The Ohio State Buckeyes did so many wondrous things this season:

• They overcame doubters and injuries and the disappointment of knowing they’d be denied postseason play because of transgressions not of their doing.

• Saturday, they pushed aside Michigan, 26-21, in front of a crowd of 105,899, an Ohio Stadium record for this long and storied rivalry.

• They finished the season 12-0, one of six teams in OSU history to go unbeaten and untied.

But the thing that has to resonate most in Buckeye Nation is that they made good on Coach Urban Meyer’s promise when he took over the job – and a team that had just gone a dismal 6-7 – a year ago.

After Saturday’s game, as joyous fans swarmed onto the field and embraced Buckeye players in what was as much a lovefest as a raucous reason to party, Meyer admitted to being a bit overwhelmed, especially when he flashed on that prediction.

“It was a very emotional time,” he said. “Obviously, this is the state I grew up in. This is the state I made the comment on last November or December that our objective was to make the great state of Ohio proud.

“And I imagine tonight there are a lot of people in this great state who are very proud of what their football team – and make no mistake this is their football team – what it did.”

How could you not be proud of this bunch?

They went from a team in shambles at the end of last season to one of the best – if not the best— teams in the nation. And they did it with a never-give-in style, a true camaraderie and an unselfishness not seen around here in a while.

Certainly Meyer – he of two national titles in six seasons at Florida – had a lot to with that.

And so did budding young talents like Braxton Miller, the sophomore quarterback from Wayne High School who got Heisman consideration much of the season, and bruising junior running back Carlos Hyde, who rushed for 146 yards Saturday and has developed into “one of the best backs in the country,” Meyer said.

But the group that most deserves praise today, and the one Meyer saluted often after Saturday’s game, is the Buckeyes seniors.

“They’re the most selfless group I’ve ever been around,” Meyer said. “I want to make sure they’re properly recognized as one of the great groups of seniors in the history of this program , however we’re going to do that … maybe we’ll get 19 bronze statues if we raise some money.”

He said that as a joke, and it got a laugh, but these seniors do deserve permanent tribute.

They were the rudder Meyer used to redirect the floundering Buckeye ship. They provided the backbone for this over-achieving team and, most importantly, they will forever be the foundation for what Meyer builds here.

After last season’s disaster, and knowing they would not be allowed this season to be in a bowl game, compete for the Big Ten title or play for a national title because of NCAA sanctions stemming from Jim Tressel’s transgressions, some of the fifth-year seniors could have graduated and others could have opted for the pros.

Not only did they buy into Meyer’s make-Ohio-proud promise, but as the season progressed they continually put the team ahead of personal gain.

Meyer especially singled out three senior players:

• Etienne Sabino, who broke his leg against Nebraska on Oct. 27 and did what he could – he got a plate put in his leg and played in pain – to return for the final two games

• Fullback Zach Boren, who, realizing the OSU linebacker corps was decimated by injury, agreed to switch to defense. He had played linebacker in high school and Saturday, by the way, he led the Bucks with nine tackles, had two for a loss, one quarterback sack and recovered a fumble.

• Defensive end John Simon – the senior captain and “the heart and soul of the team,” Sabino said – didn’t play Saturday because of a knee injury sustained in last week’s game against Wisconsin. Although in obvious pain, he spent day and night in the training room all last week trying to get himself in shape to play, Meyer said.

Several players said that effort inspired the entire team.

Senior safety Orhian Johnson knows the feeling that spurred Sabino and Simon: “All the stuff we went through this season we had to be able to lean on guys. Somebody had to be there to pick each one of us up when we were down and we had a whole room full of those guys.

“Honestly, I can go from the bottom of the list to the top and if I needed to I would take a bullet for these guys. They are like my brothers, for real. I truly love them. We were there for each other game after game.”

Saturday, after OSU’s offense provided just enough big first-half plays, it was the Buckeye defense that shut out the Wolverines in the second half.

That enabled the Buckeyes to finish 12-0, but without a BCS bowl game to test them against another of the nation’s best teams some critics will debate their worth. For several OSU players, though, there is no discussion.

“If Notre Dame gets beat then we’re lone man standing – the only perfect team – and if the AP feels generous enough we could be (voted) national champs and that would be unbelievable,” said senior tight end Jake Stoneburner. “Regardless, we’re 12-0 and I think we can play with anyone in the country. I truly believe we are the best team in the country.”

Sabino agreed: “You can say what you like, but we took care of what we had to do We won all our games this year. Sometimes it wasn’t pretty, but we did it. Sure I wish we had a chance to do more. But the way it ended today with everybody on the field was pretty magical.

“It’s what you dream about. Beating your arch-rival, finishing 12-0, a perfect season, what else could you ask for?”

One thing, said Boren:

“I told the team in the locker room after the game I wish this was a pro team, not a college team. Then everybody would be coming back and we’d be on another journey together. I just wish I could play more with these guys. It’s been so much fun.”

If you’re a Buckeye fan, how could you not be proud of these guys?