1. 1969
Final Score: Michigan 24, Ohio State 12
It’s been called a game that changed a rivalry. And Ohio State vs Michigan is one hell of a rivalry. In a game that kicked off the famous “Ten-Year War” between the two institutions, the 1969 version of “The Game” featured teacher vs student as former Miami (OH) player and Ohio State assistant and first-year head coach Bo Schembechler led the 15-point underdog Michigan Wolverines against his former coach and mentor Woody Hayes and his top-ranked and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes in front of a then-record collegiate crowd of 103,588.
Throughout the 1969 season, the Buckeyes ran over their opponents and were heavy favorites in Ann Arbor that day but the Wolverines were determined to play the role of spoiler against a team that some billed as the greatest collegiate team in history up to that point.
The Buckeyes came out firing in the first half and marched right down the field on the Wolverines but the Michigan defense was able to stop Ohio State on a 4th and 2 to take control. However, they weren’t able to do much and the Buckeyes got on the board first on the next possession with a 1-yard touchdown run from Jim Otis. A missed extra point kept the score at 6-0.
A nice kickoff return from Glenn Doughty put Michigan near midfield and quarterback Don Moorhead would lead a drive down the field and halfback Garvie Craw would cap it off with a 3-yard touchdown run. A Frank Titus extra point gave the Wolverines a 7-6 lead, marking the first time all season that Ohio State had fallen behind in a game.
The Buckeyes wouldn’t be down long as the following drive saw quarterback Rex Kern hit Jan White for a 22-yard touchdown pass to give them a 12-6 lead. Michigan jumped offside on the extra point and Hayes then elected to go for two but was denied. Ohio State would not score again.
But Michigan would. The Wolverines went up 14-12 on the following possession with a 1-yard score from Craw, his second TD of the day, that capped off a 9-play, 67-yard drive. The Wolverines would once again stop the Buckeyes and Barry Pierson, who had himself one hell of a day, ran back a punt 60 yards to the Ohio State 3-yard line.
Two plays later, Moorhead would find the end zone on an option to move the lead to nine at 21-12. After once again subduing the Buckeye offense, the Wolverines moved 80 yards in 15 plays to set up a field goal to make the score 24-12. They would take that lead into halftime and the score would never change as defense dominated the second half for both teams.
Both teams had chances to score in the second half, but Michigan missed a number of field goals and Ohio State just couldn’t stop turning the ball over. At the end of the day, the Buckeyes threw six interceptions (three of those came from Barry Pierson) and fumbled the ball away once for a total of seven turnovers, which ultimately cost them their undefeated season.
While this game certainly wasn’t the closest game in the history of this rivalry, it tops this list because it really did change the nature of this rivalry. It featured so many great players and two of the most legendary college football coaches in history and the fact that it was these two guys only made it better. Throw in the record crowd and the top-ranked team in the country and it only made it better. Add the fact that it started a series of games known as the “Ten-Year War” and you’ve got something truly special. But isn’t everything with Ohio State vs Michigan that way?
Next: Ranking The 30 Best Traditions In College Football
And there you have it. The top 10 editions of “The Game”. And if you’ll notice, even this list couldn’t decide a winner as Ohio State won four, Michigan won four and there were two ties. That’s how amazing this Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry is. Fans can only hope that this Saturday’s version of “The Game” is just as riveting as the games on this list. Kickoff is at Noon Eastern on ABC.