Most Satisfying Buckeye Wins For YOU

[NFBuck]

Apologize if this is a repeat thread, but I'm sure some people's lists require some updating if it is. So, I've been a died-in-the-wool Buckeye since birth, but really started to understand/follow the Bucks "religiously" in the early-90s. So, the following would be my top-5 Buckeye wins ever.

1. 2002/03 Fiesta Bowl vs. Miami-- This was the big one. After over a decade of suffering through (most of the time) the Cooper era, a new man arrived. When Jim Tressel was hired, I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the UK. I said to anybody who would listen that Jim Tressel would win a NC within three years in Columbus, and it wasn't me being boisterous, I believed it. I grew up 15 miles north of Y'town, so I was very familiar with JT. His hire sent me to the moon. After he beat scUM in year one, I knew we were in for a helluva ride. Then when they just kept winning, and winning, and winning in 2002 it began to feel like destiny. Despite being heavy underdogs, I knew we would win because Tressel. When Cie Grant burst through that line, I was in heaven. It'll be hard to ever top that game.
2. 1996/97 Rose Bowl vs Arizona State-- This was my first year in the Air Force, and my first year living outside of Ohio. As I'm sure others can attest, when you move away from your home, your pride for the area and its sports teams intensifies. Plus, it was the fucking ROSE BOWL. That meant a lot. Germaine to Boston is still one of the great moments of joy in my fandom.
3. 2014/15 Sugar Bowl vs Alabama- Just an absolutely amazing/improbable run to the playoffs. Not just beating, but handling mighty alabama on the big stage. With a fucking third string quarterback, no less. Going into the season, after losing Braxton, I was very vocal about expecting at least 3-4 losses. After the VT debacle, I was concerned this team was going to implode. Fuck no. They rallied around each other and would not be denied. The only thing that kept that game close was our own errors. That game should have been a 49-21 win. After falling down 21-6, I cringed. But this team earned the benefit of the doubt, and they showed why. I could not get to sleep until after 2 am last night because I was fucking beaming.
4. 2014 B1G Championship vs. Wisconsin-- When JT broke his ankle against scUM, I said anything after this is just gravy. I had no idea what to expect out of Cardale Jones. He was a rather under the radar recruit, had come close to not even being a Buckeye, and closer to getting the boot after some immaturity early on. I knew he had a cannon, but how would he hold up under the bright lights against one of the country's best defenses. When he hit Devin on the first bomb, I sat back and smiled a smug fucking smile. Mix a band of brothers mentality, with elite talent, and honoring a fallen teammate and Wiscy walked into a fucking buzzsaw. That was the most dominant game against legitimate competition I've ever seen a Buckeye team play. It was fucking felonious.
5. 2001 vs. scUM-- As I stated above, I was a JT loyalist from his YSU days. I knew the tide in the Game was going to turn when he was hired. He basically promised it at his halftime introduction at the basketball game, and he delivered.

Honorable mention-- 1995 vs. ND, 1996 vs ND, 2002 vs scUM, 2004 vs scUM, 2005 vs scUM, 2006 vs Texas, 2006 #1 vs #2 scUM, 2009/10 Rose Bowl vs Oregon, 2012 vs scUM, 2013 vs Ped Aggy, 2014 vs MSU

 

[Gizmo]

I've always enjoyed Ohio State, but didn't really start following them religiously until around 2000, so this list definitely reflects that.

1. 2002/03 Fiesta Bowl- This cemented the Buckeyes in my heart. What an amazing game and season that put tOSU back on the map. One of the most fun nights of my life, and I hope to relive it again (albeit in the morning hours of the 13th) soon.
2. 2014/15 Sugar Bowl- I'm currently stationed in Germany, and stayed up all day and night watching football culminating in the Buckeyes restoring order in the world and putting Alabama and the SEC in it's place. I couldn't sleep for 3 hours after the game ended, and that was just a short 2 hour nap from 9-11am.
3. 2006 The Game- My brother is a traitor who roots for the piss and blue. He also was the only one who had a HD flat screen tv and it was like 50 inches. So I watched this game at his place. We went blow for blow in one of the greatest regular season games in memory. The gloating at dinner that night was great.
4. 2004 Alamo Bowl- Thus far the only time I've seen the Buckeyes live, and it was the coming out party for Ted Ginn, Troy Smith, and all the other young Buckeyes who improved as the season progressed, and would become the nucleus for the 2006 and 2007 teams. Being there live in a neutral facility only amps up my desire to finally take a trip to the Shoe and watch with 100,000 other BuckNuts.
5. 2009/2010 Rose Bowl- After 3 disappointing bowls in a row we go into the Granddaddy of them All and beat the Ducks with our patented Tresselball.

 

[DiamondBuck]

1. 2002/03 Fiesta Bowl vs. Miami- the whole best team ever thing, you know.
2. 2001 vs. scUM- the end of the Cooper curse (If you lived through Biakabutuka, the Springs slip, all the Ohio traitors, you know what I mean)
3. 2014/15 Sugar Bowl vs Alabama- the whole SEC thing, you know (and with our 3rd string QB no less)
4. 1974 Rose Bowl vs USC- USC had shellacked Archie and gang the prior year the Big Ten had lost the previous four.
5. 2013 Penn State- (Ohio State hands Penn State worst beating in 114 years) because THEY ARE

 

[Mike80]

1. 2002/2003 Fiesta Bowl: The greatest football game I've ever seen played. That was a truly great Miami team, but it was beaten by a truly great Buckeye team.

2. 1995 Ped Aggy: At the time I was just getting into college football, and living in the middle of the Valley of Hell to the south of Rhythmic Slappy Valley, I was surrounded by the Cultists. The only thing we heard coming into that year was how Ped State wuz robbed and how they were going to roll through the B1G again and basically the same shit we hear now. Anyway, at this point we knew due to a BRAC that we were going to be moving to Columbus, and me being me, I showed up to my 3rd day of my freshman year of High School with an Ohio State shirt on. You would have thought I was a leper, and I loved every single second of it. After that game, myself and another friend of mine (who was born in Columbus) stood up on the bus on our way to the Freshman football game and asked all of the Ped State fans to raise their hands, and then we proceeded to laugh at them. It was epic. I loved every second of it and although I had family living in Bexley at the time who were already trying to convert me, this is the game where I was hooked.

3. 2001 scUM: JT called his shot. The team came through. It was simply awesome.

4. 2004 scUM: I was home from Iraq and my wife bought tickets to this game as a birthday present. Until my daughter was born 3 years later, this game was the most glorious thing my eyes had ever witnessed.

5. 2002 Ped Aggy: My best friend (who oddly enough is a Penn State fan) and I went to this game. We sat 3 rows from the field by the flagpole (and directly behind Mike Tomczak), he got to meet Archie as we were walking about the stadium, it was a truly epic day. The INT by Gamble is still the loudest I've ever heard the Shoe. I couldn't hear a damn thing for nearly a day afterward unless someone yelled it.

 

[Poe McKnoe]

GPAs?

 

[Jake]

It's hard to narrow them down and there have been a lot of games - I graduated from OSU in the 80s - but here are a few (in chronological order).

1987 - Ohio State 23, Michigan 20. Earle Bruce was fired that week. The Bucks were 5-4-1 and going nowhere. Michigan had won in Columbus the prior year - as guaranteed by QB Jim Harbaugh - by 2 points. This day the Bucks fell behind 13-0 and it looked like the rout everyone expected was on. It was not. Oh, did I mention that was my only visit to the Pighouse? We planned the trip early in the year and almost didn't go after the season fell apart. I'm glad we went anyway.

1998 - Ohio State 31, Michigan 16. I was supposed to get married that day. Wisely called that off a couple months before THE GAME and when the date rolled around an impromptu trip to C-bus ensued. It was Coop's finest hour against TSUN, and my weekend was pretty good as well.

2003 - Ohio State 31, Miami 24. Obviously, we all love this one. But my dad died earlier that day. I watched that night with a lot of emotions, to say the least.

2004 - Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7. My first ever bowl game (Alamo Bowl). San Antonio was a blast and the Pokes were no match our Buckeyes.

2014 - Ohio State 42, Alabama 35. You guys all know why. Hope to add another to this list on January 12th.

 

[Munie]

One game that I hold special is beating Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Earlier that year I went to the University of Arkansas campus for a step show and that was the same week we lost to Purdue. My frat brother who was in grad at Arkansas was slamming Ohio State after that loss. Let's just say that phone call the day after that Sugar Bowl was very amusing

 

[MaxOSU92]

1) 2003 OSU-Miami (obviously)

2) 2002 scUM game (set up #1)
I think if you had to take a visitor from another Galaxy to one OSU-scUM game it would have been that. Weather. Tense atmosphere. Everything on the line for us. And result!

3) First of the two ND games in the mid-90's (would have been '95 I think)
I think people forget how big of a deal those ND games were. CFB was still kind of in its earlier era then and that was a big, big deal. Plus ND was far bigger of a name program then than now.

4) 2008 42-7 win over the scUM (my photo of the scoreboard at the end is to your left.)
Both for result and because business had compelled me to be around a whole bunch of scUM alumni that year. All of whom got e-mailed that scoreboard photo within moments of it being taken.

5) Kicking the unholy [Mark May] out of Notre Dame in the bowl I believe in 2009.
This one because all the media twunts were like "oh no, CHARLIE WEIS is going to have SIX WEEKS to prepare for OSU. CHARLIE WEIS is going to cause them SO MUCH trouble!" Yeah, [Mark May] him!

Most fun I had was as a cheeky freshman at the 1988 scUM game. Though we lost, I was like 16 years old and drinking some unholy mixture of 15 forms of alcohol out of a flask being passed around and just going apeshit with my friends when it looked for a while as if we were going to upset those vile [Mark May]suckers

 

[scarletmike]

1) The NC vs. Miami - self explanatory. The championship shirt was my Friday shirt at school during football season the next 2 or 3 years.

2) '06 scUM game - That was just insane, and even watching it at home I could feel the energy from the stadium.

3) '15 Sugar Bowl - self-explanatory, especially as I live in SEC country.

4) '09 Rose Bowl - Felt great watching the Bucks win a Rose Bowl, especially with how much some thought the Ducks would speed all over the Bucks.

5) Fiesta Bowl vs. ND ('06?) - Living in NE Indiana I was in the middle of a ton of ND fans, so it was great walking around school with a grin for a few weeks after that.

 

[BUCKYLE]

My top ten are all tsun games.

 

[NFBuck]

The ND Fiesta Bowl was 2005/06.

 

[Buckeye86]

I really enjoyed the 2009/2010 Rose Bowl win. Snapping the BCS bowl game losing streak was huge.

 

[kujirakira]

I didn't get to watch the last NC until months later, so that's off the table for me.

- The ASU Rose Bowl has to be one of my fondest childhood moments. Everybody else in the family couldn't watch to the end. They came back when I was screaming in excitement - I'm a very quiet person.
- scUM games from 04,05,06 are precious. I had missed the entire 02 season, and 03 we lost... so that was the first in my life (that I can remember at least) getting a taste of consistently beating them - all with wolverine-slayer Troy Smith. It's been sweet sweet dominance ever since this string of games.
- Beating schematic advantage in the 05/06 Fiesta was good times, but a step below the games above
- 2006 "you can't handle the humidity" @Texas revenge was a great opening to that amazing year
- Finally getting back to the Rose Bowl and beating NikeU was pretty cool... for as much as Ohio State dominates this conference it is a bit weird how rarely they go to Pasadena
- Don't care if it's vacated, breaking the spell against SEC the last time we were in the Sugar was also great


I'd put this one after the scUM games and before Neutered Dame.

 

[Bucknut24]

I live in the panhandle of Florida, and have since 1996 ..

1) 2015 Sugar Bowl...Everywhere I went for the past 2 weeks, I was getting laughs, and sarcastic remarks if I thought OSU had a shot. When I said yes, people looked at me like I had an eyeball missing. And this just wasn't Bama fans, it was UF, LSU, Aub, and rest of the entire fucking deep south

2)National Title Fiesta Bowl...nuff said

3)2002 Michigan, again, nuff said

4)2011 Sugar Bowl...first "win" over SEC school in bowl game

5) 2010 Rose Bowl

 

[JXC]

I started really knowing football in the early 90s...so the hate of Michigan runs deep, and every win against them is special...close to making my top 12 were 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007 wins as well. Probably 13, 14, 15, and 16.

12. 2014 Michigan State

It was a toss up between this and the 2006 Texas game, because both were payback games. But this one also was the first game against an elite team which we had won in quite a while, and so that was satisfying too. Satisfying to feel like we were back, and if not yet elite nationally, at least proving we were the best in the B1G.

11. 2010-2011 Sugar Bowl vs. Arkansas

Maybe would have been more without confusion over the disciplinary action. But it was still sweet to beat the SEC, even if it wasn't there best.

10. 1995 Notre Dame

I was younger, so it may have meant even more if I was older, but I still knew how big and special it was, and this is one of the first games I remember going to. Eddie!

9. 2009-2010 Rose Bowl vs. Oregon

Was so great to win Rose Bowl again and shut everyone up saying that Oregon was unstoppable. Hmmm...sounds familiar.

8. 2005-2006 Fiesta Bowl vs. Notre Dame

To me, this one was more satisfying, because we heard how good Notre Dame was Charlie Weis were, and this ended that. Plus it was Troy's coming out party and set up the next season. Also after the down 2004 it was nice to bounce back so quick.

7. 1997-1998 Rose Bowl vs. Arizona State

Not just finally getting to the Rose Bowl, but winning it. Was so satisfying. And with how the game went it was even more satisfying.

6. 2006 Michigan

This may have been the biggest version of The Game ever, but it wasn't as satisfying as some others I have on the list, namely because we had shown in past years that we now owned them. Still very satisfying though.

5. 2014 B1G Championship vs. Wisconsin

The way we won has a lot to do with it, and with all the ??? surrounding Cardale. Payback from a year before. Full satisfaction of this game complete at 12:45pm the next day. Being there with my dad as a lot of fun. TD after TD after TD.

4. 1998 Michigan

Finally!!! Losing to MSU took a little off of this, but not much just because of how long it had been and how badly we needed to finally beat them. Was so happy to see this. After 1995 and 1996 ruining our seasons, and then not being able to ruin 1997 for them. This was, at that moment, my favorite Buckeye game, until 2002 version.

3. 2014-2015 Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama

Man, what an emotional roller coaster of a game. Went from feeling like this may just be our night, to frustration of not being able to convert TDs in goal to go situations, to then imploding and feeling like we weren't going to win, then imploding more and feeling like we were going to get blown out, then digging deep and having an amazing last few minutes of a half to instantly going from getting blown out to having momentum in a one point game at half, to then rolling and feeling real good, and then going crazy getting nervous every drive because every play was in their territory for what seemed like a quarter and a half, yet somehow not letting them score and then EzE getting his what felt like game over TD run, and then freaking out feeling like we may blow it, to just pure joy when the last pass was intercepted and then another minor heart attack when Powell wouldn't go down, to then pure joy again when he finally did. Spending the whole night in awe of beating Bama...and not being able to sleep...just so happy. I wish I had enjoyed the game more...cuz I was an obnoxious wreck the whole time...but when it was over I was the happiest I had been since 2002 for any sporting event.

2. 2002 Michigan

This was so satisfying, and honestly was so awesome that I almost put it above the Fiesta Bowl win against Miami. This was finally what we hadn't done. 1998 was special, 31-16 will always be etched in my mind. But even more so is 14-9 and finally, finally beating Michigan in my lifetime to go play for a National Championsphip. Went to the game with my dad and almost hurt him jumping on him when we forced the fumble late and then again on the last play of the game. Beautiful. Favorite Michigan game.

1. 2002-2003 Fiesta Bowl vs. Miami FL

National Champs! Perfect season. Nobody thought they could win. And then double OT. Thrilling,! And having that title has been so satisfying not just then, but also for the past decade plus. That win is the most satisfying because not just of how much it meant to me then, but how much it still does. And I remember laying face first on the ground in front of my TV just about ready to die, so sad, and then my dad comes running into the room (he was watching in the kitchen because he went in there to get some food and we scored so he stayed there becuase that's what you do for luck to help the team) but he is running and the house is shaking and he screaming THERES A FLAG THERES A FLAG!!! What a moment! Chills still to this moment.