COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Anyone who ever hit the reset button on a Nintendo will understand how No. 6 Ohio State played Saturday night against No. 10 Nebraska. For three games, the Buckeyes looked as if they would play in Tampa, all right: on Jan. 2 in the Outback Bowl, not a week later in the Outfront Bowl, or the College Football Playoff Championship Game to you.
Ohio State struggled to beat Wisconsin in overtime, lost on a blocked kick at Penn State and hung on to beat Northwestern. So the Buckeyes hit reset. They pretended October never happened and picked up where they left off in their last game in September, the one when they were ranked No.