Where’s the beef? Smith gives wrong answer

Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith might as well have been humming “Hail to the Victors” Wednesday. Such was his sacrilege.

Smith admitted turning his back on a Columbus institution steeped in tradition and as dear to those in Columbus as dotting the “i” in script “Ohio” during pregame or halftime ceremonies.

The institution? Wendy’s Old Fashioned hamburgers.

The hometown burger was cast aside by Smith’s double-double goals of winning the national title and laying his hands on the national title trophy and an In-N-Out hamburger.

“For the folks back in Ohio, they need to understand, first and foremost, it is a fresh burger,” the Heisman Trophy winner said at Scottsdale, Ariz. “The lettuce and tomatoes are extremely fresh. And they toast the buns. That’s huge. That’s key. They use a special kind of sauce too. The sandwich is incredible after a long night.”

Trouble is, Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas in Columbus on Nov. 15, 1969, exactly one week before the Wolverines upset what may have been Woody Hayes’ best Buckeyes team.

Wendy’s, it should be noted, began offering a drive-through window using a speaker box to place orders in 1970.

That same season, Hayes’ Buckeyes team was beaten in the Rose Bowl game by a Stanford team that also used a new gadget -- the forward pass.

Trivia time

In-N-Out Burger caters food to which bowl game every year?

The pitch [and pass] man

Naturally, In-N-Out officials were pleased with Smith’s endorsement.

“It doesn’t get much better than that for us,” Executive Vice President Carl Van Fleet was quoted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “We’re kind of a small company, and we don’t have any celebrity endorsers. But I think we just got the best one we could have. Not just a college football player, but the best one in America. I’d say he’s a very observant and excellent food critic.”

Either that or Smith just doesn’t think it’s hip to eat square (hamburgers).

Show him the money

The fallout from Boise State’s 43-42 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl could be pricey.

Broncos hero Ian Johnson’s girlfriend, Chrissy Popadics, got the bling, an engagement ring, and Boise State assistant football coaches will get some ka-ching with 20% raises this spring.

But what about Coach Chris Petersen?

“We’re going to reward [Petersen] the best we can,” Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier said.

Translation: Expect a big marketing campaign for potatoes this year.

Petersen, though, seems to understand gadget plays better than postseason posturing, telling the Idaho Statesman, “I’m always embarrassed by how much football coaches make these days.”

But then, your face can be Crimson Tide-red while signing a contract. Just look at Nick Saban -- “I guess I have to say it; I’m not going to be the Alabama coach” -- who agreed to a contract worth more than $32 million to coach Alabama.

No fries with this

“The Ultimate Couch Potato Contest” began at the ESPN Zone in Chicago on Monday, with four contestants -- eyes glued to televisions, rear quarters attached to the cushions -- watching sporting events around the clock.

Of the four, only one was a woman, Stacy Gleason, a 39-year-old paralegal and mother of three from Lowell, Ind.

“I don’t know how guys do it,” Gleason said. “I’m doing this for girls everywhere who don’t get to do this while their husbands morph into the furniture watching sports on TV.”

Somewhere, Gloria Steinem is smiling.

Trivia answer

The Rose Bowl.

Smith, it can be presumed, would rather have choked down a Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic than gagged against Michigan and received those In-N-Out freebies.

And finally

Wendy’s marketing slogan for 2006? “We don’t cut corners.”

Smith’s motto for 2006: “We carve up corners ... and safeties.”

chris.foster@latimes.com