As much as any other fanbase in college football, Ohio State devotees know and understand that being considered the favorite in any given game against another quality opponent is an undesirable situation. Admit that you have a good team and you might as well throw in the towel right then in there: everyone who watches this sport knows that hubris means way more than petty things like "talent" or "execution."
Especially in bowl season, for some reason, and I know this because of the weird little totems that we carry around with us for years and years and years to justify how incredibly disrespected and ignored Ohio State football is around this time of year.