Top 10 Most-Thrilling Ohio State Wins Since 2000
Houston Texans and former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud made a great point about the Buckeyes' program and more so the fan base.
"Coming from Ohio State, it's a pressure element that's pushed on every week that either you can't lose," Stroud said after picking up his first career NFL win. "And if you're playing a less than team that people think are less than, you have to win by 70-plus points."
While yes, the standard at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is to be elite and the cream of the crop, winning shouldn't be taken for granted but it has within Buckeye Nation. That's why there's complaints about the team and the Buckeyes get dropped in the AP Top 25 Poll after a 20-point road win against Indiana to open the season.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday.
USA TODAY Sports
However, Saturday's thrilling last-second win against the then-No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish reminded fans how good it feels to win a game. There weren't the same complaints like there have been after other Ohio State victories. Instead, the fan base was excited and genuinely happy to see their Buckeyes win, making the victory up there with one of the best this century.
The first game that comes to mind after watching Ohio State come back and lead a game-winning drive was the 2017 39-38 victory against Penn State. The Buckeyes outscored the Nittany Lions 19-3 in the fourth quarter, including two miraculous drives led by J.T. Barrett in the final four-and-a-half minutes to stun Penn State at Ohio Stadium.
When Chip Trayanum plunged forward on the Buckeyes' final play for the game-winning touchdown, it was reminiscent of the 2016 victory against Michigan.
While the rematch against Notre Dame had nowhere near the magnitude of "The Game," both games required the Buckeyes to dig deep and drive forward when needing just one yard. This time around it was Trayanum's scoring plunge, but nearly seven years ago, Barrett controversially picked up the yard on fourth-and-1 that led to Curtis Samuel's walk-off 15-yard touchdown run on the next play to beat the Wolverines in double overtime.
The heroics of Kyle McCord on the third-and-21 throw to stand in and deliver a strike to Emeka Egbuka down to the 1-yard line was reminiscent of Craig Krenzel's bomb down the sidelines to Michael Jenkins to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers and keep the national-championship-winning season alive with just over a minute left in the game.
So where does Ohio State's top-10 victory on the road between two rank in the most thrilling Buckeyes wins since 2000. Here are our rankings below.
1. Ohio State defeats Michigan in 2OT in 2016
2. Buckeyes win 2002 national championship over Miami in 2OT
3. Ohio State's "Holy Buckeye!" victory over Purdue in 2002
4. "The Game of the Century" win over Michigan in 2006
5. J.T. Barrett's ferocious comeback vs. Penn State in 2017
6. Kyle McCord, Chip Trayanum pushes Buckeyes past Fighting Irish on last play
7. Tyvis Powell knocks down Michigan two-point conversion attempt in 2013
8. Cardale Jones and Co. fend off Alabama in 2015 Sugar Bowl
9. C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Rose Bowl records in comeback vs. Utah
10. Braxton Miller Hail Mary beats Wisconsin in 2011
