I am sorry to hear that. Even though they rejected you, I think they really like you as they made their decision rather late.
I just came back from an interview at OSU and the school is really big on sports. If you are not a sports fan, you might not be missing you much by not going there.
Also, dont be discouraged if you dont get any acceptance because this PhD application process is really a game of luck. It really depends on whether the school requires any students for TAs for TAship, or some profs have special interests that align with your background and past research experience for RAship. I got accepted at UVA but I got rejected from a bunch of lower tier schools in software engineering. Without disclosing any proprietary info here, but I want to let you know that there is a big cut in federal fundings in many states, (esp TX) and those schools are tighter on expenditure this year and few years to come. Hence, alot of capable and competent individuals are rejected for unjustified reasons (if you do ask them, they will often give you a reason that the decision depends on alot of factors including evaluation of your official records, your test scores, your letters of recommendation, enrollment constraints, available instructional staff and facilities. )
So the bottom line is dont beat up yourself over it and you can always apply for Master and use it as a gateway for a swift transition to PhD.
Cheers,
