The first 25 years of the 21st century have been full of iconic games for Ohio State football.
With one quarter of the century now complete entering the 2025 season, we’re taking a look back at Ohio State’s 25 best games of the last 25 years. Each day this week, we’re revealing five more games on our list as we count down the most iconic Buckeye wins of 2000-24 from No. 25 to No. 1.
While the list is entirely subjective and open for debate, factors we considered when assembling the rankings were how memorable each game was, how exciting each game was to watch, the stakes of each game in terms of opponent and championship implications and their lasting legacies. Only games that Ohio State won and that have been played since the start of the 21st century were considered for inclusion.
Before we begin Part 3, here’s a look at the first 10 games of our countdown revealed in Part 1 and Part 2:
25. Oct. 20, 2012: Ohio State 29, Purdue 22 (OT)
24. Nov. 14, 2009: Ohio State 27, Iowa 24 (OT)
23. Nov. 30, 2019: Ohio State 56, Michigan 27
22. Sept. 23, 2023: Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14
21. Nov. 20, 2004: Ohio State 37, Michigan 21
20. Jan. 1, 2010 (Rose Bowl): Ohio State 26, Oregon 17
19. Jan. 2, 2006 (Fiesta Bowl): Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20
18. Sept. 29, 2018: Ohio State 27, Penn State 26
17. Dec. 21, 2024 (College Football Playoff First Round): Ohio State 42, Tennessee 17
16. Nov. 30, 2013: Ohio State 42, Michigan 41
Part 3 of our countdown continues now with two national championship-clinching victories, two record-breaking offensive performances and a tide-turning win in The Game.
15. Jan. 20, 2015 (National Championship Game): Ohio State 42, Oregon 20
One could argue this game should be higher on the list since it was a national championship game win, but one could also argue it should be lower.
In terms of actual gameplay, the first-ever College Football Playoff final wasn’t the most spectacular game. Ohio State played far from its best football, turning the ball over four times, yet still ran away from Oregon for a 22-point victory. Ten years later, this game isn’t talked about as much as the wins over Alabama and Wisconsin that preceded it in Ohio State’s run to the title.
Those wins wouldn’t be remembered as fondly as they are today, however, if the Buckeyes hadn’t finished the job against the Ducks. This game clinched Ohio State its second of three national championships so far this century, and because of that, we couldn’t keep it out of the top 15.
Ezekiel Elliott was the star of the game, running for 246 yards and four touchdowns to cap off a legendary three-game postseason stretch. Cardale Jones, who began the year as Ohio State’s third-string quarterback before season-ending injuries to Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett, completed his made-for-Hollywood postseason run by throwing for 242 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 38 yards and a score against the Ducks.
The win completed a 14-1 season for the Buckeyes and secured the eighth national championship in program history.
14. Nov. 24, 2001: Ohio State 26, Michigan 20
The stage for this game was set 310 days earlier when Jim Tressel addressed the crowd during Ohio State’s men’s basketball game against Michigan. The newly hired Ohio State football coach promised the crowd that they would “be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community and, most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field."
When Tressel was hired to replace John Cooper, Ohio State had beaten Michigan just twice in the last 13 years. Tressel knew his most important job in Columbus was to turn the tide against the team up north, and the Buckeyes delivered on his promise in his first rivalry game at the helm.
Ohio State traveled to Michigan as an 8-point underdog, having gone just 6-4 in the regular season, but the Buckeyes played their best football of the year in the game that mattered most.
Jonathan Wells ran for three first-half touchdowns, including a 46-yard score, and the Buckeyes took a 23-0 lead into the locker room after a Michigan safety. The Buckeye offense, led by Craig Krenzel in his first career start, slowed down in the second half, but Ohio State held on for a six-point victory thanks to four interceptions by its defense, including two by All-American safety Mike Doss.
The win over Michigan set the stage for the national championship season that would follow it along with two decades of dominance in The Game, as Michigan would beat Ohio State just twice over the next 20 years.
13. Jan. 1, 2022 (Rose Bowl): Ohio State 48, Utah 45
Ohio State’s 2022 Rose Bowl win over Utah was one for the record books.
C.J. Stroud threw for 573 yards and six touchdowns, marking the only time Ohio State has ever thrown for more than 500 yards in a game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba obliterated the Ohio State and bowl game receiving records by catching 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns in a performance that indisputably stands as the greatest game ever for an Ohio State receiver.
Ohio State’s record-breaking passing day came even though Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson opted out of the game to preserve their health as first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft. In their stead, Smith-Njigba dominated while Marvin Harrison Jr. introduced himself to college football, catching six passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start.
Ohio State’s Top 25 Games of the Quarter-Century
The Buckeyes trailed for most of the game as they allowed Utah to score 35 first-half points, including a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown by Brittain Covey and a 62-yard touchdown run by Cam Rising. But Ohio State was never out of the game thanks to the exceptional play of C.J., JSN and Marv, and the Buckeyes finally took their first lead of the game with 4:22 to play when Smith-Njigba made a 30-yard over-the-shoulder catch on a perfectly placed throw by Stroud to the right side of the end zone.
Ohio State’s defense was unable to finish off the game, allowing Utah to score a game-tying touchdown, but Stroud, Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson combined to drive the Buckeyes back to the Utes’ 2-yard line in the game’s final two minutes, setting up a game-winning 19-yard field goal for Noah Ruggles.
The Rose Bowl lacked the stakes of the 12 games above it on this countdown, as it was viewed as a consolation prize for the Buckeyes after they missed the College Football Playoff. But the spectacular offensive showcase made it a game that will live on in Ohio State’s record books and the memories of Buckeye fans for a long, long time.
12. Jan. 20, 2025 (National Championship Game): Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23
Like Ohio State’s other playoff-era national championship win, the Buckeyes’ title-clinching victory was preceded by a jaw-dropping display of dominance and a thrilling CFP semifinal game that both rank higher on this list. But the most recent national championship win had something Ohio State’s previous CFP final win didn’t: A signature in-game moment.
The final score of this past season’s national championship game was closer than it should have been. After Notre Dame drove for a touchdown on its opening possession, Ohio State scored 31 unanswered points and looked like it would cruise to victory. But a pair of touchdown passes from Riley Leonard to Jaden Greathouse, both of which were followed by successful two-point conversions, pulled the Fighting Irish back into the game.
When Ohio State faced 3rd-and-11 at its own 34-yard line on its subsequent drive, the threat of Notre Dame coming all the way back suddenly felt real. But then Ohio State dialed up what had been its most successful play all year – throwing the ball to Jeremiah Smith – and the rest was history.
Will Howard connected with Ohio State’s superstar freshman receiver on a 56-yard deep ball, a play now known to Buckeye fans as “3rd-and-Jeremiah,” to bring Notre Dame’s comeback bid to a screeching halt. Jayden Fielding iced the game with a 33-yard field goal, and a raucous celebration ensued as the Buckeyes completed their four-game run to glory.
11. Nov. 24, 2018: Ohio State 62, Michigan 39
Michigan came to Columbus in 2018 expecting to complete its “Revenge Tour” by snapping its six-game losing streak against Ohio State. Instead, Ohio State dropped more points on Michigan than it ever had before.
Ohio State entered the 2018 rivalry game as a home underdog to the Wolverines, who came to the Shoe with a 10-1 record as the No. 4 team in the country. Entering The Game, Michigan had the No. 1 defense in the country and hadn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game all year.
But that didn’t stop the Buckeyes from shredding Don Brown’s defense for four quarters. Dwayne Haskins threw for 396 yards and six touchdowns – both records for an Ohio State quarterback in The Game – as Parris Campbell caught six passes for 192 yards and two scores. Michigan native Mike Weber ran for 96 yards and a score against his home-state school.
The breakout star of the game was freshman receiver Chris Olave, who caught two 24-yard touchdown passes in the first half and followed that up by blocking a punt that Sevyn Banks returned for a touchdown. That punt block gave Ohio State a 34-19 lead in the third quarter, and the Buckeyes turned the game into a rout from there, ending the day with 62 points – the most they’ve ever scored in The Game.
The victory sent the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship Game, where they won their second of four straight conference titles, and completed Urban Meyer’s 7-0 record in The Game. Just as satisfyingly, it ruined Michigan’s bid for a College Football Playoff berth; the Wolverines instead ended their season with a 41-15 loss to Florida in the Peach Bowl.
Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge contributed to this article.
