 The 1941 season was colored by the possibility of America's entry into the Second World War and ended just two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor.In the opener against Missouri, the Tigers befuddled the Buckeyes with a new offensive formation, the Split-T, but failed to score on a number of drives, allowing Ohio State to escape with a 12–7 victory.The Buckeyes then defeated a West Coast school for the first time, stunning the USC Trojans 33–0 in the Los Angeles Coliseum.