Even for fans of a powerhouse like Ohio State, going to overtime to decide the outcome of a football game can be a anxiety-riddled scenario.
Obviously, the simple fact the game reached overtime speaks to the competitiveness of the first four quarters and the fact each team gets at least one possession only adds to the angst.
Fortunately for the Buckeye faithful, Ohio State has an incredible 11-2 record in overtime games dating back to the installation of the extra session(s) back in 1996.
Ohio State's two losses – a 33-27 defeat at Northwestern in 2004 and a 26-23 decision at Purdue in 2011 – don't sting so bad when you remember those scarlet and gray squads went a combined 14-11.
The 11 victories, however, were all sweet.
Take a trip down memory lane as we recall the five most important overtime victories in Ohio State football history.
2002: NO. 2 OHIO STATE 23, ILLINOIS 16
Leading off, we have Ohio State's first overtime game in program history.
The Buckeyes entered Champaign with an 11-0 record but without the services of running back Maurice Clarett which was always problematic for team's shaky passing game.
With Clarett out, Craig Krenzel completed 10-of-21 passes for 176 yards with 147 of those going to wide receiver Michael Jenkins. The key toss was a 50-yard touchdown to Jenkins giving Ohio State a 13-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
Illinois' John Gockman would send the game to overtime tied at 16 with a 48-yard field goal as regulation time expired.
In overtime, Maurice Hall scored on the opening possession, capping a 69-yard rushing day. Ohio State's defense stood tall from there as Illini quarterback Jon Beutjer nearly tossed touchdown passes on second and third down before his fourth down try was batted down at the line.
The win preserved Ohio State's unbeaten streak, moving the Buckeyes to 12-0 for the first time in school history.
A win over Michigan a week later vaulted Jim Tressel's squad into the BCS national title game and you know what happened from there..
2002: NO. 2 OHIO STATE 31, NO. 1 MIAMI 24 (2OT)
Entering the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, aka the 2002 BCS national championship game, most experts weren't give Ohio State a chance.
The Buckeyes were an 11.5-point underdog to a Miami program sporting a 34-game winning streak but what was supposed to be a coronation for the Hurricanes turned into an improbable national title – Ohio State's first since 1968.
Playing with nothing to lose, the Buckeyes built a 17-7 lead in the third quarter before Miami scored the final 10 points in regulation capped by a Todd Sievers 40-yard field goal to force overtime.
Miami scored a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime and things looked bleak for the Ohio State when Krenzel and company faced a 4th-and-14 but the clutch quarterback would find Michael Jenkins on an out route to keep the game alive before facing another fourth down – this time 4th-and-3 at the Miami 5.
Looking for Chris Gamble in the front right corner of the end zone, Krenzel's pass ricocheted out of bounds and it looked like the game was over before official Terry Porter's pass interference flag finally left his pocket and appropriately extended the game. Three plays later, Krenzel ran up the gut for six, tying the game at 24 apiece.
With Ohio State starting off the second overtime, Maurice Clarett found the end zone on the fifth play of the drive giving the Buckeyes a 31-24 edge, putting all the pressure squarely on Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey.
Matt Wilhelm would plaster Dorsey early on the ensuing possession, injuring his throwing shoulder. Wilhelm's blow caused Dorsey to throw wide on a potential game-tying play before the Hurricanes eventually faced a 4th-and-1 at the 1-yard line.
A Cie Grant blitz pressured Dorsey once more and his desperation heave fell harmlessly to the ground setting off a wild celebration as the Buckeyes captured the national title, much to the dismay of ABC color commentator Dan Fouts.
2009: NO. 11 OHIO STATE 27, NO. 10 IOWA 24
The first half of the 2009 season didn't go exactly as planned as Ohio State lost to No. 3 USC at home in September before falling to an unranked Purdue squad, 26-18, in Ross-Ade Stadium in mid-October.
Despite those setbacks, Ohio State (No. 11, 8-2) still entered its mid-November clash against No. 10 Iowa (9-1) with a Rose Bowl bid on the line.
A 17-point favorite, the Buckeyes struggled to generate offense, particularly in the downfield passing game, as Terrelle Pryor completed 14-of-17 throws for just 93 yards.
Luckily for Ohio State, the Hawkeyes were forced to give James Vandenberg his first collegiate start with Ricky Stanzi on the shelf.
Vandenberg turned in a gritty performance, tossing two touchdowns but the last of his three interceptions occurred in the first overtime, at the hands of Ohio State defensive back Anderson Russell.
With Ohio State needing just a field goal to win, that was Jim Tressel's music.
The senator ordered three straight runs up the gut, gaining two yards, before summoning 26-year old Devin Barclay to attempt a 39-yard field goal on senior day.
Barclay calmly drilled the kick, giving the Buckeyes a 27-24 win and setting off a wild celebration in the Shoe.
Ohio State would go on to beat Michigan the following week (21-10) before downing No. 7 Oregon in the Granddaddy of them All, 26-17.
Tressel's squad finished the season with an 11-2 mark, a Big Ten title and a No. 5 national ranking.
2014: NO. 13 OHIO STATE 31, PENN STATE 24 (2OT)
Heading to Happy Valley with a 5-1 mark, having lost to Virginia Tech in week two, No. 13 Ohio State needed to run the table if it wanted to get back into the 2014 national title picture.
Urban Meyer's squad built a 17-0 halftime lead in whiteout conditions but the Nittany Lions turned the tables in the second half, scoring 17 unanswered of their own via a pick six of J.T. Barrett, a Christian Hackenberg touchdown pass and a Sam Ficken field goal with nine seconds left in regulation.
After Penn State scored first in the extra session, Barrett answered with a 5-yard touchdown, tying the game at 24 to force a second overtime.
Ohio State was afforded a short field after a Penn State personal foul and capitalized as Barrett took a third down carry four yards for a 31-24 lead.
The Silver Bullets took over from there, culminating with a Joey Bosa walk-off sack of Hackenberg on fourth down.
The victory was Ohio State fifth-straight in what became a 13-game winning streak en route to the most incredible national title run in school history.
2016: NO.2 OHIO STATE 30, NO. 3 MICHIGAN 27 (2OT)
The 113th edition of The Game became the first to be decided in overtime as Ohio State made it 12 wins in the last 13 tries against Michigan.
Both teams entered the contest with 10-1 marks and Michigan had a confidence they hadn't felt in years, as Jabrill Peppers showed when he stood at midfield in pregame scraping his cleats disrespectfully on the "O."
That swag would continue well into the third quarter as Michigan built a 17-7 lead.
A Mike Weber touchdown cut the deficit to 17-14 late in the third before Tyler Durbin's short field goal tied the game at 17 with one second left in regulation.
Ohio State's anemic offense responded in overtime as J.T. Barrett used back-to-back runs of seven and 18 yards to put Ohio State in front 24-17.
Michigan responded with a touchdown of its own when Wilton Speight threw into a tight widow and Amara Darboh made an impressive grab right near the turf to tie things up at 24.
The Wolverines could only muster a 37-yard Kenny Allen field goal on the first possession of the second overtime giving Ohio State the opening it needed.
After Barrett moved the chains on a fourth down run featuring a perfect spot by the officials, Curtis Samuel raced around left end for a 15-yard game-winner in the closed end of the Shoe.
It wasn't always pretty as Barrett completed 15-of-32 throws, the Buckeye went 3-of-16 on third down conversions and Meyer dialed up a shaky fake punt but those shortcomings only made the agony of defeat onJim Harbaugh's face that much sweeter.
