4. Spartans beat Buckeyes 13-7 (1987)
This was the year I first started watching college football and became a fan of Michigan State. It was a glorious season for Spartan Nation. The season started off rocky with back-to-back blowout losses to Norte Dame and Florida State. However, Michigan State rebounded to knock off top-ranked Iowa at Kinnick Stadium and arch-rival Michigan.
This game pitted legendary coaches Earl Bruce and George Perles against each other. It was a classic Big Ten defensive match at 13-7.
A key point in that game was in the fourth quarter and Ohio State attempted a reverse pass with Tom Tupa. However, the Spartan defense had blanketed the receivers and Tupa was forced to make a dash for the first down. The next play MSU sacked Tupa. The defense rose up to the challenge. Michigan State was able to become the outright Big Ten champion.