Reliving the 4 times Michigan State football upset top-ranked Ohio State

2. Nick Saban-coached upset, 1998

This matchup is still old enough for a large portion of Ohio State fans to be too young to remember, but recent enough that it still stings to those who do recall the game. The Buckeyes were once again ranked No. 1, playing against an inferior Michigan State squad led by a relatively unknown Nick Saban.

The Spartans’ season was nothing to brag about, as they came to a 6-6 finish that’s all too familiar to fans today. Ohio State was a 28-point favorite, an almost insulting number to a Michigan State program that believed in itself.

This was seemingly proven to be nothing more than a dream though, as Ohio State would go up 24-9 by the third quarter. It was looking like another blowout when suddenly, two turnovers and a failed drive led the Spartans to a 25-24 lead.

Ohio State fumbled once again, allowing Michigan State to capitalize with a field goal and a four-point lead.

Ohio State finally decided to get its head in the game and started to chip away with a drive that took the Buckeyes to Michigan State’s 15-yard-line. But they wouldn’t go any further than that, as the Spartans would stop them on three consecutive plays before Renaldo Hill would pick off Joe Germaine’s pass to seal another Michigan State upset.