Ohio State Football: The Top 25 Bowl Games in School History

Ohio State's rich football tradition directly means quite a lengthy postseason history.

The school has been in a bowl game each of the last 21 seasons with many memorable victories.

But although Ohio State has had been in a lot of bowl games, 25 stand out as the best in history, although not all of them could be wins.

Here are the 25 greatest bowl games in OSU football history.

25. 1985 Citrus Bowl, OSU Defeats BYU 10-7

In the final season of Keith Byars and Pepper Johnson, Ohio State avenged losses in the final two games of the season by defeating BYU for the second time in four bowl games 10-7.

Ohio State would finish the season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the Coaches' Poll.

Earle Bruce's coaching staff featured a pair of future Big Ten head coaches that season, including former Minnesota coach Glen Mason and a QB-RB-WR coach by the name of Jim Tressel.

24. 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl, OSU Loses to Syracuse 24-17

The 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl was one of many heartbreaks OSU had during a four-year bowl losing streak as they fell to the Orange 24-17 in Tampa.

The Buckeyes trailed 17-3 before tying the game on a Carlos Snow touchdown run and a blocked punt.

But the Orange would win the game in the final minutes on a 60-yard touchdown pass which sank Ohio State.

23. 1993 Citrus Bowl, OSU Loses to Georgia 21-17

The Buckeyes lost their fourth straight bowl game in 1993, this one to an SEC school in Georgia, falling 21-17 in the Citrus Bowl.

Coming off a tie with Michigan, Robert Smith and the Buckeyes had a strong defense all season long, but their offense was not quite as good as it would be later on in the John Cooper years.

In fact, despite two prior losses, the 21 points Ohio State gave up to Georgia was the most points they gave up all season long.

22. 2002 Outback Bowl, OSU Loses to South Carolina 31-28

The first bowl game of the Jim Tressel era had the same outcome as the last bowl game of the John Cooper era, with a loss to South Carolina in Tampa.

This time, however, Ohio State did not lay down in the loss. They fought valiantly, tying the game in the fourth quarter with 21 unanswered points including a nine-yard TD pass to Darnell Jenkins with less than two minutes left.

But South Carolina won as time expired on a Daniel Weaver field goal, extending OSU's losing streak against the SEC.

21. 2004 Alamo Bowl, OSU Defeats Oklahoma State 33-7

After a very disappointing 2004 regular season, Ohio State showed what the future had in store by dominating Les Miles' Oklahoma State Cowboys in San Antonio 33-7.

With Troy Smith suspended, Justin Zwick and Ted Ginn sparked Ohio State to a 33-0 lead, scoring 23 points in the first half.

The only points the Buckeyes would yield on the night is a Shaun Willis four-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

20. 1987 Cotton Bowl, OSU Defeats Texas A&M 28-12

Despite starting 0-2, Ohio State had a very strong 1986 season before dropping a heartbreaker to Michigan 26-24 at home.

They rebounded on New Year's Day in Dallas by defeating Texas A&M 28-12 in the Cotton Bowl, one of the few trips the school has made.

In addition to having Cris Carter starting at WR, OSU also had another young man that coaching TEs named Urban Meyer, who has had an okay career as a head coach.

19. 1980 Rose Bowl, OSU Loses to USC 17-16

One of the greatest historical rivalries in the Rose Bowl was that of Ohio State vs. USC from the 1950s all the way through the 1980s.

The classic matchup of 1980 saw Ohio State leading USC 16-10 late before Rose Bowl MVP Charles White scored the winning touchdown in the closing minutes to pull off the victory for John Robinson and the Trojans.

This would be just one of the many close battles the two teams would wage in Pasadena.

18. 1985 Rose Bowl, OSU Loses to USC 20-17

Another classic Rose Bowl, unfortunately for Ohio State, was another loss to the pesky USC Trojans in Pasadena.

The Trojans forced three interceptions of Mike Tomczak, yet Ohio State still only trailed by three late in the fourth. But they were unable to tie or take the lead late.

MVP Tim Green threw two TDs for USC and OSU kicker Rich Spangler kicked a Rose Bowl-record 52-yard FG in the loss.

17. 1982 Holiday Bowl, OSU Defeats BYU 47-17

This bowl win makes this list for being among the biggest blowout wins for Ohio State in a bowl game.

In this game, Ohio State was actually trailing BYU 7-3 at one point before Tomczak and RB Tim Spencer helped dominate the rest of the game, outscoring the Cougars 44-10 the rest of the way.

BYU QB Steve Young did have two TD passes for the Cougars, and would definitely have much better and brighter days ahead than this game.

16. 2009 Fiesta Bowl, OSU Loses to Texas 24-21

Before he became a Cleveland Brown, Colt McCoy broke the hearts of Buckeye fans when he hit Quan Cosby for the final TD to beat Ohio State 24-21 in an exciting Fiesta Bowl.

Terrelle Pryor would have his first receiving TD and Dan Herron also added a score to put OSU up ahead. But a controversial ball spot on a fourth down late in the game kept Texas' final drive alive, allowing them to win the game.

The loss was among the most crippling to OSU fans, who had suffered through a pair of BCS National Championship Game embarrassments.

15. 1984 Fiesta Bowl, OSU Defeats Pittsburgh 28-23

On New Year's Day of 1984, Tomczak delivered another bowl victory as the Buckeyes downed the Pitt Panthers in Tempe 28-23.

After falling behind 23-21 in the final minutes, Tomczak hit Thad Jemison on a 39-yard pass for the game-winning touchdown with only 39 seconds left to go.

Keith Byars had a rushing and kick return touchdown for the Buckeyes in the win.

14. 1993 Holiday Bowl, OSU Defeats BYU 28-21

OSU and BYU would meet once again in San Diego in the Holiday Bowl, with this one being the best thriller of the three meetings on this list.

Raymont Harris rushed for three Buckeye touchdowns and a Holiday Bowl-record 235 yards rushing as Ohio State took a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter.

But BYU MVP QB John Walsh had the Cougars driving late as they got it down to the Buckeye 6-yard line with under a minute to go. The Cougars stalled at the 6, and OSU survived to take another win from BYU.

13. 1975 Rose Bowl, OSU Loses to USC 18-17

Archie Griffin's first Heisman Trophy season was dampened just a little bit as John McKay's Trojans got some revenge after the loss they suffered the year before in Pasadena.

Griffin failed to score a touchdown, but his teammate Cornelius Greene helped OSU get out to a 17-10 lead late in the game.

But Pat Haden made Pasadena magic happen, as he first connected with J.K. McKay on a 38-yard TD pass, then found Shelton Diggs for a two-point conversion which won USC the game.

The win let USC leapfrog OSU and helped them claim the national championship.

12. 2004 Fiesta Bowl, OSU Defeats Kansas State 35-28

Ohio State did get back to Tempe in 2004, only this time they did not play for a national title after crushing losses at Wisconsin and Michigan.

But the Buckeyes rebounded by defeating Big 12 surprise Kansas State, who had blown out Oklahoma to win a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-28.

Craig Krenzel threw four TD passes in his final game as a Buckeye, and OSU almost blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter before recovering a late onside kick to salt the game away.

OSU won despite being outgained 378-337 and being minus-one in the turnover margin.

11. 1999 Sugar Bowl, OSU Defeats Texas A&M 24-14

After getting whipped by Florida State in the Sugar Bowl a year earlier, the Buckeyes took their vengeance out on Dat Ngyuen and the Texas A&M Aggies, winning 24-14.

Dante "The Human Joystick" Hall started the scoring by rushing nine yards for a touchdown for the Aggies, 

OSU would respond with 24 unanswered points, all in the first half, including a TD pass from Joe Germaine to Reggie Germany and a blocked punt returned 16 yards by Kevin Griffin. 

The win would be the last bowl game victory for John Cooper.

10. 1958 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats Oregon 10-7

Woody Hayes' second national championship came after pulling out a late victory over the Oregon Ducks in Pasadena 10-7. 

The Ducks fell behind when OSU's Frank Kremblas scored from one yard out in the opening quarter, but responded in the second with a TD of their own to tie the score.

The Buckeyes kicked a 34-yard field goal to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. And despite rally efforts from MVP QB Jack Crabtree, the Ducks could not finish the job.

OSU would win the national title, and Oregon would not get to play in the Rose Bowl for 37 long years.

9. 1974 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats USC 42-21

Ohio State had been demolished by USC in the previous Rose Bowl, so Archie Griffin and the Buckeyes made sure they got their revenge.

Pete Johnson scored three touchdowns for OSU, all from fewer than four yards out, and Griffin added a 47-yard run as the exclamation point late in the fourth to put the Buckeyes up 42-21.

Cornelius Greene was named MVP for Ohio State who came into the game ranked No. 2 in the country after tying Michigan in Ann Arbor.

8. 2006 Fiesta Bowl, OSU Defeats Notre Dame 34-20

The 2006 Fiesta Bowl was an offensive explosion the likes of which were rare in the Jim Tressel era.

Troy Smith and the Buckeyes put up over 600 yards of total offense, headlined by three first-half touchdowns, all of over 50 yards, which put OSU up 21-7 at the half.

Ted Ginn and Santonio Holmes combined for 366 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, as Smith earned MVP honors by throwing for 342 yards and two TDs.

The win would be foreshadowing of the type of explosive offense OSU would have going into the regular season, except for the loss they would have against Florida in the national championship game the following January.

7. 1955 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats USC 20-7

The 1955 Rose Bowl, OSU's first national championship title under Woody Hayes, featured quite the heavy dose of Hayes' famous running attack.

Led by Hopalong Cassady and MVP Dave Leggett, Ohio State rushed for 304 yards and outgained the Trojans 360-206.

OSU took control in the first half despite giving up a punt return touchdown and never looked back on the way to the school's second national championship.

6. 2010 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats Oregon 26-17

Despite being a five-point underdog and with Terrelle Pryor suffering from torn ligaments in his knee, the Buckeyes finally got the bowl monkey off their back as they ended a three-year drought by beating the Oregon Ducks in a rematch of the 1958 classic.

Pryor earned MVP honors with 266 passing yards and two touchdowns, which were the first and last scoring plays of the football games.

OSU kept the Ducks' high-flying zone-read offense on the sidelines for a majority of the game, dominating the time-of-possession battle by over 23 minutes.

The win gave Ohio State momentum going into the 2010 season which was eventually vacated due to NCAA violations.

5. 1969 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats USC 27-16

The final national championship for Woody Hayes came in one of the most dominant years in school history, as the Super Sophs gave OSU its last national championship for over 30 years.

Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Jack Tatum and the Buckeyes fell behind O.J. Simpson and the Trojans 10-0, but forced five turnovers and would score 27 unanswered points to win the game and the national title.

Kern would throw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and earn MVP honors for the Buckeyes.

The Super Sophs returned to Pasadena in 1971 but fell to Jim Plunkett and Stanford to end their stellar college careers.

4. 2011 Sugar Bowl, OSU Defeats Arkansas 31-26 (Vacated Win)

Although the record books will say this game never happened, those that watched this game will say that this was one of the best bowl games in the past few seasons.

Ohio State's offense exploded in the first half with four touchdowns powered by MVP Terrelle Pryor, who threw for two scores and took a 28-7 lead at one point.

But the Razorbacks rallied with the help of a few field goals, a Ryan Mallett TD pass and a controversial safety call.

Having never beaten the SEC in a bowl game, Ohio State saw those chances almost go up in flames as Arkansas blocked a Ben Buchanan punt in the final minutes of regulation.

A Solomon Thomas interception saved the game and Ohio State would hold on for a win that doesn't count anymore.

While it doesn't count anymore, no one who was there could deny that they didn't get their money's worth.

3. 1950 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats California 17-14

The first time is always the sweetest as in his final game as a head coach, Wes Fesler led the Buckeyes over the California Golden Bears 17-14 to win their first-ever Rose Bowl.

The game was tied until the fourth quarter when Ohio State sealed the game with a field goal.

Because of the infamous Snow Bowl loss, Fesler was replaced by a man from a small Ohio college named Woody Hayes, who turned Ohio State into a college football power.

But Fesler's last moment as a head coach at Ohio State was a pretty good one.

2. 1997 Rose Bowl, OSU Defeats Arizona State 20-17

This game was truly a Pasadena classic, as Ohio State denied the dreams of an Arizona State national championship by stunning Jake Plummer and the Sun Devils with a last-minute touchdown pass to David Boston.

Joe Germaine, the one who threw Boston the TD pass with 19 seconds left, was named MVP and helped OSU win its first Rose Bowl in 23 years.

Plummer had a rushing and passing touchdown, while Germaine threw for two scores.

But because of Ohio State's win over No. 2 ASU, that opened up the door for No. 3 Florida to be the national champion after blowing out Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl.

1. 2003 Fiesta Bowl, OSU Defeats Miami 31-24, 2OT

For Buckeye fans, there couldn't be any other game that would be No. 1 on this list.

After being a double-digit underdog to an absolutely loaded Miami team that featured NFL star after NFL star, Ohio State did what they did best in 2002: shut opponents down.

They forced multiple turnovers from a Miami team whose offense was simply machine-like and completely shut down superstar back Willis McGahee.

Freshman Maurice Clarett, in his final game as a Buckeye, scored two touchdowns. Craig Krenzel added two more, both on QB sneaks.

But what most will remember the game for was a controversial late pass interference flag thrown by Terry Porter on a fourth-down play in overtime that would've won Miami the game. It allowed the Buckeye drive to continue and OSU would eventually tie it up.

After taking the lead in double-overtime, OSU's defense teed off on an injured Ken Dorsey and shut them out of the end zone, including the famous final play where Cie Grant wrapped up Dorsey to force a bad pass and end the game.

OSU could finally celebrate one of the biggest upsets in college sports history, becoming the first team in CFB history to go 14-0.

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