Immediate commentary of Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl loss highlighted it as a worst-ever loss in program history. It's the first shutout loss since 1993, the most lopsided loss since the 1994 game at Penn State, and only the second shutout loss in a bowl game in the program's history.
That's no hyperbole. A scan of the box scores of Ohio State's 25 all-time bowl losses would place the Fiesta Bowl as almost unquestionably the worst.
| Year | Bowl | Opponent | Final Score | Opp.-Ohio State Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 1921 Rose Bowl | California | L, 0-28 | Unavailable |
| 1970 | 1971 Rose Bowl | Stanford | L, 17-27 | 408-439 |
| 1972 | 1973 Rose Bowl | USC | L, 17-42 | 451-436 |
| 1974 | 1975 Rose Bowl | USC | L, 18-17 | 461-286 |
| 1975 | 1976 Rose Bowl | UCLA | L, 10-23 | 422-298 |
| 1977 | 1978 Sugar Bowl | Alabama | L, 6-35 | 389-263 |
| 1978 | 1978 Gator Bowl | Clemson | L, 15-17 | 330-355 |
| 1979 | 1980 Rose Bowl | USC | L, 16-17 | 519-412 |
| 1980 | 1980 Fiesta Bowl | Penn State | L, 19-31 | 412-468 |
| 1984 | 1985 Rose Bowl | USC | L, 17-20 | 261-403 |
| 1989 | 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl | Auburn | L, 14-31 | 312-298 |
| 1990 | 1990 Liberty Bowl | Air Force | L, 11-23 | 265-214 |
| 1991 | 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl | Syracuse | L, 17-24 | 408-267 |
| 1992 | 1993 Citrus Bowl | Georgia | L, 14-21 | 444-289 |
| 1994 | 1995 Citrus Bowl | Alabama | L, 17-24 | 521-276 |
| 1995 | 1996 Citrus Bowl | Tennessee | L, 14-20 | 327-335 |
| 1997 | 1998 Sugar Bowl | Florida State | L, 14-31 | 394-325 |
| 2000 | 2001 Outback Bowl | South Carolina | L, 7-24 | 393-258 |
| 2001 | 2002 Outback Bowl | South Carolina | L, 28-31 | 347-388 |
| 2006 | 2007 BCS National Championship Game | Florida | L, 14-41 | 82-370 |
| 2007 | 2008 BCS National Championship Game | LSU | L, 24-38 | 326-353 |
| 2008 | 2009 Fiesta Bowl | Texas | L, 21-24 | 379-468 |
| 2011 | 2012 Gator Bowl | Florida | L, 17-24 | 263-299 |
| 2013 | 2014 Orange Bowl | Clemson | L, 35-40 | 576-427 |
| 2016 | 2016 Fiesta Bowl | Clemson | L, 0-31 | 470-215 |
The 2016 Fiesta Bowl is Ohio State's most lopsided loss in point differential, beating the previous mark from the 1921 Rose Bowl by three points. It's only the second shutout in its bowl history.
It's also the second biggest net offensive yard differential in a loss too. Only the 2007 BCS National Championship Game debacle had a bigger disparity in offensive output for the game. A late fourth-quarter offensive outburst against Clemson, albeit one that resulted in no points, put Ohio State above that mark by 33 yards.
Ohio State fans may have been happy to have been in the playoff, especially with a comically young team in the field of four. That's automatically a better result than last year's team that returned almost all the important pieces from the 2014 national championship squad.
That doesn't change the end result is an all-time stinker in Ohio State's post-season history. It rivals only the 2007 BCS National Championship debacle against Urban Meyer's Florida Gators. A late fourth-quarter offensive outburst on Saturday night may have spared Ohio State from finishing with a worst net offensive output than that game against Florida.
Ohio State should be more experienced in 2017. Fans will hope the roster is able to put this loss behind them. However, the record books will remember this loss all the same as arguably the program's worst-ever in the post-season.
