Ranking Greatest Big Ten Football Games of All Time
There's nearly two months to go until the start of the 2015 college football season, which is one of the most anticipated in the history of the Big Ten. Between Ohio State defending its national championship, the arrival of Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, the sustained success of Michigan State and renewed optimism for Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska, never has the league seemed so loaded on the eve of its season.
The sudden excitement surrounding the Big Ten could make for several instant classics on the field, particularly in the East Division, where the Buckeyes, Spartans, Nittany Lions and Wolverines are arguably the conference's four most intriguing teams. But while everyone is looking forward to the coming season, now's the perfect time to look back at the matchups that have already made for some of the greatest games in Big Ten history.
With that in mind, here is my countdown of the 10 best games in Big Ten history. Historical significance, star power and the overall entertainment of each matchup were taken into account while creating and ranking the list.
2013 Ohio State vs. Michigan
1 of 10
There isn't a series in all of the Big Ten—if not college football—more capable of consistently delivering an instant classic than the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, and 2013 was no exception.
The Braxton Miller-led Buckeyes headed to Ann Arbor with a 23-game winning streak, prepared to face a struggling Wolverines squad with a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game on the line. But despite Michigan entering the game having lost four of its previous six contests, Brady Hoke's team still gave Ohio State all it could handle in a high-scoring shootout that saw the two teams combine for 83 points.
"That was an instant classic," Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said afterward. "Coach [Woody] Hayes was from a different generation. He would have wanted a 10-9 game, but he would have wanted to see the two teams playing as hard as they can."
There was no doubt that the Buckeyes and Wolverines did just that, with the final play coming down to Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell intercepting a two-point conversion attempt that would have given Michigan the lead with 1:48 remaining in the game.
"We played the game to win," Hoke said of his decision to bypass an extra-point attempt that would have likely sent the game to overtime.
Walking away from the Big House with a 42-41 victory, the Buckeyes would see their 24-game winning streak snapped the following week in the Big Ten title game against Michigan State. But Ohio State's 2013 team—and Michigan's—will always have the distinction of having participated in one of the most entertaining editions of The Game.
1990 Michigan State vs. Michigan
2 of 10
In what was one of the most controversial finishes in the history of the Big Ten, the 1990 game between Michigan and Michigan State came to an end with the Spartans upsetting the top-ranked Wolverines.
It wasn't just the finish, however, that made the battle between the two co-conference champions so memorable, but also one of the most exciting quarters in the history of college football.
After entering the fourth quarter with the game tied at 14, Michigan State's Hyland Hickson ripped off a 26-yard touchdown run, with Michigan's Desmond Howard answering with a 95-yard score on the ensuing kickoff. Spartans running back Tico Duckett would put his team back on top with a nine-yard run with just under two minutes remaining, before Elvis Grbac capped a drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Alexander.
Then came the controversy.
Attempting a two-point conversion to go ahead rather than tie up the score, Grbac's pass to Howard fell short, preserving the Spartans victory. Michigan fans, however, are adamant that Howard was interfered with by Eddie Brown on the play and that it should have resulted in a penalty.
Which side of the argument you fall on likely depends on your rooting interests.
1989 Ohio State vs. Minnesota
3 of 10
The 1989 battle between Ohio State and Minnesota hardly looked like an instant classic through the game's first half, with the Golden Gophers jumping out to a 31-0 lead. The Buckeyes managed to get on the board with a Carlos Snow touchdown run and ensuing two-point conversion just before heading to the locker room, but they still faced a heavy deficit.
Ohio State was only beginning to build its momentum, however, as quarterback Greg Frey helped lead his team to 10 more consecutive points, as the Buckeyes defense held its own, allowing the game to head into the fourth quarter with Minnesota's lead trimmed to just 13. The Gophers would sandwich a pair of field goals around another Snow touchdown to take a 37-26 lead with just over five minutes remaining, but Ohio State wasn't done yet.
A Frey touchdown run on an option play would cut the Gophers' advantage to three, allowing Buckeyes head coach John Cooper to bypass an onside kick and put his faith in his defense. That gamble paid off when OSU got the ball back on its own 27-yard line with two minutes left, setting the stage for an 18-yard touchdown pass from Frey to Jeff Graham with 51 seconds left on the clock.
With one last hold on defense, the Buckeyes capped off what was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of college football.
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2013 Michigan vs. Penn State
4 of 10
Its meeting with Ohio State wasn't the only classic Michigan found itself in during the 2013 season, but unfortunately for the Wolverines, their meeting with Penn State yielded a similar result.
Ranked 18th in the nation following a 5-0 start to the season, Michigan headed to Happy Valley, where the Nittany Lions were hosting their annual "White Out" game. The intense atmosphere, however, didn't seem to bother the Wolverines, who held a 34-24 lead in the early fourth quarter following a 37-yard touchdown pass from Devin Gardner to Devin Funchess.
A Sam Ficken field goal would cut Michigan's advantage to seven, but Penn State appeared to be out of hope when it took over at its own 20-yard line with just 50 seconds left on the clock. That's when Christian Hackenberg jump-started his own legend in State College, engineering an 80-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by an incredible 33-yard grab by wide receiver Allen Robinson.
After Brendan Gibbons missed a would-be game-winner for the Wolverines in regulation, Penn State took the game in four overtimes, with Bill Belton's two-yard touchdown run serving as the game's deciding play.
2011 Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
5 of 10
Miller's legacy as one of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks may have been established in the following years, but it began as a freshman in 2011, which ironically was a down season for Ohio State.
Even while the Buckeyes were enduring their first losing season since 1988, the first-year signal-caller was showing plenty of flashes of the two-time Big Ten MVP he would go onto become.
That was never more evident than when Ohio State welcomed 15th-ranked Wisconsin to town, with Russell Wilson running the show for the Big Ten favorite Badgers. Miller, however, went toe-to-toe with the eventual Super Bowl-winning quarterback, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns on the night, as the Buckeyes appear poised for an upset as they took a 12-point fourth-quarter lead.
But while most of Miller's damage came thanks to his ability with his feet, it was his one touchdown throw that proved to be the difference in the game. With Ohio State trailing 29-26 following a pair of Wilson TD throws to Jared Abbrederis—including a 49-yard toss—Miller scrambled before throwing the ball 40 yards to a wide-open Devin Smith in the back of the end zone, giving the Buckeyes the game's final advantage with 20 seconds left on the clock.
Miller may not have realized his full potential until Meyer arrived the following season, but that October night left plenty of Ohio State fans optimistic about the future of its program.
2002 Ohio State vs. Purdue
6 of 10
Ohio State played in no shortage of instant classics throughout its run to the national title in 2002, but perhaps no game showcased the Buckeyes' perseverance during the Big Ten season as much as their comeback against Purdue did.
After struggling offensively throughout the better part of the game, Ohio State found itself trailing the Boilermakers 6-3 in the fourth quarter with its national title aspirations hanging in the balance. As the Buckeyes faced a third-and-14 on the 50-yard line, it appeared their perfect season—which sat 10-0 at the time—would soon be coming to an end, after quarterback Craig Krenzel found tight end Ben Hartsock for a completion of just 13 yards.
Facing a 4th-and-1 with just 1:44 left on the clock, Krenzel dropped back, as Ohio State opted against attempting either a run play or a long field goal. Miraculously, the Buckeyes quarterback found wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a 37-yard game-winning touchdown, a play that lives in Buckeyes infamy and for which ABC broadcaster Brent Musburger exclaimed "Holy Buckeye!"
Still undefeated, Ohio State would avoid close calls with Illinois and Michigan in the following weeks, before upsetting No. 1 Miami (Fla.) in a double-overtime thriller in the national title game.
1950 Michigan vs. Ohio State (The Snow Bowl)
7 of 10
There are three versions of "The Snow Bowl" in college football, but none is more famous than the 1950 meeting between Ohio State and Michigan.
With the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, the Wolverines came to Columbus, where weather conditions were so extreme that they contemplated not playing the game. Ultimately, the matchup went on as scheduled, but it was hardly your typical football battle.
Compiling 45 punts between one another, the two teams attempted to pin their opponents against their own goal lines, hoping that the slippery conditions would result in fumbles that could be recovered in or around the end zones. The Wolverines eventually won out, tallying a 9-3 advantage despite not earning a first down on the day.
Michigan's two scores on the day came on a safety and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by linebacker Tony Momsen just before halftime. Momsen's brother, Robert, played for the Buckeyes, marking the first time two brothers squared off in a college football game.
2004 Michigan State vs. Michigan
8 of 10
Braylon Edwards' best game in a Michigan uniform couldn't have come at a better time for the Wolverines, who found themselves trailing rival Michigan State at home by 17 points in the fourth quarter in 2004.
That's when Edwards—the third overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft—took the game into his own hands, literally, catching two of his three touchdowns, which, along with a Garrett Rivas field goal, helped force the game into overtime with the score tied at 27. Fittingly, it was Edwards who played the role of difference-maker in overtime as well, with the wideout catching a 24-yard score from freshman Chad Henne in the game's third OT period to put Michigan up 45-37—the game's final score.
On the night, Edwards accounted for 11 receptions for 189 yards and three scores, breaking Anthony Carter's school record for career receiving yards in the process.
"Braylon Edwards made plays that I don't think anybody else can make," Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said afterward, via The Associated Press.
2011 Big Ten Championship Game: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State
9 of 10
The first edition of the Big Ten Championship Game lived up to its billing with Leaders Division champion Wisconsin taking on Michigan State of the Legends Division in Indianapolis. With a right to the Rose Bowl on the line, the two teams exploded inside of Lucas Oil Stadium in an offensive battle that was far from your father's version of Big Ten football.
Behind a pair of touchdowns from Montee Ball, the Badgers jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead, only to see the Spartans control the scoring in the second quarter. Kirk Cousins found B.J. Cunningham for a pair of touchdowns, and Le'Veon Bell added a score from six yards out, allowing MSU to take a 29-21 lead into halftime.
The Badgers would inch closer when Wilson found Abbrederis for a 42-yard touchdown, but Cousins and Cunningham again hooked up in the end zone, this time for a 44-yard score that gave the Spartans a 36-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter. It was there the game really spun out of control, with Ball opening the period with his third score of the game, cutting Michigan State's lead to two.
A Dan Conroy field goal pushed the Spartans' advantage back to five, but ultimately it was the Badgers who had the last laugh. Wilson—the game's MVP—led his team on eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive, which included a conversion on a 4th-and-6 and resulted in a seven-yard touchdown run for Ball, giving Wisconsin a 42-39 victory in the conference's first-ever title game.
2006 Michigan vs. Ohio State
10 of 10
While the first official Big Ten title game didn't occur until 2011, several meetings between Michigan and Ohio State served as de facto championship games for the conference, including in 2006.
But what made the 103rd edition of The Game so special wasn't that it was just the right to a BCS bowl on the line, but also a trip to the national title, with the Buckeyes ranked first and the Wolverines ranked second, making it the first time ever that the rivalry game featured the country's top two teams.
And boy, did the highly anticipated matchup ever live up to its billing.
After the two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, Ohio State appeared to bust the game open behind a 52-yard run by Chris "Beanie" Wells and a pair of touchdown passes by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. But even after Antonio Pittman's 56-yard TD run gave the Buckeyes a 35-24 lead heading into the fourth, Ohio State still found itself fighting off its feisty rival.
A Mike Hart touchdown run cut the Buckeyes' advantage to four, before Smith's fourth TD pass on the day put the Buckeyes back up 11. Henne found Tyler Eckler for a touchdown and Steve Breaston for a two-point conversion to get Michigan back within striking distance while trimming Ohio State's lead to 42-39, but the Buckeyes' potent offense never let the Wolverines get the ball back, as they punched their ticket to the title game.
Due to the closeness of the final score, a debate began as to whether or not Michigan was worthy of a rematch with its rival on a neutral site in the national title game. Florida—then coached by Meyer—ultimately got the call to take on the Buckeyes and wound up trouncing the Big Ten champions by a score of 41-14, setting up a seven-year run of national titles for the SEC.
As the 2015 season approaches, has the three-time national champion and now-Buckeyes coach just set up another run of success for his conference?
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
