On the Record: Nebraska may be the most intriguing penultimate game for the Buckeyes in over a decade

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From now until preseason camp starts later this week, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the things we need to get off our chests before the season starts; the things we need to get on the record. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”On the Record” articles here.

The psychological side of sports is not talked about nearly enough.

For the sake of this week’s theme, I want to talk about this specific aspect of sports psychology: the penultimate game.

How many times have we heard the mantra “one game at a time?” People can think it’s overused. I think it can’t be stated enough.

How many times has a team we root for lost a game either before or after the big game? As a Cincinnati Bengals fan, I know this feeling all too well. 

Ohio State plays Michigan in the final game of the regular season every year. Every game, heck every day of the calendar year, is a build-up to that game. But there’s one other game that always stands out to me every year; the game before The Game.

This year, that’s at Nebraska. It’s the most intriguing penultimate game for the Buckeyes in over 10 years.

In 2015, the No. 3 Buckeyes hosted No. 7 Michigan State in the penultimate regular-season game. It was a top-10 matchup with major College Football Playoff implications.

Even though The Game was the next week, and this was Jim Harbaugh’s first season as Michigan’s head coach, this game against Michigan State was actually bigger. The Buckeyes promptly lost 17-14.

This season’s penultimate game at Nebraska is the biggest since that game against Michigan State in 2015.

Ever since then, the game before The Game has become the one on the schedule that I pay close attention to.

Two years ago, nobody thought that the home game against Indiana would be a top-five matchup. But it did, and it became just as big a game as the one against Michigan. Five years ago, Michigan State rolled in as a top-10 team to take on C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes. Heck, College Gameday was in Columbus for that game.

Ohio State shredded that Michigan State team, a team that was good but unexpectedly good. They weren’t like the 2015 Michigan State team. Even Penn State in 2019 isn’t as intriguing as the game at Nebraska this season. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the Buckeyes were going to beat Penn State, because when did James Franklin-led Penn State teams ever win big games?

Why am I so intrigued by the game at Nebraska?

First off, the Buckeyes haven’t played in Lincoln since 2019. Second, it’s Nebraska. Big Red. Their stadium is massive, and their fanbase is awesome. Third, who knows what the weather is going to be like on Nov. 21 in Lincoln. 

All of this makes the Buckeyes’ penultimate regular-season game interesting.

It’s a road game, the Buckeyes’ first road game in three weeks. It comes right before The Game, which will feature the Buckeyes going for their first win at home against the Wolverines since 2018. Talk about a trap game. 

I’m going to be very interested in seeing how the Buckeyes approach the game at Nebraska from a psychological standpoint.

Ryan Day has never lost a game before playing Michigan. Urban Meyer lost one, and Jim Tressel lost three. As soon as the clock hits triple zeroes at Nebraska, the focus will shift to The Game. But for the week leading up to it and for 60 minutes during it, can the Buckeyes go out and win what could be a very tough road game in a tough environment?

This is a very intriguing penultimate regular-season game. It’s one of my favorite games of the schedule, and it’s a sports psychologist’s dream.

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