DALLAS — Ohio State is one game away from getting back to the National Championship Game for the second time during the Ryan Day era.

The first time the Buckeyes reached that stage was during a 2020 season where they used a Sugar Bowl win over Clemson to not only to avenge a 2019 loss to the Tigers to punch their ticket. They’d end up losing to Alabama in a game that wasn’t ever close.

A lot has changed since that game yet the motivations remain the same.

The College Football Playoff field has been expanded to 12, OSU hasn’t won a conference title since and this season depends on whether this group can close things out with a brighter than what most of their journey has been.

Once again, Ohio State must grow through a team wearing orange and white with a five-star quarterback to get to the big stage. But that’s about the only thing this Texas opponent has in common with Clemson in 2020.

As Ohio State prepared to face Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis will each be looking for something specific within the game. Check out the video below to see what intrigues the crew in the first-round game.