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Rivalries are what make colle e football what it is. For one Saturday out of the ear, your team becomes that much better and our season that
much more unportant. With Michigan and Ohio State, the extreme that this rivalr oes to is in itself an unspeakable event. Colegiate careers are
defined by this game. Coaches are made into legends and images become as beaut as Rembrandt. The Michigan Daily gives its best games and
individual performances from this game.
The Michiqan Daily's Top 10 games
10. 1897, Michigan 36-0: Every story must have a
beinng, and while a 36-0 trouncing by the
vrines hardly defines this rivalry today, it began
what is the greatest rivalry in all of sports.
9. 1968, Ohio State 50-14: If there was ever a defining
moment before 2002's national championship season,
this was it for Ohio State. The second-ranked
Buckeyes, though falling behind early to the fourth-
ranke Wolverines, went on a scoring splurge to give
Michigan its biggest embarassment of this nvalry. The
Wolverines had lost 11 of the past 15 games against
the Buckeyes.
8. 1986, Michigan 26-24; 1997, Michigan 20-14: In
the Guarantee Games, Michigan came out on top
twice. In 1986, followingJim Iarbaugh's claim that
Michigan would win, the Wolverines overcame Chris
Spielman's 29 tackles for the victory. "I said,
'Harbaugh you keep your mouth shut from now on.
But we wil have to back you up on this. We'll just have
to win the game, that's al " Schembechler said this
week. Ohio State wide receiver David Boston made the
guarantee, but couldn't live up to it, as it was Michigan
coming out of the Big House with a 20-14 win.
7. 1978, Michigan 14-3: This would be Wood Hayes'
final game against Michigan and would be all Bo
Schembechler needed to gain a 5-4-1 career record
against his former teacher.
6. 1989, Michigan 28-18: The pupil ot the better end
result than the professor in this one. Schembechler, 11
years removed from his mentor's retirement, fared
much better in his final Michi an-Ohio State game. In
fact it was an unsun hero in ~fth-string defensive
back Todd Platt that had interceptions late in the game
to set up Michigan's two final scores.
B zurus'
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5. 2002, Ohio State 14-9: It hadn't been since 1968
that Ohio State fans had so much to cheer about. After
holding off a late charge by quarterbackJohn Navarre
and the rest of the Wolvennes, the Buckeyes enjoyed
their second straight win over Michigan - Ohio State's
first back-to-back wins since 1982.
4. 1972 and 1974, Ohio State 14-11 and 12-10; 1976
and 1977, Michigan 22-0 and 14-6: These four games
defined the Woody/Bo rivalry as it began the "Big
Two/Little Eight" era. First place in the Big Ten was on
the line each tune and neither team was outside of the
top 10 when the November classic rolled around.
3. 2001, Ohio State 26-20: All good things must come
to end, and in 2001, the fun john Cooper days of
Michigan lore did just that. With a slow start from the
Wolverines - including a safety on a misread shotn
snap and a 4th-and-1 touchdown run from 44 yards out
byJonathan Wells - the Buckeyes jumped out to a 23-0
lead over Michigan. Bythe end, the scarlet-and-gray
covered fans from Columbus had taken over the Big
House and began the Jim Tressel era with a bang.
2. 1973, Tie 10-10: This was arguably the most contro-
versial game in history. With the tie, there had to be a
decision made by the Big Ten athletic directors about
which team would go to the Rose Bowl. It was believed
by Michigan sup orters Hayes did some unfair lobby-
ing, and the Buckeyes were sent to Pasadena.
171969, Michigan 24-12: After being throttled by Ohio
State the year before in a game where Hayes tried to
run up the score as much as he could the first-year
Michi ancoach Schembechler defended Ann Arbor
from the No. 1 Buckeyes thanks to six interceptions
from his defense. The win marked the turnng point in
Ohio State's dominance of the rivalry in the '60s.
Micbiqan
men
5. Tshimanga Biakabutuka: Living
in the shadow of Michigan great
Tyrone Wheatley, Biakabutuka
broke onto the national scene with
a stellar 313 yards in 1995 to help
propel the 18th-ranked Wolverines
past No. 2 Ohio State.
4. Barry Pierson: A year after being
trounced by Ohio State, Pierson
turned in an incredible three-intercep-
tion performance and one 60-yard punt
return to set up a touchdown in
Michigan's 24-12 win over No. 1 Ohio
State in 1969.
3. Desmond Howard/Charles
Woodson: Both these Heisman Trophy
winners put exclamation points on their award-win-
ning seasons with punt returns for touchdowns.
2. 1950 special teams: In the Snow Bowl, Michigan
punted the ball 24 times as the Wolverines were
orced to run the ball on every down. The
Wolverines also blocked four punts en route to a 9-3
win.
1. Tom Harmon: Easily the geatest player of the pre-
Woody/Bo era, Harmon still olds the record for
most points by a Wolverine in this rivalry. The first
Michigan man to win the Heisman Trophy, Harmon
was primarily responsible for the turnaround at
Michigan from 1938-40. In the four years preceding
his arrival, the Wolverines were 0-4 against the
Buckeyes and placed no better than fourth in the
league.
5. David Boston: One year after
eating crow for his claim that the s
Buckeyes would beat the eventual
national ions, Boston blew up
against the defending champs for 217
yards against a vulnerable - and
harles Woodson-less - 1998
Michigan secondary.
4. Chris Spielman: Sometimes there
are victones in defeat. Spielman, in
1986 had his own personal win against
the Wolverines when he recorded an
unheard of 29 tackles in the 26-24
loss. Spielman even knocked
down a two- oint conversion
attempt by c cgan to kee
the game within a field goal
MICHIGAN DAILYa
FILE PHOTOS AND
COURTESY OF THE
BENTLEY HISTORICAL
LIBRARY
3.Joe Germaine: While he was overshadowed by
Boston in 1998, Germaine stopped Michigan's three-
game winning streak over the Buckeyes with 330 yards
and three touchdowns through the air - a feat not
equaled by any Ohio State quarterback against the
Wolverines.
2. Tom Klaban: Third-ranked Michigan vs. fourth-
ranked Ohio State was the matchup in 1974. When all
was said and done, it came down to the leg of Klaban,
who delivered four field goals in the 12-10 win.
1. Jim Otis: In 1968, Ohio State capped offman amazing
15'year, 11-4 stretch against Michigan. Leading the
charge was Otis, who delivered four scores into the end-
zone for the Buckeyes - no other running back in Ohio
State history has rushed for four touchdowns against
Michigan.
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