Ohio State vs. Alabama: 1994's Citrus Bowl (1/2/1995)

In case you haven't noticed, we are set to play Alabama this New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl as part of round one of the first College Football Playoff. Ohio State and Alabama have faced off three times before, with the Crimson Tide victorious each time.

The last time Ohio State met Alabama was at the end of the 1994 season, in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. Alabama fielded a great team in 1994, led by quarterback Jay Barker, and the Crimson Tide were real contenders for the national title. They went undefeated in the regular season and were ranked No. 3 going into the SEC Championship Game, which they lost to Florida. No. 5 Florida went on to the Sugar Bowl and played a rematch against No. 7 Florida State. Alabama had to settle for the Citrus Bowl and play Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were also great in 1994; under John Cooper's guidance the talent on that team was amazing. Eddie George was a junior and was already making his name as college football's eventual best player. Joey Galloway was a senior and was finishing up his 1,894-yard career as a Buckeye. Orlando Pace and Mike Vrabel were sophomores, and Corey Stringer was a first team All-American as a junior.

1994 started out fine, Ohio State was ranked No. 20 in the preseason, but in week three they went on the road to No. 25 Washington and lost. Despite that, the Buckeyes started out 3-1 and were back where they started at No. 20 when conference play began. They barely beat Northwestern and lost to Illinois in Columbus, which practically ruined all hopes of rising to the top of the rankings. However, the Buckeyes rebounded with wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Then, in week ten, they suffered an embarrassing 63-14 loss to No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions went on to win the Big Ten and compete for the national title. Ohio State finished the regular season with convincing wins over Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan (yes, this was one of the two years that John Cooper's Buckeyes actually beat Michigan. It's totally worth watching that Michigan game -- the crowd at Ohio Stadium is so happy to see the first win over UM since 1987.).

Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying is chased out of the pocket in the 1995 Citrus Bowl

To the Citrus Bowl: Alabama's head coach Gene Stallings ran a really tough defense, as did John Cooper, so there was not a lot of scoring in this game. In the first quarter, the Buckeyes missed a field goal and then blocked an Alabama field goal. The Crimson Tide scored a touchdown on the ground in the second quarter, but Joey Galloway promptly made a 69-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at 7. After blocking a punt and hitting Galloway in the end zone for another touchdown, the Buckeyes took a 14-7 lead. However, Alabama's Sherman Williams scored on the ground before half time, sending the teams into the locker room tied 14-14.

The third quarter was scoreless, but full of excitement with turnovers going back and forth. At the end of the third, Alabama was knocking on the door of the end zone, but had to settle for a field goal try at the beginning of the fourth, which was missed. The score remained 14-14. With ten minutes left in the game, Ohio State managed a field goal, putting them ahead 17-14. A few minutes later, Alabama tied it up with a field goal of their own. Ohio State punted the ball away with 1:31 left in the game, with Cooper thinking he could rely on his defense to get a stop. Well, Sherman Williams, who had been running all over the field all day, caught a short pass at midfield and outran the Buckeye defense for a touchdown. Alabama 24, Ohio State 17 was the final score.

Watch highlights from the game here:

This game didn't exactly spoil the season, since we weren't about to win the conference or the national title, but it was still painful. The end of the season had been going so well, and to have this bowl win over Alabama within reach and let it slip away was just terrible. With an 0-3 all time record against the Crimson Tide, an Ohio State win over Alabama is overdue.

Ohio State vs. Alabama: 1977's Sugar Bowl (1/1/1978)

As you surely know, we are set to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl, which is round one of the inaugural College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes have never beaten Alabama, although we have met on the field three times in the past.

The first time Ohio State took on Alabama was at the end of the 1977 season, also in the Sugar Bowl, pitting two of college football's legendary coaches against each other: Woody Hayes and Bear Bryant. At Ohio State, Woody Hayes had won five national championships and thirteen conference titles; at Alabama, Bear Bryant had won four national championships and eleven conference titles.

The Buckeyes were ranked No. 5 to start the season in 1977, so the national title was certainly within reach. The trouble with this season, though, came with a one-point, last-second loss to No. 3 Oklahoma early on and a loss to Michigan in the final game of the year. No. 4 Michigan won the Big Ten and went to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to the No. 13 Washington Huskies. Ohio State (ranked No. 8) went on to the Sugar Bowl to face No. 3 Alabama.

The game was dominated by the Crimson Tide, although the first quarter was scoreless. Alabama opened the game driving 61 yards to the Ohio State three yard line, but was stopped on fourth and goal. Ohio State did not come close to scoring in the first quarter. Alabama's first second quarter drive ended in a touchdown, putting them up 7-0. Ohio State was forced to punt on their next possession and Alabama put together another touchdown drive to go up 13-0 (they missed the PAT).

The Buckeyes found some rhythm and started driving the ball, with the help of running back Ron Springs, who turned the corner and went 42 yards to get the ball to the Alabama 12 yard line. Soon faced with a fourth and seven on the five yard line, Woody decided to go for it, calling a short pass to Jim Harrell, who was brought down at the three, a yard short of the first down. Half time came and the score remained in Alabama's favor: 13-0.

Alabama put the game out of reach late in the third quarter, scoring on a 67-yard drive and converting for two to go up 21-0. It seems that Bear Bryant outsmarted Woody Hayes by setting up the offense in a wishbone (and other sets that look like run plays) and passing the ball while the linebackers are looking for the run. Also the Crimson Tide defense blew up a lot of Ohio State plays in the third quarter.

Ohio State wide receiver Jim Harrell is brought down by Alabama defenders in the 1977 Sugar Bowl.

Finally, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes scored a touchdown (on a beautiful catch from Jim Harrell). We went for two and could not convert, so the score became 21-6. The Crimson Tide scored two more touchdowns before the end of the game, making the final score 35-6. This, along with the loss to Michigan, was a disappointing end to a season that started out with a lot of potential.

Watch a video of the Alabama-Ohio State Sugar Bowl here:

After all of the bowls were settled at the end of the 1977 season, No. 1 Texas had lost to No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 2 Oklahoma had lost to No. 6 Arkansas and No. 4 Michigan had lost to No. 13 Washington. This left the pollsters with a mess to deal with. The AP and UPI both ranked Notre Dame No. 1 and Alabama No. 2. Back then, there was a Notre Dame bias, whereas today the SEC bias would have probably put Alabama ahead of Notre Dame and given them the 1977 national title.

By the way, this week Eleven Warriors has a great look at all of our Sugar Bowls.

The Internet's Best Michigan Week Hype Videos

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Spend time with your loved ones today, but don't forget to get pumped up for The Game this Saturday. To help, watch these videos:

Ohio State vs. That Team Up North:

2014 preview video from Ohio State football

The best part of this one is Woody Hayes in the locker room saying, "If you take it to them, and you keep taking it to them, hell, there's no question who will win."

The Journey: Big Ten Football 2013 - Ohio State vs. Michigan Director's Cut:

OSU-UM highlights from the Big Ten Network

This one has some great footage that does a good job of capturing what that game felt like. In case you forgot, Brady Hoke had the brilliant idea to go for two at the end of the game and OSU safety Tyvis Powell intercepted the ball, handing the Wolverines a 42-41 loss.

Ohio State vs. Michigan: The Best Rivalry in Sports:

Made in 2011, this one has some great cuts of old games, leading up to the present era.

The Greatest Ohio State Coaches Early in the Michigan Rivalry

The Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry includes 110 installments, so there are many coaches to choose from. We all know about Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel,  but for this list, I will focus on the first half of Ohio State football history: 1890 - 1950. During many of these early years, Ohio State was a small, upstart program going up against a well-established Michigan program that was widely considered to be one of the best in the country.

Head coach Francis Schmidt in 1934

1. Francis Schmidt (4-3 vs. UM). When Schmidt took over in 1934, OSU already had a fairly successful football team, but they struggled against Michigan every year. Schmidt came from Texas Christian and brought his "razzle-dazzle" offense with him. His Buckeyes immediately made their mark with four straight wins against the Wolverines, who were a serious college football powerhouse at the time.

Francis Schmidt coached OSU from 1934-1940 and was the guy whose comment about UM players putting their pants on one leg at a time started the gold pants tradition at Ohio State. Schmidt's career with the Buckeyes is also decorated by the 1935 and 1939 Big Ten Championships.

Paul Brown leading a pep talk in the locker room in 1942

2. Paul Brown (1-1-1 vs. UM). Although his biggest impact was his career in the NFL coaching the Browns and Bengals, Paul Brown had an important short tenure at Ohio State (1941-1943). In 1941, Brown led the Buckeyes to a tie against Michigan and a No. 13 AP ranking at the end of the season. In 1942, Brown's Buckeyes beat the Wolverines, won the Big Ten and were awarded Ohio State's first National Championship.

Paul Brown is the guy the Bengals' stadium is named after, as well as the Massillon High School Tigers' stadium, where Brown coached before coming to Columbus. Also, the Cleveland Browns are named after him.

John Wilce, the man that brought
national recognition to the Buckeyes

3. John Wilce (4-7 vs. UM). Wilce was the longstanding head coach of the Buckeyes (1913 - 1928) during their formative years. He coached greats like Chic Harley, Pete Stinchcomb and Wes Fesler. He got Ohio State three Big Ten Championships and two undefeated seasons. When he took over from John Richards, the Michigan game was not even an established event yet. UM was a powerhouse at the time and they "won" the "National Championship" in 1918, even though World War I had shortened their season to five games. Under Wilce's guidance, the Buckeyes got their first win ever over UM in 1919, which began a three-game win streak against the Wolverines. Although the 1919 & 1920 Wolverines were rebuilding their former glory, Wilce's Buckeyes handed Michigan their only loss of 1921, spoiling their comeback. Toppling the Michigan giant was now possible, and the rivalry was cemented. Without John Wilce's Buckeyes standing up to Fielding Yost's Wolverines, there would never have been much relevance to The Game.

In addition to beating UM for the first time, Wilce's tenure also saw the Buckeyes' first Rose Bowl and the construction of Ohio Stadium. "Fight the Team" was written in 1915 and was dedicated to John Wilce.

Michigan Week Tweetcap

This is pretty much the best week of any year, and it is made even better by the fact that Ohio State has a real chance to make the College Football Playoff and Michigan is likely to be ineligible for a bowl of any kind. Goings-on this week include the Mirror Lake jump and covering all of the Ms on campus signs. Here are some of the highlights from the OSU Twitterverse so far:

Meyer on getting ready to play TTUN: "The most motivated, prepared team will win this game. I know this rivalry."
— Jeff Rapp (@RappUp) November 22, 2014

BREAKING: Ohio State remains at No.6 in the College Football Playoff #CFB pic.twitter.com/9sdOEhQKFa
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStFootball) November 26, 2014

Great TD catch on Saturday by @JalinMarshall https://t.co/HJ0z8nydO2
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) November 24, 2014

Don't sleep on TTUN... The Wolverines are wounded and very dangerous!!! This is the GREATEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! #Buckeyes
— DOM TIBERI (@DOMTIBERI) November 23, 2014

#BuckeyeNation, question and answer of the day: Why doesn't TTUN have a website? #GoBucks! #BeatBlue! pic.twitter.com/XpEbDkK2jJ
— Buckeye Fans Only (@buckeyefansonly) November 25, 2014

A great tradition having TBDBITL join our team after practice to start off Rivalry Week pic.twitter.com/JaYqeT2Z4Q
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) November 24, 2014

_ichigan _onday! Ga_e Week ... WORK WEEK! #GoBucks Beat Blue! @EddieGeorge2727 http://t.co/r3iPehggjB pic.twitter.com/1aK0I94b1r
— Brutus Buckeye (@Brutus_Buckeye) November 24, 2014

ICYMI: Troy Smith joined last night's @BTNLive, to talk @OhioStAthletics, Heisman favorites & more. http://t.co/VwL1ewCUD7
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 25, 2014

The Four Greatest Wins Over Michigan

Since we are four days from the annual game against that team up north, here is a look at Ohio State's four all time best wins over Michigan. Of course, any win over Michigan is a good one, and there are many, many to choose from, but these here are my favorites. Not listed: the 50-14 victory in 1968, the missed Wolverine FG victory of 1974 and the beautiful 21-14 victory of 1975. Upsetting them in 1952 was pretty cool, too.

1. November 21st, 1970. After the Wolverines snapped our 22-game win streak and kept us out of national championship consideration in 1969, we came back with a vengeance. Going into this game, OSU was ranked 4th and UM was 5th. Woody Hayes' super sophomores of 1968 were now seniors, and they had Michigan in the cross hairs. The Wolverines fumbled the opening kickoff, and from then on Ohio State dominated. The final score was 20-9. The Buckeyes went on to lose the Rose Bowl, but still win a national title. Thirteen Buckeyes from that squad were drafted in the spring.

Here is a video of the highlights of the 1970 game. Quarterback Rex Kern ran a lot of option plays in this game. Ohio State's current offensive style is somewhat reminiscent of these days.

Here are the highlights of that crisp autumn day, when the air was thick with sweet revenge:

2. November 18th, 2006. Called the Game of the Century, this was No. 1 OSU vs. No. 2 UM, in a battle that would decide who would play for the national championship. This was Michigan's latest effort to become a relevant college football team again. Chad Henne and Mike Hart did a good job, but Troy Smith, "Beanie" Wells, Antonio Pittman , Ted Ginn and Brian Robiskie were too much for the Wolverine defense to handle. OSU (in case you had forgotten) went on to lose the BCS National Championship Game to Urban Meyer's Florida Gators and Michigan went on to lose the Rose Bowl to USC. Since 2006, Michigan has never regained their status as a serious college football champion material. Instead, teams now take joy in beating the once-great Wolverines.

Relive the glory here:

Fullback Gene Fekete (bottom) carries the ball down field for the Buckeyes

3. November 21st, 1942. En route to our first national title, the Buckeyes were led by Gene Fekete, Paul Sarringhaus and eventual Heisman winner Les Horvath. The single loss that year was to Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes overcame it and were named National Champions in Paul Brown's second year as head coach. This season took place during the U.S. involvement in World War II, so the school was disrupted by the enlistment and drafting of potential football players. Nevertheless, Ohio State proved the best team in the country, beating No. 4 Michigan 21-7. Michigan ended up with a 7-3 record and a No. 9 ranking.

Les Horvath (right) passes to Paul Sarringhaus (left) for an Ohio State touchdown

4. November 21st, 1998. While this season was spoiled by the Michigan State loss, John Cooper and the Buckeyes salvaged their honor with a victory over Michigan. Three consecutive losses to the Wolverines had left Ohio State hungry for a win. The Joe Germaine-David Boston combination was way too much for Michigan to handle. We finished the season by beating Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl and settling for a No. 2 ranking.

Enjoy the 1998 highlights:

Six Reasons to Hate Michigan

It's six days until the Michigan game, so here are six great reasons to hate the Wolverines. Six reasons aside from their ugly helmets, neanderthalesque fight song, and the fact that you can buy a UM baseball cap in every corner drug store around the world.

1. They are winning the series. Since the first match up in 1897, Michigan has won 58 times and Ohio State has won 45 times. Six have been ties. Many of those losses to Michigan were early in football history, at a time when UM was the dominant Midwestern power and OSU was a fledgling program. Michigan also pulled away during the 1990s, when John Cooper could only get two wins against the Wolverines in his thirteen seasons as head coach. The Buckeyes have dominated the contest in the Tressel and Meyer Eras, but we still have some catching up to do.

Cleveland native and Michigan Wolverine Desmond Howard

2. They recruit their best players from Ohio. Desmond Howard is probably the most well-known example of this, but it has long been Michigan's policy to come down to Ohio and try to steal the best high school football players from us.

3. November 22nd, 1969. Ohio State was still rolling after the 1968 National Championship and had won 22 straight games, with what Woody Hayes called his best squad ever. Rex Kern, Jim Otis, Jack Tatum, and the rest of the Buckeyes were unbelievably good. Bo Schembechler was a brand new coach at UM and no one expected him to upset the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes. At the end of the heartbreaking loss, our win streak was snapped and our shot at the 1969 national title was gone. Michigan went to the Rose Bowl and lost to USC.

David Boston taunting Charles Woodson in 1997

4. November 25th, 1995. Ohio State was undefeated and ranked No. 2. On the way to the Rose Bowl and a bid for the national title, all the Buckeyes had to do was beat Michigan. Somewhere in the first half of that game, they forgot how to tackle and Wolverine running back Tim Biakabutuka tore upfield continually, amassing 313 yards and sending Ohio State packing. The season was over and Michigan went on to lose tha Alamo Bowl and we went on to lose the Citrus Bowl.

5. November 23rd, 1996. Ohio State was again undefeated and ranked No. 2. Again we were on the way to the Rose Bowl and were serious national title contenders. And again Michigan ruined the season. We did end up going the Rose Bowl that year, and beat Arizona State, ending the season ranked at No. 2.

6. They are arrogant. Michigan players, coaches and fans act like their program is a big deal in college football. Despite having one (shared) national championship in 60+ years. Despite barely staying above a .500 win percentage Since Lloyd Carr's tenure. Mike Hart was arrogant. Brady Hoke is arrogant. Part of the duty of an Ohio State team is to chip away at that Ann Arbor arrogance each November by handing these spoiled brats a loss.