1919: Was this the first truly great OSU team? Led by OSU's first superstar Chic Harley, this team went 6-1, outscored opponents 176-12, and, most importantly, got the school's first win over Michigan. Harley and this team were largely responsible for the increased popularity of Ohio State Football, which prompted talk about expanding Ohio Field to begin.
1920: The 1920 Bucks, coached by John Wilce, continued the success of 1919's team as they went unbeaten at 7-0, won the Western Conference title, and got their first chance to play in the national spotlight as they were invited to their very first Rose Bowl game. The Buckeyes lost in that game to Cal, 28-0, but it was a big moment and a big season as it helped push the Athletic Board to start a fundraiser for construction of a new stadium, Ohio Stadium, that would be opened in 1922.
1933: The Buckeyes had their first very successful year since 1920 as this team went 7-1 behind a dominating defense that yielded just 26 points.
1934: The inaugural season for coach Francis Schmidt is one that sparked a couple of great OSU traditions. OSU's teams had been losing to Michigan regularly, and Schmidt made his famous quote “They put their pants on one leg at a time same as everybody else" to indicate that UM was human and could be beaten. This began the tradition of the "Golden Pants Club," which was where a miniature pair of golden pants would be given to any player who helped beat UM. The tradition of the Capitan's Breakfast also began in this year as well. This Ohio State team brought with it a new, high-powered offense that would score 267 points on the season.
1942: The Buckeyes dominated in 1942, rolling up 337 total yards on offense, a 9-1 record, and their first national championship. This team is known for the game they lost as much as their accomplishments though. That one loss was to Wisconsin on Halloween of 1942 in a game which is also known as "The Bad Water Game." On their train to Madison to play the Badgers, the Buckeyes were victims of contaminated water, and almost half the team got sick for the game. Luckily, the Buckeye train was only derailed for one game; the Bad Water Game didn't cost OSU the national championship.
1944: OSU went undefeated (9-0) behind Heisman Trophy winner Les Horvath and first-year coach Carroll C. Widdoes. The Buckeyes capped their glorious season with a thrilling come-from-behind 18-14 win over UM in front of 71,958. However, the Big Ten Champ Buckeyes fell short of the national championship as they finished second in the AP Poll to Army.
1949: OSU wins their first Rose Bowl, 17-14 over Cal (see Great Moments for more).
1954: The Buckeyes win their second national title, their first under Coach Woody Hayes. They finish with a 10-0 record and a 20-7 win over USC in the Rose Bowl. The team was lead by Howard "Hopalong" Cassady and legendary DL Jim Parker.
1955: Cassady and Parker return again to lead the Buckeyes to another Big Ten title. Cassady won the Heisman Trophy in this great season, one which included a 17-0 win over Michigan which Woody Hayes called "the best game I've ever had a team play."
1957: The Buckeyes win their third national title as they finish 9-1. It was done in thrilling fashion as they fought off an upset bid by big underdog Oregon to squeak out a Rose Bowl win, 10-7.
1961: OSU goes 8-0-1 to win their fourth Big Ten title under Woody Hayes. The Buckeyes were the Football Writers' national champions, and they gave Michigan a 50-20 loss, which was the worst beating given to Michigan in the team's history.
1968: Need we say more? The 10-0 1968 team, led by names such as Kern, Stillwagon, and Tatum, was perhaps the greatest and most famous team in Ohio State history. Highlighted by a Rose Bowl win over Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson and the USC Trojans and a 50-14 massacre of Michigan, this team will never be forgotten among OSU faithful.
1969/1970: The OSU Buckeyes from 1968-1970 had probably the greatest three-year run they have ever had. They went 27-2 through those three years. These teams lost twice; once in an upset to UM in 1969 and once to Stanford in 1970, but Woody Hayes called the 1969 team "probably the best team that ever played college football." The 1970 team was awarded the national championship by the National Football Foundation despite losing in the Rose Bowl to Stanford. The senior class on that team had six All-Americans and nine All-Big Ten selections.
1973: The Buckeyes go 10-0-1 and win their fifth Big Ten title in six years. After the season, Columbus is dubbed "The capital of college football." This team was the only team ever to have three players finish in the top five in the Heisman Trophy voting.
1979: The Buckeyes go 11-0 in the regular season and miss the national championship by one point as they fell to USC 17-16 in the Rose Bowl. This was coach Earle Bruce's inaugural season.
1995: A drought for truly great OSU teams ended this season as the Buckeyes field one of the more talented teams they have ever had. Stars such as Orlando Pace, Shawn Springs, Terry Glenn, Eddie George, Mike Vrabel, and Bob Hoying all played on this team. The team dominated until an upset loss at Michigan and a loss in the Citrus Bowl to Tennessee. Eddie George won the Heisman Trophy, Terry Glenn won the Biletnikoff Award, and Orlando Pace won the Outland Trophy as a result of the fine season.
1996: The Buckeyes lost players such as Hoying, George, and Glenn, but they reloaded on offense, dominated on defense and captured the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes finished 11-1 after one of the more memorable games in OSU history, the 20-17 comeback win over Arizona State in the Rose Bowl.
1998: The Buckeyes were preseason #1 in America and were expected to run the table and win the national championship, but they were shocked by Michigan State late in the season to end their title run. Still, this Buckeye team was tremendously talented and won 11 games, and many people feel they were the best team in America that season.
2002: The 2002 Ohio State football season may have been the most incredible season in OSU history. With a team largely consisting of underclassmen and a long schedule of 13 games, no one expected Ohio State to go undefeated, but that's exactly what they did. They did it in exciting fashion, as the regular season games against Purdue, Cincinnati, Illinois, and Michigan will go down as some of the most thrilling in OSU history. To top it all off, the Buckeyes played in one of the most exciting and dramatic games in college football history to win the national title over heavily favored Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes were the team of destiny in 2002.
When will the next great Buckeye team be? Stay tuned!