Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry

The Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University and the Nittany Lions of The Pennsylvania State University. Before Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1990, Ohio State and Penn State only played eight times, the last of which was in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. After Penn State joined the Big Ten, the rivalry continued as an annual conference game.

1912–80: Pre-Big Ten era
Penn State won the first four meetings in the series, however these meetings spread across 53 seasons, between 1912 and 1964. The first ever match-up was held in Columbus, Ohio in November 1912. Penn State had just come off a 8–0–1 season in 1911. All of the experts had picked Ohio State to win this game in a blowout. However, it was the Nittany Lions shutting the Buckeyes out, 37–0.

It would not be until 1956 when Penn State made a return trip to Columbus, however when they won the second meeting between the schools, 7–6. Penn State would win two more games at Ohio Stadium before Ohio State won a game in 1975. The first ever match-up of the two held in State College, Pennsylvania was in 1976 where Ohio State beat Penn State 12–7. Penn State won in 1978 back in Columbus.

In 1980, the two schools played in their first and only postseason bowl, the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. The Ohio State Buckeyes were 9–3, while the Penn State Nittany Lions were 10–2. The Penn State Nittany Lions won at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona 31–19. As Ohio State and Penn State now play in the same conference, it is unlikely for the two schools to face off in another bowl game.

1993–2000: Penn State enters the Big Ten
Following the 1980 Fiesta Bowl, Penn State and Ohio State did not meet again until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. From 1993 to the present, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have played annually. Ohio State won the first conference meeting, 24–6 after a close 7–6 first quarter. Ohio State has won 11 of the matchups, while Penn State has won six. The largest margin of victory for ether teams came in 1994 when Penn State beat Ohio State 63–14. Interestingly following this defeat, an Ohio State sportswriter dropped Penn State from #1 to #2 in the AP Poll. In 1995, the Nittany Lions were the losing team, losing 28–25 to Ohio State. In 1996, the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 38–7 in a game that some picked Penn State to win. The Nittany Lions got revenge next year as Penn State, ranked No. 1 at the time and into November before losing to Michigan, came back from 27–17 to win 31–27. The two teams split the next two, and Ohio State won in 2000 45–6. That was the most lopsided Ohio State win over Penn State and the second biggest margin of victory for either team.

2001–10: Paterno vs. Tressel
The decade of the 2000s saw several close games between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions, as they put long time Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, against Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Ohio State went 6–3 during this period. What would have been the Buckeyes' seventh win in 2010, along with that entire season, was vacated as a result of players receiving improper benefits. The two teams were perennially near the top of the Big Ten standings. Ohio State won seven Big Ten titles, either shared or outright, in 2002 and 2005 through 2010, although Ohio State vacated the 2010 title due to improper player benefits. Penn State shared titles in 2005 and 2008 with Ohio State, but both were vacated due to NCAA action regarding the Penn State sex abuse scandal (see below).

The 2001 game was significant because it gave Paterno his 324th career win. Penn State was suffering through a dismal season with a 1–4 start with Matt Senaca leading the way. Senaca was soon benched in this game where Ohio State climbed to a 27–9 lead and promising freshman Zack Mills helped Penn State come back and nearly saved their season (Penn State finished 5–6). The following year, Penn State would very nearly beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe, only losing 13–7 to the eventual national champions. In 2003, Penn State had a dismal season but actually looked like the better team against the Buckeyes as they took a 17–7 lead at one point. Ohio State came back to win 21–20 with a last second field goal falling just short. Ohio State won the next game 21–10 despite being outscored 10–7 offensively. That game was only one of two times that the Nittany Lions scored double digits at Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 1993.

In 2005, Penn State was an underdog despite trouncing then-No. 18 Minnesota 44–14 the week before and being undefeated. However, Penn State played defense and shut down the Buckeye ground game. The 2005 teams met for what became the deciding game for the Big Ten championship, Penn State upset the then-favored Buckeyes 17–10 in State College, with Penn State finishing No. 3 in both polls and Ohio State finishing No. 4 themselves. Penn State went on to lose to Michigan next week in a controversial 27–25 game but went on to win out the rest of the way as Ohio State won out the remainder of the way, including a come-from-behind win over Michigan 25–21. This resulted in the two teams sharing the Big Ten title. Penn State defeated ACC champion Florida State 26–23 in the Orange Bowl as Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34–20 in the Fiesta Bowl.

The 2006 game has a deceptive final score, Penn State led 3–0 and was a fullback fumble away from leading 10–0, but missed a field goal early in the third that would have made it 6–0, Ohio State struck back and went up 7–3, early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State's Troy Smith avoided a sack and threw the ball downfield, it was nearly intercepted but Brian Robiskie caught it for a touchdown. Penn State drove down to the one yard line, but a false start penalty pushed them back, forcing them to kick a field goal. Still, with the score 14–6, the Nittany Lions drove down the field and nearly scored the game tying touchdown, but with two minutes left, Malcolm Jenkins intercepted an Anthony Morelli pass and ran it back for a touchdown to make it 21–6. Penn State made the same mistake again with one minute left, making it 28–6. In the 2007 game, Ohio State came back from an early 7–3 deficit to take a 17–7 halftime lead and eventually winning 37–17.

The 2008 meeting between the two teams saw the third ranked Nittany Lions win 13–6 against the 10th ranked Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. This game turned out to be the deciding factor in giving Penn State a berth in the Rose Bowl; the teams shared the Big Ten title, but the Lions were chosen ahead of Ohio State due to their head-to-head win. Before that victory, Penn State had a seven game road losing streak to the Buckeyes, and interestingly enough, Penn State has yet to score 14 or more points in Columbus since joining the Big Ten. Regardless, the Lions did not turn the ball over, while Ohio State did twice. The 2009 meeting also played a role in the Big Ten championship, with both teams tied for first in conference at the time since previously unbeaten Iowa lost to Northwestern. With the roles reversed, the visitors, Ohio State, won a stubborn defensive struggle over the home team 24–7, In what Kirk Herbstriet called "rope-a-dope" offensive strategy for both teams. This time, Penn State turned the ball over twice and Ohio State did not turn it over once. In 2010, the Buckeyes were listed as huge favorites against a 6–3 Penn State team. Penn State had other ideas, however, rolling to a 14–3 lead at halftime, with Penn State QB Matt McGloin throwing the first touchdown passes against Ohio State since Joe Pateno became head coach. Ohio State rallied to retake the lead and win, with the aid of two Matt McGloin interceptions, won 38–14.

2011: Rivalry hit by scandal
After the 2010 season, it was revealed that several Ohio State players, most notably QB Terrelle Pryor, received improper benefits. An investigation determined that Tressel had knowledge of the situation but failed to notify the University or the NCAA. This resulted in Tressel resigning from the program. As part of a self-imposed sanction, Ohio State vacated all of its wins from the season, including its win over Penn State, its Big Ten Title, and Sugar Bowl win.

The 2011 season began a new era in the rivalry with new additions to the Big Ten conference, as well as new head coaches for both teams. With the addition of Nebraska into the Big Ten, the conference split into two six-team divisions. Both Ohio State and Penn State were placed in the "Leaders" Division and will continue to play each other annually. The 2011 season also marks a new era for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, as Luke Fickell was named the interim head coach for the season after Tressel's resignation and Tom Bradley after longtime Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was fired 9 games into the season following the uncovering of the Penn State sex abuse scandal.

2012–present: Two Fresh Starts
Both schools will have new head coaches for the 2012 season. On November 28, 2011, Ohio State hired former Utah and Florida head coach Urban Meyer as head coach, beginning a new era in the rivalry. Meyer had been considered by many, including Paterno himself, as a possible replacement for Paterno at Penn State. Penn State eventually hired former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien to succeed Paterno as head coach.

Game results
''Ohio State victories are colored █ scarlet. Penn State victories are colored █ blue. Vacated victories by either team are shaded in █ gray''

1 1980 Fiesta Bowl 2 Win vacated by Ohio State 3 Win vacated by Penn State