Ohio State Football: The 7 Biggest Wins in the Past 7 Seasons for the Buckeyes

Ohio State football has enjoyed quite a great run of sustained success in the past decade.

But even though the new decade has been embroiled in the largest OSU controversy since Woody Hayes punched Clemson LB Charlie Bauman in the 1978 Gator Bowl, the first portion of the new millennium is nothing to be ashamed about.

But which victories stand out more than others? 

Here's a look at the biggest victories in the past seven seasons for Ohio State football.

Writer's Note: Since the 2010 season has been vacated, none of those wins will be put on this list.

7. 2004 vs Michigan, 37-21

The last game of the 2004 season was supposed to be a coronation for Michigan winning the Big Ten in back-to-back seasons. Instead, it launched the Buckeye career of Troy Smith.

Michigan was undefeated in the Big Ten and led by talented freshmen Chad Henne and Mike Hart, and a future first-round pick in WR Braylon Edwards.

But it was the QB on the other side that stole the show. Troy Smith emerged at the end of a season that saw Ohio State lose to Northwestern and Purdue and put on a show against Michigan.

Smith threw for 241 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 145 yards and another score.

Freshman Ted Ginn, Jr.'s fourth punt return for a TD that season was the difference-maker for a win that launched Smith into the seasons that 2005 and 2006 became.

6. 2005 at Michigan, 25-21

This was no doubt one of the more entertaining contests between the rivals up to that point, and it was because of a play Buckeye fans simply call "The Catch."

This catch wasn't a TD catch like Dwight Clark's in the 1981 NFC Championship Game against Dallas, but Anthony Gonzalez's acrobatic catch set up the game-winning TD run by Antonio Pittman with just 24 seconds left.

Smith and Henne put on another fantastic duel through the air, as they combined for 523 passing yards and two TDs.

But the big difference that helped Ohio State take that game in Ann Arbor was the fact that they held Mike Hart and the Michigan offense to just 32 yards rushing.

While that stat may not have been the ultimate difference in what was a great battle, it certainly helped them on the road to victory.

5. 2006 Fiesta Bowl vs Notre Dame, 34-20

The 2006 Fiesta Bowl which was a classic matchup between two of the legendary college football powers turned into a rare offensive explosion for Jim Tressel's Buckeyes.

OSU put up an astonishing 612 yards of total offense as they looked much faster on the field than Charlie Weis' Fighting Irish in only the fifth meeting between the teams in their histories.

The Buckeyes fed off the big play in that game, scoring four scores on plays of over 50 yards, two by Ginn, a 60-yard run by Antonio Pittman and an 85-yard reception by future Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.

That win helped create the momentum Ohio State needed that would carry them into the 2006 season, which put them into the national championship game.

The Buckeyes were able to go back to the BCS next season, but were demolished by LSU in the 2007 Sugar Bowl and have not been back since that game.

4. 2008 at Wisconsin, 20-17

For some Ohio State fans, 2008 was an unmitigated disaster. Ohio State was embarrassed on national television, the locker room was reportedly tearing apart and a senior QB who led the team to the national championship game the year before was benched for a freshman QB from western Pennsylvania.

Terrelle Pryor, who was originally playing in spot duty to start the season, took over the starting job in Week 4 and won each of his first two starts before a road trip to notorious Camp Randall to face Wisconsin.

Pryor led a magical late-game drive punctuated by a last-minute TD run that helped spark Ohio State to a surprising 20-17 win over what turned out to be a disappointing Wisconsin team.

Pryor would put on some other great performances against Michigan State and Illinois, but losses to Penn State and Texas really left a sour taste in the mouths of Buckeye fans who were expecting a third-straight appearance in the BCS National Championship Game.

3. 2010 Rose Bowl vs Oregon, 26-17

Ohio State's perception of being a slow, lumbering team was put to rest in Pasadena on New Year's Day 2010 when the Buckeyes shut down the high-powered Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl 26-17.

Playing on a bad knee, Pryor put on one of his best passing performances in his three-year career, throwing for 266 yards and two TDs, earning MVP honors.

The Buckeyes slowed down Chip Kelly's Ducks, who were one of the breakout teams in the country that season led by star RB LaMichael James.

OSU dominated the time of possession battle by 23 minutes over Oregon and held the Ducks to 260 yards, forcing two turnovers.

Despite a great 2010 season, this is the last official win for Ohio State going into this season.

2. 2009 vs Iowa, 27-24 OT

This game ranks just higher than the Rose Bowl because without a win in what would be the de facto Big Ten Championship Game over Iowa, OSU might not have gone to the Rose Bowl.

Despite the loss of Ricky Stanzi, backup James Vandenberg played spectacularly against the Buckeyes despite throwing three interceptions on the road.

He helped spark a fourth-quarter comeback led by a kickoff return TD by Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and finished the tie with a great TD pass to Marvin McNutt.

It took a big sack by Doug Worthington in overtime to shut down the Iowa offense in overtime and give former MLS kicker Devin Barclay a shot to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

And from 39 yards out, he did just that. That kick launched Ohio State into Pasadena, although Iowa would also go to the BCS and beat Georgia Tech in the 2010 Orange Bowl. 

1. 2006 vs Michigan, 42-39

The first ever matchup of The Game featuring the No. 1 and 2 teams in the country surpassed most expectations and is certainly one of the games of the decade in college football.

Set on a backdrop days after the death of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, the third and final battle between Troy Smith and Chad Henne was an offensive explosion the likes of which have never happened in the history of the rivalry.

The teams put up 81 points, and Smith punctuated his Heisman campaign by throwing for 316 yards and four TDs.

This game ultimately set the two programs in different directions. Ohio State went on to five more BCS bowl games in a row, going 1-3 including the vacated Sugar Bowl win.

Michigan has only been to two bowl games since and suffered their worst season in school history in 2008, going 3-9.

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