Ohio State vs Michigan: 10 best games in “The Game” history

3. 1973

Final Score: Ohio State 10, Michigan 10

Just two years before that classic encounter in 1975, another Ohio State-Michigan classic took place in Ann Arbor before a then-record crowd of 105,223 and would become one of the most controversial games not just in the Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry, but in the history of college football.

The fourth-ranked Wolverines entered the game at 10-0 and the top-ranked Buckeyes came in at 9-0. Both had marched through Big 10 play and came into “The Game” with a spot in the Rose Bowl and the chance for a national championship on the line. And they tied. Of course they tied.

Ohio State took the first half, outscoring the Wolverines 10-0 behind solid play from Buckeyes’ defense and a solid game from sophomore Archie Griffin. The future two-time Heisman Trophy winner ran for 165 yards on 30 carries with 99 of those yards coming in the first half. Freshman fullback Pete Johnson carried the rest of the running load and accounted for the Ohio State touchdown to go along with a 31-yard field goal from Blair Conway.

However, the second half belonged to Michigan. The Wolverines came out with more fire following the break and got a big defensive stop on a fourth down when the Buckeyes went for it on the Michigan 34-yard line instead of opting for a field goal that would have put them up 13. The Wolverines then engineered an 11-play drive that resulted in a Mike Lantry field goal to pull the Wolverines within seven.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Michigan defense got another big stop and started with great field position which would eventually lead to a 10-yard touchdown run from quarterback Dennis Franklin on 4th and inches. A Lantry extra point would tie the score at 10 but the Michigan kicker’s day was far from over.

The Wolverines got the ball back on their own 10-yard line with about six minutes to go and were able to control the ball and the clock and got themselves into field goal territory with a chance to win this classic battle but did lose Franklin to a broken collarbone with 2:23 to play. Lantry had a big leg and attempted a 58-yard field goal that only missed by a few inches. And yet, his day still had more to come.

Ohio State took possession following the miss but Ohio State quarterback Greg Hare threw an interception that Michigan returned to the Buckeye 33 with less than a minute to go. Michigan ran some clock and got Lantry into position for a 43-yard try to go to the Rose Bowl. And he missed. Of course he missed. And the game ended in a 10-10 tie.

The right to go to Pasadena now sat with the athletic directors of the Big 10. A vote would be taken to decide who would go to the Rose Bowl and everyone thought it was going to be Michigan. Ohio State had gone the year before and for a long time, up until 1971 actually, it was against the rules for a team to go two years in a row.

So everyone knew it was going to be Michigan. Even Woody Hayes had seemingly come to terms with it. But the following day, Ohio State was awarded the bid and undefeated Michigan was left with no bowl to play in at all. Schembechler would not take this decision well and was reportedly still angry with the choice up until his death in 2006. More than 50 years later, this remains one of the most controversial games and subsequent decisions in college football history.