The 1990 edition to the Hall of Fame Bowl featured the ninth ranked Auburn Tigers, and the twentieth ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. It was the fourth edition to the Hall of Fame Bowl.
Ohio State scored first following a 1 yard touchdown run from Carlos Snow opening up a 7-0 lead. Auburn's Win Lyle kicked a 19 yard field goal, and Ohio State led 7-3 after 1 quarter. In the second quarter, Ohio State's Greg Frey connected with Brian Stablein from 9 yards out to take a 14-3 lead. Reggie Slack threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Greg Taylor as Ohio State took a 14-10 lead to halftime.
In the third quarter, Slack and Taylor connected on another 4 yard touchdown pass, as Auburn took a 17-14 lead. In the fourth quarter, Reggie Slack scored on a 5 yard touchdown run opening a 24-14 Auburn lead. A 2 yard touchdown pass from Slack to Herbert Casey made the final margin 31-14 Auburn.