For those cheery people who theorize that the sun always comes up the next day after after a disappointing loss on the athletic field, there was none that I could observe on Tuesday.
For the most part, it was a typical January day in Ohio - cloudy, cold, wet and miserable.
On the bright side - no pun intended - the Buckeye State wasn't shivering in sub zero temperatures. Be patient, though. There's a lot of winter remaining.
Thing is, even if Ohio State had beaten Texas in the Fiesta Bowl Monday night, the weather would've been the same - at least around here.
A Buckeye victory would've made bundling up more bearable, though. But of course it was not to be as OSU dropped a 24-21 decision to the Mack Brown-coached Longhorns.
Did the better team win?
Hard to say.
One thing for sure, Texas - no matter what its coaches and players say - is not the No. 1 college football team in the nation. That'll be either Oklahoma or Florida - even though Southern Cal and Utah also deserve consideration.
As for the Jim Tressel-coached Buckeyes, well ... it's still the best team in its conference in my opinion - and I'm not even a native Ohioan. It's doubtful Penn State could've played Texas any tougher and come oh-so close to winning. Sorry Joe-Pa.
Some people believe that it's better to lose by a little than a lot on the athletic field. I'm not one of them. A loss is a loss no matter how you slice it.
Ohio State played well enough to win - but didn't.
The difference in the game was obviously Colt McCoy. Without him, the Longhorns lose.
The Longhorns didn't have a running game to speak of - but they didn't need one.
All the Real McCoy did was pass for 414 yards and two touchdowns. Someday, he's probably going to lead some NFL team to the Super Bowl.
On the other side of the field, the jury still has to be out on Terelle Pryor.
As a quarterback, the OSU freshman is very mobile, productive. He rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries in the Fiesta Bowl.
His passing, though, leaves much to be desired. He completed five-of-14 passes for 66 yards and no touchdowns against the Longhorns.
On the other hand, senior Todd Boeckman, Pryor's backup, was five-of-11 for 110 yards and one touchdown. Boeckman has a fine arm, but he's no threat to run with the football.
Some people believe the 6-foot-6 Pryor may be the next Vince Young, now sitting on the Tennessee Titans' bench. However, in the Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeye signal caller looked more like the late comedian Richard Pryor when he dropped back to throw.
Terrelle Pryor may yet develop into a fine quarterback by the time he's a senior at Ohio State. But then again, he may not.
Frankly, if Pryor's ultimate goal is to play in the NFL, he probably won't be drafted as a QB.
To be honest with you, I was more impressed with Pryor when he lined up as a wide receiver in the Fiesta Bowl. Hey, he even caught a Boeckman toss for a score.
Could that be where Pryor's future lies?
Hmmmmm. It's wait and see, I guess.
While Ohio State suffered on the scoreboard, it didn't at the cash register.
The Buckeyes earned approximately $18 million for competing in the Fiesta Bowl.
Texas received a similar payout as will Florida and Oklahoma.
Do you suppose all of these institutions of higher learning could help bail out the country? Ha.
And, finally, for what it's worth, Ohio State is now 18-22 in overall bowl games.
Ron Johnston is the Marietta Times sports editor and can be reached at 376-5441, or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com.
