This one started with an awkward noon blackout.
The previous one - the reigning king of B1G win streaks - began with Urban Meyer's first-ever trip to East Lansing for his first conference game. The previous streak began on arguably the greatest College Football Saturday of all time back in 2005.
That also featured Sparty. Our current win streak started vs. Nebraska. And it was awkward.
The Buckeyes had just allowed the Boilermakers to run them over in West Lafayette again. Then came the bye week, which is always the worst kind of flavor saver after a bad loss. Ohio State had not yet hosted any night games and had looked shaky for awhile. Not only was a title in jeopardy, but so was a 2018 prime time Horseshoe affair.
Ohio State's current B1G win streak began like this.
Two days after the latest edition of Purdageddon, Ohio State's bounce-back - already confirmed to be a blackout affair featuring alternate uniforms youngsters love and Boomers love to hate - was deemed a noon banger.
The Shoe would not host a night game in 2018. Who could have known that one bad loss would come with so many Ls.
When the Cornhuskers finally arrived in Columbus - on the one-year anniversary weekend of Ohio State's 55-24 disaster in Iowa City, hooray - the Buckeyes had been savoring Purdue for two weeks. And they re-emerged from purgatory with a blackout-themed noon contest.
The home team (-22.5) took the field in their black cash grab kits and barely escaped the eventual 4-8 Huskers, 36-31. The defense was ass cheeks, man. Urban looked like he was dying on the sideline again, as he had been every Saturday with his arachnoid cyst flair-ups.
By the time Michigan fans were unloading their premature Indy hotel room reservations, the Buckeyes were riding a four-game conference win streak.
We were two weeks removed from the Purdue disaster, one week away from the offense only managing one touchdown in East Lansing and two more weeks from seeing Maryland (M a r y l a n d) put 51 points on the Buckeyes.
But we were also three weeks away from the thrilling season finale of The Revenge Tour™.
By the time Michigan fans were unloading their premature Indy hotel room reservations to the East Division champs, the Buckeyes were riding a four-game conference win streak. This seemed impossible after West Lafayette, during that weird noon blackout and following the near-Terpacalypse.
Friends, what if I told you that streak is not only still alive, but well?
| TEAM | WINS | YEARS | SPOILER |
|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 30 | 2012-15 | MICHIGAN STATE |
| OHIO STATE | 20 | 2005-07 | ILLINOIS |
| OHIO STATE | 18 | 2018- | CURRENT |
| OHIO STATE | 17 | 1974-76 | MICHIGAN |
| OHIO STATE | 17 | 1967-69 | MICHIGAN |
| OHIO STATE | 17 | 1954-56 | IOWA |
Ohio State has won 18 straight B1G games, dating back to Purdue Harbor 2018.
This win streak predates the election, the midterm election, every bit of horrifying nonsense that took place starting last year - and it will resume on Thursday, Sept 2 in Minneapolis.
If your own audit is producing 21 straight B1G wins it's because title games aren't technically conference games. Those Indy bangers with the Badgers twice and the empty nester with Northwestern aren't included.
The Buckeyes' only Indy loss en route to the all-time current FBS conferences mark didn't count either.
| Conference | Team | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIG TEN | OHIO STATE | 30 | 2012-2015 |
| ACC | FLORIDA STATE | 29 | 1992-95 |
| ACC | FLORIDA STATE | 27 | 2012-15 |
| SEC | ALABAMA | 27 | 1976-80 |
| BIG EAST | MIAMI | 27 | 1999-2003 |
| SEC | FLORIDA | 24 | 1994-97 |
| ACC | FLORIDA STATE | 24 | 1998-2001 |
| MWC | TCU (now Big XII) | 24 | 2008-11 |
| MAC | NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 24 | 2011-14 |
| SEC | GEORGIA | 23 | 1980-83 |
| PAC-12 | CALIFORNIA | 22 | 1947-50 |
| BIG XII | KANSAS STATE | 21 | 1997-99 |
If you enjoy playing the regret game, the only obstacles between the Buckeyes and a 46-game win streak are a) deploying an unpuckered game plan against Sparty in 2015, and b) giving Curtis Samuel more than two carries in State College or just making a chippy field goal in 2016.
That would have taken us straight to Woodshed, IA. Back here on Earth I, when Ohio State went to East Lansing and made history with Larry Johnson last season it vaulted out of a four-way tie with...itself and claimed the new third-longest B1G win streak ever.
The clincher in OSU's most recent conference win.
Winning roadies at Minnesota and Rutgers would force a tie with the 2007 Buckeyes, who ran into Juice Williams. Beating Maryland (M a r y l a n d) would then clinch second place all-time.
That said, streaks are built one win at a time. Sometimes they're awkward noon blackouts coming out of an historic beatdown; other times your favorite team grinding its arrogant arch rival into a fine, humiliating paste with crossing routes.
You just never know where Purdue is lurking (yes, week 10 at the Shoe; we were referring to metaphorical Purdue). It's hard as hell to put together multi-season streaks like Ohio State has done on so many occasions now, so this is worth celebrating - even if you were well-aware the Buckeyes hadn't lost a conference game since Urban's headaches were the headline.
Oklahoma won 45 consecutive Big Seven games from 1952-1959 if you're curious as to what the all-time mark including defunct conferences is. A 31st OSU B1G win wouldn't happen until 2022 (Iowa, week 7). The Wolverines were practically unbeatable in the Western Conference for several magical seasons 13 decades ago.
Yesteryear: It feels just like yesterday, if you want or need it to. Anyway, a 45th consecutive OSU B1G win, if the current streak holds, would have to be earned at Michigan in 2023.
That's 27 wins away. Everyone, please try to relax. Go Bucks, beat the Gophers.
