SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Once upon a time, misty dreams of an Ohio State-Notre Dame football game stirred the souls of every Buckeyes player and fan.
It’s no fairy tale. After the Buckeyes lost an 18-13 classic in the Horseshoe in 1935 that was voted the “game of the century” in 1969, and then 7-2 to the Fighting Irish in 1936 in South Bend, Ind., schools that were practically next-door neighbors in the gated community of traditional football powers didn’t play again until 1995. OSU wins in ’95 and ’96 satisfied those who had waited almost 60 years for revenge, and a meeting in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl still sent some hearts racing.