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Biggest Games in the History of the 'Shoe
This week's game against TSUN is, quite simply and without hyperoble, the Biggest Game in the 85-year history of the venerable stadium.
What have been the most anticipated and most important games in the history of the 'Shoe, which saw it's first game in 1922? Here are 20 of those games.
Note: All rankings in this post are from the AP poll only.
On November 2, 1935, the year before the AP poll started, a 4-0 tOSU team met a 5-0 Notre Dame team. After tOSU recovered a late onside kick by ND, they fumbled near midfield, allowing William Shakespeare to throw a last minute game-winning TD, probably costing tOSU a national championship (NC). Although sometimes called an early 'Game of the Century' due to ND winning in dramatic fashion, it probably wasn't the most anticipated game that year, since 10-0 TCU visited 10-0 (and eventual NC) SMU 4 weeks later.
On November 21, 1942, #5 tOSU defeated #4 TSUN 21-7, keeping alive NC aspirations.
On November 28, 1942, (a week later, in the only non-TSUN season finale since 1935), #3 tOSU defeated Iowa Pre-Flight 41-12, which resulted in the school's first NC; as on that same day #1 Boston College lost to Holy Cross and #2 Georgia Tech lost to Georgia.
On November 25, 1944, #3, 8-0 tOSU defeated #6, 8-1 TSUN 18-14 to complete an undefeated season. The team didn't go to a bowl game and finished AP #2 behind Army.
On November 20, 1948, #1, 8-0 TSUN defeated a #18, 6-2 tOSU team 13-3 to complete their NC season.
The November 25, 1950 Snow Bowl was not one of the most anticipated games in the history of the 'Shoe, but definitely was one of the most memorable. In a game with 45 punts, TSUN won 9-3 despite not getting a single first down; scoring a TD and a safety on blocked punts.
On October 6, 1951, in the second game under Woody Hayes, a #7, 1-0 tOSU team lost to #1 Michigan State 24-20. The Spartans finished the year 9-0, but ended up AP #2 behind Tennessee.
On October 11, 1952, a 1-1 tOSU squad coached by embattled Woody Hayes (and his then 5-4-2 career record) defeated #1 Wisconsin 23-14, which gave the young coach some credibility and time to build his program.
On November 20, 1954, #1 tOSU needed a win over #12, 6-2 TSUN in order to keep alive it's NC bid, which was successful with a 21-7 win in The Game and a 20-7 Rose Bowl win over USC.
On October 15, 1966, a 1-2 tOSU team lost to #1 Michigan State 11-8.
On October 12, 1968, a young #4 tOSU team ("Super Sophs") defeated #1 Purdue 13-0, and moved up to the #2 spot in the polls on the way to the NC.
On November 23, 1968, #2 tOSU needed a win over 1-loss, #4 TSUN in order to get a chance at the NC against USC in the Rose Bowl. tOSU won 50-14, failing on a 2-point conversion attempt after the last TD in Woody's 'Because I couldn't go for three' game. The win caused tOSU to jump USC for the #1 AP ranking, which was prophetic since tOSU then beat the #2, O. J. Simpson led squad 27-16 to win another NC.
On November 21, 1970, #4, 8-0 tOSU downed #5, 9-0 TSUN 20-9. A Rose Bowl loss to Stanford cost the team the NC in the major polls.
On November 25, 1972, a #9, 8-1 tOSU team defeated #3, 10-0 TSUN 14-11, in a game which featured tOSU stopping TSUN with goal-line stands on fourth-and-1 in two different possessions.
On November 23, 1974, #4, 9-1 tOSU downed #3, 10-0 TSUN 12-10 on four FG's by Tom Klaban, and a late missed FG by Mike Lantry. For the last time, TSUN didn't go to a bowl game, and tOSU lost a classic Rose Bowl to USC 18-17, on a late TD and 2-point conversion.
On September 24, 1977, #4 tOSU lost to #3 Oklahoma 29-28, when the Sooners got a last-minute FG after recovering an onsides kick. Oklahoma was voted #1 in the next AP poll.
On November 2, 1985, #8, 6-1 tOSU defeated #1, 7-0 Iowa 22-13 as Chris Spielman intercepted two passes in the rain.
On September 20, 1995, #7, 3-0 tOSU defeated #15, 3-1 Notre Dame 45-26 in their first visit in 60 years.
On November 23, 2002, #2, 12-0 tOSU defeated #12, 9-2 TSUN 14-9 with Will Allen securing the game by intercepting a ball on the goal line as time ran out; thus earning a berth in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, where they won the NC over Miami.
On September 10, 2005, #4 tOSU dropped a 25-22 decision to #2 Texas, who would go on to win the NC with a Rose Bowl win over USC.
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"This is the university of the American dream." - E. Gordon Gee
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