Ohio State's only loss this season still resonated throughout the week. Too much was at stake in terms of their national championship chances.
Although extremely unlikely to repeat itself, the 2007 season showed it's not impossible for the Buckeyes to climb back into the title picture. No other win over the Wolverines on this list was nearly as rewarding, so not much there for precedent's sake.
OSU typically heads into Michigan week with a bit of confidence, having recently won three-years straight and 11 times this century the Saturday prior.
2011: Loss to Penn State, Loss to Michigan
Arguably the worst team on this list lost the last four games of its season including the bowl game. They still almost beat the Sugar Bowl-bound Wolverines, losing by six in Ann Arbor.
2007: loss to Illinois, beat Michigan
A loss to Illinois didn't derail the season. All the 2007 squad needed was a win over Michigan and five other teams to lose order to reach the national championship. The odds of reaching the playoffs this year don't seem that long, comparatively.
Beanie Wells ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Michigan. It featured a second-half game plan that would only let Todd Boeckman throw two times.
2004: lost to Purdue, beat Michigan
The 2004 team was a year away from competing for anything of significance. In Justin Zwick's Troy Smith's first year as a starter, the Buckeyes lost the week before Michigan thanks to another ugly game at Purdue. They responded with Smith scrambling for 145 yards and a Ted Ginn punt return touchdown to beat the Wolverines.
2001: lost to Illinois, Beat Michigan
Steve Belisari served his punishment for a DUI arrest in the final two games of the 2001 season. Scott McMullen actually started the game against the Illini, a loss to the eventual Big Ten champions. Krenzel took over during the game and earned the start against Michigan a week later, which would turn out to be the first big win of the glorious Tressel era.
1999: lost to Illinois, lost to Michigan
The only team I consider to be on the 2011 squad's level lost its last three games of the season. Ohio State didn't make a bowl game in 1999 after losing to Michigan State, Illinois and Michigan to close out the year. They only lost by 7 in Ann Arbor, showing a bit more fight than they had the previous 11 games.
1987: Lost to Iowa, beat Michigan
Lame-duck Earle Bruce lost to Iowa and lost his job the week before Michigan. Ezekiel Elliott's comments and a lack of faith in the offensive play-callers don't even compare adversity-wise. Players donned "Earle" headbands in support of their head coach, and pulled out a 3-point victory.
1963: lost to Northwestern, Beat Michigan
A rare Northwestern win over the Buckeyes wasn't the notable reason why the 1963 season is on this list. The game against Michigan was eventually pushed back a week because of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Neither team knew about the postponement until the day of the game.
1950: loss at Illinois, loss vs Michigan
The most memorable Ohio State-Michigan game of its era featured 45 punts and 12 combined points. OSU worked their way back up to No. 1 in the country before losing to Illinois and the Wolverines in the bizarre "Snow Game."
