman Trophy finalists

“Watson isn't the type to back down from a challenge, either. But Ohio State's recent track record against some of the nation's top individual talents suggests if there is any reason for concern, it might be on the side of the superstar.”

– Austin Ward, ESPN.com

With the Heisman Trophy set to be presented Saturday night, there are a few finalists that Ohio State has faced – and one they will face. This isn’t something out of the ordinary; two years ago, the Buckeyes ran the gauntlet against three Heisman Trophy finalist en route to claiming the inaugural College Football Playoff.

This is something Buckeye nation has gotten use to in the Urban Meyer era: winning big time games, against big time position players. Already, OSU traveled to Norman, Okla. to take down, convincingly, the Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook led Oklahoma Sooners. Then, in The Game, Curtis Samuel’s game-winning touchdown rush past Jabrill Peppers solidified the fact that OSU has won huge games against some of the best talent in college football.

Now, with the Buckeyes set to take on Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, don’t expect the Scarlet and Gray to back down from the challenge. As Austin Ward noted in his story, there is “obvious motivation” within the Bucks to play well against Heisman caliber talent.

However, Ward mentions the fact that even in the Buckeyes string of victories against Heisman finalists, they’ve given up some decent numbers and big plays. In the 2015 National Championship, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota collected over 300 yards in the air; against Michigan this past year, Peppers collected his lone interception of the season off of J.T. Barrett.

At the end of the game, it boils down to how many times Heisman moment plays are surrendered, notes Ward. In the case of the Buckeyes, they’ve given up some big plays, but they’ve had more than the opposition. We’ll see if OSU can do the same to Watson and the Tigers as they’ve done to all the other past Heisman finalists (and their teams) in recent years.

“I think what we're seeing with this team is a good combination of leadership and some of the younger guys. Overall, it was a good performance from us.”

– OSU wrestling coach Tom Ryan after defeating No.5 Missouri, 30-9

Winning big time contests aren’t exclusive to the OSU football team. On Thursday night, the No. 4 wrestling team hosted their first home match of the year at St.John Arena against the No.5 Missouri Tigers. In the end, the Buckeyes came out as huge victors, winning 30-9.

In a banner night for gold medal Olympian Kyle Snyder, he scored his fourth pinfall of the year at the 4:32 mark of his match. Prior to the match, Snyder’s national championship banners were shown at St.John Arena, as well as Myles Martin’s national championship banner in the 174-pound class.

In Martin’s match, he finished with a technical fall, but not before scoring 16 points in the first period.

The next match for the Buckeyes will be against Northwestern on Dec. 18 at noon.

“University officials said this week that [beer] sales topped $1.1 million for the season.”

– Marla Matzer Rose, The Columbus Dispatch

In the first year of having beer sales at Ohio Stadium, the university seems to have found another source for revenue. As reported by the Columbus Dispatch, beer sales brought in around $1.1 million for OSU. The Dispatch also noted that there were less reported problems with fans at games, compared to years past.

With the added money, OSU used the funds to help add additional police officers to games, as well as helping fund the university’s alcohol and substance abuse center.

Already, the Schottenstein Center had the ability to sell the alcoholic beverages at basketball and hockey events. On a national level, Ohio State joins institutions like Texas and West Virginia in having alcohol sales at athletic events.

In the Dispatch’s article, Texas was reported to have brought in roughly $1.8 million from alcohol sales, while West Virginia collected roughly $600,000.

Expect alcohol to be back on the menu next year for football games in The Shoe.

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