The Top 10 Michigan-Ohio State Games Since 1950

SI Staff | Nov 15, 2006

The Top 10 Michigan-Ohio State Games Since 1950 /

The Top 10 Michigan-Ohio State Games Since 1950

1972 Ohio State 14, Michigan 11

How does one rank the top 10 Michigan-Ohio State football games since 1950? We went to the experts at The Wolverine (for link to website, see below) and they gave us their list -- promising, of course, to quell any Michigan pride.<br><br>No. 3 Michigan outgained the Buckeyes 344-192 in yardage, but was rebuffed twice on goal-line stands and saw its Rose Bowl hopes dashed. Michigan back Harry Banks apparently scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but officials ruled he never crossed the plane. OSU earned the trip to Pasadena. This win started a six-year run in which Ohio State won at least a share of the Big Ten title.

1986 Michigan 26, Ohio State 24

Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh publicly guaranteed the Wolverines would win in Columbus, and kept his promise. Michigan fell behind 14-3, but running back Jamie Morris' 210 yards and two touchdowns and a late, missed field goal by OSU kicker Matt Frantz helped send the Wolverines to Pasadena.

1974 Ohio State 12, Michigan 10

Ohio State kicker Tom Klaban booted Michigan out of Ohio Stadium, as his four field goals made the difference in a 12-10 OSU win. The Wolverines came into the game 10-0 and ranked No. 3, while the Buckeyes were 9-1 and slotted No. 4.

1975 Ohio State 21, Michigan 14

The 10-0, top-ranked Buckeyes trailed No. 4 Michigan (8-0-2) by a touchdown with just 7:11 remaining, but rallied for a 21-14 win in Michigan Stadium. Slippery quarterback Cornelius Greene led the Buckeyes on a 65-yard touchdown drive to tie it, then Ray Griffin picked off a pass and raced 29 yards to the Michigan 3, setting up the game-winner.

1995 Michigan 31, Ohio State 23

The Buckeyes, No. 2 nationally and playing for a potential national championship, featured Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Eddie George. He was overshadowed, however, by Michigan tailback Tshimanga Biakabutukua, who rushed for 313 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries.

1950 Michigan 9, Ohio State 3

Known as the Snow Bowl, the two teams squared off in a full-scale blizzard -- Columbus' worst in 37 years -- that dropped five inches of snow on the ground. Unranked Michigan earned a safety off a blocked kick and a touchdown off a blocked punt to beat No. 8 Ohio State and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.

2002 Ohio State 14, Michigan 9

Ohio State, the nation's No. 2 team, scored the game's only two touchdowns, one on freshman tailback Maurice Clarett's two-yard run. With the win, the Buckeyes earned a spot in the BCS title game opposite Miami. The Buckeyes went on to beat the Hurricanes 31-24 for their first national title since 1968.

1997 Michigan 20, Ohio State 14

Ranked No. 1, Michigan beat No. 4 Ohio State by six points, earning its first chance at a national title in 50 years. The victory cemented defensive back Charles Woodson's Heisman win after he picked off a pass in the end zone and returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown.

1973 Ohio State 10, Michigan 10

The Wolverines missed two field goals in the final few minutes that would have won the game and the two programs, both undefeated, split the Big Ten title after tying. Michigan, ranked three spots behind No. 1 Ohio State, felt it deserved the Rose Bowl bid after outplaying the higher-ranked Buckeyes -- but the league's athletic directors voted to send Ohio State to Pasadena instead.

1969 Michigan 24, Ohio State 12

In Bo Schembechler's first game against Woody Hayes -- under whom he coached for six years in Columbus -- Schembechler led his 8-2 Michigan team to a 24-12 victory over No. 1 (and undefeated) Ohio State, a team Hayes later called his best ever. The Michigan victory set the stage for the "10-Year War" between Schembechler and his mentor.

Published Nov 15, 2006

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