The Buckeyes returned to Columbus licking their wounds after suffering a 74-70 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on New Year’s Eve. It took very little time to recover as Ohio State (14-2) destroyed the Nebraska Cornhuskers 71-40 on Tuesday night.Ohio State Coach Thad Matta wanted his team to bounce back after the tough loss, “I told our guys it’s about keeping the focus on you and making sure you get better,” Matta said. “There will be bumps in the road and I think that’s why we’ve always sort of kept it on us.”
Nebraska didn’t feel as much like a bump in the road as they did something the Buckeyes just ran over. Jared Sullinger earned his eighth double-double of the season (and no. 26 of his career), scoring 19 points and 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes of play. Deshaun Thomas added 15 points and Buford scored 13 in an effort that saw the Buckeyes shoot 54% (30-56) from the field. The Buckeyes shot a blistering 72% from inside the 3-point line and absolutely dominated in the paint, outrebounding the Cornhuskers 44-21 while outscoring them by 16 down low. The only areas where Ohio State struggled were 3-point shooting (they were just 2-17 on the game) and turnovers (with an uncharacteristic 19 giveaways). Even with those terrible numbers, Nebraska was unable to keep the game within 30 points.
College football season should end on New Year’s Day (or the day after New Year’s Day if it falls on an NFL Sunday), but they insist on dragging it into the second week of January. Packed into the week leading up to the so-called Championship Game are eleven more bowls as this forgettable season limps to its anti-climax.
The Florida Gators scored two special teams touchdowns to lift them to a 24-17 Gator Bowl win over Ohio State, as the Buckeyes fell to 6-7 for the season, their first seven-loss campaign since 1897. The best thing that can be said about the 2011 Ohio State football season is that it’s over. 
Ohio State and Florida meet on Monday in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, (1 p.m., ESPN2) in what will be just the second game ever between the two programs. You may remember the first meeting, just five years ago, on a much larger stage. Memories of that night still sting for Buckeye fans, but their pain is eased these days knowing that the coach who trounced them 41-14 in the 2007 BCS title game will be plying his trade in Columbus from this day forward. 
