Ohio State and Michigan meet in The Game on Saturday, one year after one of an instant classic that added to the history of this classic Big Ten rivalry.
The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines 30-27 in the 11th top-five showdown in 2016. We just had to rank those games. Keep in mind a few of the series’ legendary games didn’t make the list, including Michigan’s upset in 1969 and the “Snow Bowl” in 1950. Those two games were not top-five showdowns.
MORE: Finally, another good edition of The Game
These are the games that fit that description:
11. No. 5 Michigan 35, No. 4 Ohio State 21 (2003)
Records (heading into game): Michigan 9-2, Ohio State 10-1
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor)
Quick hit: Chris Perry
What happened: The Wolverines won the Big Ten championship behind Chris Perry, who rushed for 154 yards and sealed the victory with a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. It’s the only victory Michigan had against former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
10. No. 5 Ohio State 21, No. 4 Michigan 7 (1942)
Records: Ohio State 7-1, Michigan 6-2
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: Les Horvath
What happened: Horvath, who would win the Heisman Trophy two years later, threw three TDs to lead the Buckeyes to an upset under coach Paul Brown. The Buckeyes would go on to win the AP national championship after beating Iowa Pre-Flight the following week.
9. No. 5 Michigan 14, No. 4 Ohio State 6 (1977)
Records: Michigan 9-1, Ohio State 9-1
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor)
Quick hit: John Anderson
What happened: The Buckeyes were driving for the game-tying TD, but Anderson forced fumble by Ohio State quarterback Rod Gerald, which Derek Howard recovered to seal the win for Michigan. It was the last top-five showdown of the Ten Year War.
8. No. 2 Ohio State 50, No. 4 Michigan 14 (1968)
Records: Michigan 8-1, Ohio State 8-0
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: Woody goes for two
What happened: The score isn’t as important as the fallout from the final quarter. Hayes opted to go for two up 50-14 in the fourth quarter. When asked afterward why he did it Hayes reportedly said, "Because I couldn’t go for three." Michigan hired Bo Schembechler in response, and that launched the Ten Year War.
7. No. 1 Ohio State 21, No. 4 Michigan 14 (1975)
Records: Ohio State 10-0, Michigan 8-0-2
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor)
Quick hit: Pete Johnson
What happened: Johnson, the fullback who paved the way for two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, scored two fourth-quarter TDs to lead the Buckeyes to a comeback victory. Ohio State, however, would lose a shot at the national championship in a 23-10 loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
6. No. 5 Ohio State 20, No. 4 Michigan 9 (1970)
Records: Michigan 9-0, Ohio State 8-0
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: Woody’s revenge
What happened: The Buckeyes struck back on Bo Schembechler. Ohio State got payback for the 1969 loss in Ann Arbor with a punishing defense led by Jim Stillwagon. That earned Woody Hayes his sixth Big Ten championship at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes would lose 27-17 to Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
5. No. 4 Ohio State 12, No. 3 Michigan 10 (1974)
Records: Michigan 10-0, Ohio State 9-1
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: Wide left?
What happened: Michigan had a chance to win against Ohio State in the final seconds, but Mike Lantry missed a 33-yard field goal, and whether that field goal was inside the left upright or not is still being debated to this day. The Buckeyes once again beat Michigan and went to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to USC.
4. No. 1 Michigan 20, No. 4 Ohio State 14 (1997)
Records: Michigan 10-0, Ohio State 10-1
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor)
Quick hit: Charles Woodson
What happened: Woodson solidified his Heisman Trophy campaign with a 37-yard reception that set up a TD, a 78-yard punt return for a TD and a red-zone interception to lead the Wolverines to a berth in the Rose Bowl. Michigan would clinch a share of the national championship there by beating Washington State.
3. No. 3 Ohio State 30, No. 2 Michigan 27, 2 OTs (2016)
Records: Michigan 10-1, Ohio State 10-1
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: "The Spot"
What happened: In the second meeting between Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to force overtime. The teams traded TDs before Michigan settled for a field goal in the second OT. Ohio State then opted to go for it on fourth down, and J.T. Barrett just made the line with "The Spot." Curtis Samuel's game-winning TD followed, and the Buckeyes made the College Football Playoff. Harbaugh, meanwhile, blasted officials in the aftermath.
2. No. 1 Ohio State 10, No. 4 Michigan 10 (1973)
Records: Michigan 10-0, Ohio State 9-0
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor)
Quick hit: The tie
What happened: In one of the greatest games in the rivalry’s history, Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin gave the Buckeyes a 10-0 lead, but the Wolverines rallied and had a chance to win in the end, but Mike Lantry missed a field goal try and quarterback Dennis Franklin broke his collarbone later in the game. The game ended in a tie, and the Big Ten voted in a controversial decision to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl instead of Michigan.
1. No. 1 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Michigan 39 (2006)
Records: Michigan 11-0, Ohio State 11-0
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus)
Quick hit: No. 1 vs. No. 2
What happened: It’s the crown jewel of the rivalry, a fast and furious game that decided a berth in the BCS championship game. Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died the day before the game. Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith passed for 316 yards and four TDs to lead the Buckeyes to victory. It’s the standard for The Game and will be for a long time.
