You know the story. You know it far, far too well.
Ohio State won 24 straight games and was on the cusp of rising back to the top of college football in Urban Meyer's second season. Then, the Buckeyes fell back down to Earth and lost the Big Ten Championship Game to Michigan State and the Orange Bowl to Clemson in a span of 28 days.
The Buckeyes had everything, but then had nothing after the losses to the Spartans and Tigers ended the 2013 season.
Then came 2014, a bad loss to Virginia Tech and the improbable run at immortality in the form of the first ever College Football Playoff national title. Meyer and Ohio State are back at the peak of college football yet again, with plenty of wins (38, to be exact) and a few losses (just three) sprinkled in between.
There are many to choose from, but what 10 are the most important games for the program in the Meyer era? Let's take a look.
1. 2014 College Football Playoff Semifinal, Sugar Bowl Game — Ohio State v. Alabama
DATE: Jan. 1, 2015
LOCATION: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 42, Alabama 35
THE SKINNY: You're probably thinking, "Why doesn't this dolt have the national title game in the top slot?" Well, if you've watched any sort of college football in the past decade or so, you'll understand why Ohio State's takedown of No. 1 Alabama is worthy of this honor.
The Buckeyes defiantly proved their worth in the Big Ten Championship game nearly a month before with a drubbing of Wisconsin (we'll get to that in a minute) to make the inaugural playoff, but a pair of Big 12 schools — TCU and Baylor — were salty they got left out. It was Nick Saban v. Urban Meyer. It was SEC v. Big Ten. It was the South v. the Midwest. The game had everything. It was a smash mouth affair complete with turnovers and trick plays, and the Buckeyes came out on top to unseat the Crimson Tide — and by extension the SEC — from the sport's zenith.
2. 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship Game — Ohio State v. Oregon
DATE: Jan. 12, 2015
LOCATION: AT&T Stadium, Dallas
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 42, Oregon 20
THE SKINNY: Ohio State's eighth national title came on a Monday night in North Texas, a game in which the Buckeyes had to go through the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Duck signal caller orchestrated a 59-20 beatdown of Jameis Winston and Florida State in the Rose Bowl the same day the Buckeyes topped Alabama, so he and his teammates were riding high with confidence before their tilt with Ohio State.
By game's end, though, it was apparent that Ohio State was stronger, more disciplined and simply better than the Ducks in all phases. Mariota couldn't do it by himself no matter how much he tried, and Oregon's defense was helpless against the power ground game of Ezekiel Elliott and aerial assault of Cardale Jones. The game was the final cherry on top of a dream season for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes went down in the history books as winners of the first ever College Football Playoff.
3. Ohio State at Michigan State
DATE: Nov. 8, 2014
LOCATION: East Lansing, Mich.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37
THE SKINNY: Ohio State — and everyone else on the planet who follows Big Ten football — had this one circled on their calendar ever since Michigan State dealt the Buckeyes their first loss ever under Meyer the year before in the Big Ten Championship.
The game was a de facto Big Ten East Division title game, with the early portions of the season proving the Spartans and Buckeyes were head and shoulders above their competition on that side of the league. Ohio State's J.T. Barrett put together one of the finest quarterback displays in the program's recent memory — nearly 400 total yards and five touchdowns — while Elliott scampered for 154 on the ground and two more scores. The Buckeyes shredded the vaunted Michigan State defense for 568 yards and still won by two scores despite losing the turnover battle. The win put the rest of the conference on notice.
4. 2014 Big Ten Championship Game — Ohio State v. Wisconsin
DATE: Dec. 6, 2014
LOCATION: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
THE SKINNY: This thrashing of the Badgers — and Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon — could easily be No. 3 on this list, but the Buckeyes wouldn't have been in position to play for the conference championship had they not beaten the Spartans a month before.
Ohio State's sheer dominance in all phases of this game thrust the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff, with everything going as planned for Meyer and company from start to finish. Jones was magnificent in winning MVP honors, using his powerful right arm to add another dimension to Ohio State's already prolific offense. Everything was on full display that night in Indy, and the Buckeyes celebrated their first conference championship under Meyer.
5. Ohio State v. Michigan
DATE: Nov. 24, 2012
LOCATION: Columbus, Ohio
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 26, Michigan 21
THE SKINNY: With nothing left to play for following this game due to a bowl ban, Ohio State put everything it had into Meyer's first showdown with the school's archrival and came out on top. It put the cap on an unblemished first year for Meyer and Ohio State, going 12-0 with Jim Tressel and Luke Fickell's recruits. Not a bad way to start your head coaching tenure.
Ohio State won this game without its vocal leader, John Simon, who missed his final collegiate game because of a knee injury. Zach Boren continued to play linebacker after switching over from fullback midseason to assist Ohio State's depleted depth at the position. Three consecutive Drew Basil field goals and a victory in the turnover battle proved to be the difference in the game, alerting the Big Ten that Ohio State should be taken seriously once again with Meyer in the driver's seat.
6. Ohio State at Michigan
DATE: Nov. 30, 2013
LOCATION: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 42, Michigan 41
THE SKINNY: The Buckeyes rode a potent offensive unit throughout the entirety of its 2013 campaign, with Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde and more putting up video game-like numbers all season. That didn't stop on a chilly day against the Wolverines, who combined to tally more than 1,100 total yards with the Buckeyes.
Devin Gardner was outstanding against a porous Ohio State secondary, ripping the seams to tally 451 yards and four touchdowns with a 71.1 completion percentage. His lone mistake, though, came at the most critical point of the game, when he threw an interception into the arms of Tyvis Powell on a two-point conversion attempt that would have given Michigan the lead with 32 seconds left. The win kept Ohio State in the national title hunt and gave Meyer his second win in the rivalry.
7. 2013 Big Ten Championship Game — Michigan State v. Ohio State
DATE: Dec. 7, 2013
LOCATION: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
FINAL SCORE: Michigan State 34, Ohio State 24
THE SKINNY: Ohio State galloped into its first appearance in the Big Ten Championship winners of 24 straight and fresh off a victory against its most hated rival, only to get viciously knocked down by the stout defense of the Spartans. The loss proved the Buckeyes still had a ways to go to become a true contender.
Michigan State led 17-0 before allowing 24 unanswered, but scored the final 17 points and shut down Braxton Miller through the air to win the game. Miller finished a forgetful 8-for-21 passing in the contest, while title game MVP Connor Cook threw for 304 yards and three scores. The loss hurt Ohio State, as did the one against Clemson less than a month later, but showed the coaching staff and players what they needed to do to get where they wanted to go.
8. Ohio State v. Virginia Tech
DATE: Sept. 6, 2014
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
FINAL SCORE: Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21
THE SKINNY: The Buckeyes slid by Navy one week earlier under the direction of a new quarterback, J.T. Barrett, but the Hokies sprung a masterful 46 Bear Cover 0 defense that befuddled Ohio State's offense all night and led to the upset. It might have been a perfect storm for Virginia Tech, having played a weaker opponent in William & Mary the same day the Buckeyes dealt with the triple-option attack of Navy, but nevertheless, the loss served as one of the many terms of motivation for Ohio State the rest of the year.
Ohio State played from behind all night, but tied it at 21 early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run by Elliott. A touchdown pass by Michael Brewer on the ensuing possession put the Hokies out front for good, though, as Barrett was sacked over and over again in the final quarter. He threw a pick-six with less than a minute left to seal it. Ohio State visits Blacksburg, Va., Labor Day night this season, surely out for revenge on national television.
9. Ohio State at Penn State
DATE: Oct. 25, 2014
LOCATION: Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 31, Penn State 24 (2OT)
THE SKINNY: Ohio State blew a 17-point lead in Happy Valley to suddenly be caught in a dogfight against a Penn State team that had just lost two straight games. Barrett fought through a sprained MCL and a rough first half to score a pair of rushing touchdowns in the overtime periods to spring the Buckeyes to the win.
Ohio State players and coaches spoke about how they felt this game was the first time they truly played like a team in 2014. There were many highlights in this one, but Joey Bosa's walk-off sack trumps them all. A hard-fought, hard-earned victory under the lights on the road helped Ohio State grow up for its run in the post-season.
10. Ohio State at Wisconsin
DATE: Nov. 17, 2012
LOCATION: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.
FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 14 (OT)
THE SKINNY: The win over Bret Bielema and the Badgers earned Ohio State the Big Ten Leaders Division title outright and kept its dreams for a perfect season alive. Another victory under the lights in a hostile environment, the Buckeyes got a two-yard scoring plunge from Carlos Hyde and a fourth down denial from Christian Bryant in overtime to secure their 11th victory of the season.
John Simon (four sacks), Ryan Shazier and Zach Boren (12 tackles apiece) did what they could to stop the electric Montee Ball (191 yards on 39 carries) and the Badger offense, but made the necessary plays when they needed to. Philly Brown took a punt back 68 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and Ball fumbled twice, including a fourth and goal punch out by Shazier in the middle of the fourth quarter to keep Ohio State ahead. In the end, Ohio State's defense stood tall after Miller and Hyde did just enough on the ground to get the win.
