The beautiful weather led Smith to express regret the game at 7 p.m. Saturday against Clemson will be played indoors at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
“I wish we were playing outside,” Smith said. “I really do. Look at this. Why would you want to go inside?”
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer addressed the crowd in a video played on two screens stationed to each side of the stage.
“We have great fans across this country, and we look forward to seeing you in Phoenix,” Meyer said. “We need you to wear scarlet and be loud. Let’s find a way to win and be part of the College Football Playoff national championship.”
Other semifinal: No. 1 Alabama (13-0) plays No. 4 Washington (12-1) in the Peach Bowl at 3 p.m. Saturday in the other College Football Playoff semifinal. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has no plans to watch the game.
“There’s no time,” Swinney said. “Our days are incredibly structured on game day, all the way until we literally get on the bus. We’ll have a little walk through about 20 minutes before we get on the bus. And if you see any of it, it’s just briefly when you’re back in your room for a minute or two getting ready to go. But, no, we certainly don’t play it on the bus. We’ll be locked in on what we’re trying to do and that’s it.”
Meyer joked, “I wasn’t sure there was a playoff game before ours.”
Looking back: Meyer won his first national championship at Florida in 2007 at the Fiesta Bowl. The Gators beat Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS Championship.
“To this day, I remember everybody on the sideline celebrating and screaming, ‘It’s not over yet,’” Meyer said. “And it was pretty much over. And then we ran a bubble screen with about a minute and a half left to Percy Harvin, and he nudged the ball past the first down marker, and I thought, ‘Even us, we can’t screw this up now.’ The knees started shaking. It was a special moment.”
Friday activity: Ohio State players participated in a beautification project with Free Arts Arizona on Friday. They painted a school with kids.
About the Author
