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1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Sugar Bowl Champions
Big Ten Co-Champions
Sugar Bowl, W 24–14 vs. Texas A&M
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
1998 record11–1 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coachJohn Cooper
Offensive coordinatorMike Jacobs
Defensive coordinatorFred Pagac
MVPJoe Germaine
CaptainJoe Germaine
CaptainJerry Rudzinski
CaptainAntoine Winfield
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
(Capacity: 89,841)
Seasons
← 1997
1999 →
1998 Big Ten football standings
v · d · e Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#2/2 Ohio State §   7 1         11 1  
#6/5 Wisconsin §   7 1         11 1  
#12/12 Michigan §   7 1         10 3  
#24/23 Purdue   6 2         9 4  
#17/15 Penn State*   0 3*         0 3*  
Michigan State   4 4         6 6  
Minnesota   2 6         5 6  
Indiana   2 6         4 7  
Illinois   2 6         3 8  
Iowa   2 6         3 8  
Northwestern   0 8         3 9  
† – BCS representative as champion
‡ – BCS at-large representative
§ – Conference co-champions

The 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1998–1999. The team's head football coach was John Cooper. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 11–1, and a Big Ten Conference record of 7–1. They finished tri-champions in the Big Ten Conference with the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan Wolverines and played in one of the premiere Bowl Championship Series bowl games in the 1999 Sugar Bowl.

Led by senior quarterback Joe Germaine, the Buckeyes were the preseason number one throughout the majority of the season. The Buckeyes only loss came late in the season to the Michigan State Spartans. The team blew a late 15 point lead late in the game to fall short 28–24.

Because of the late loss, Ohio State was kept out of the National Championship Game, the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. Their regular season "miss" of not playing fellow tri-champion Wisconsin also cost the Bucks a trip to the 1999 Rose Bowl because Ohio State was the last to play in the Rose Bowl in 1997, Wisconsin last played in 1994.[1]

The Buckeyes beat Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl to finish second in both polls behind the Tennessee Volunteers after their victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.[2]

Schedule[]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 5* 8:00 PM at #11 West Virginia #1 Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV CBS W 34–17   68,409[3]
September 12* 12:30 PM Toledo #1 Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH ESPN W 49–0   93,149[3]
September 19* 3:30 PM #21 Missouri #1 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio ABC W 35–14   93,269[3]
October 3 12:00 PM #7 Penn State #1 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio ABC W 28–9   93,479[3]
October 10 12:00 PM at Illinois #1 Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL ESPN W 41–0   46,390[3]
October 17† 12:00 PM Minnesota #1 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ESPN W 45–15   93,138[3]
October 24 12:00 PM at Northwestern #1 Ryan FieldEvanston, IL ESPN2 W 36–10   47,130[3]
October 31 3:30 PM at Indiana #1 Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN ABC W 38–7   52,049[3]
November 7 3:30 PM Michigan State #1 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH ABC L 24–28   93,595[3]
November 14 3:30 PM at Iowa #7 Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA ABC W 45–14   69,473[3]
November 21 12:00 PM #11 Michigan #7 Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH (The Game) ABC W 31–16   94,339[3]
January 1* 8:30 PM vs. #8 Texas A&M #3 Louisiana SuperdomeNew Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) ABC W 24–14   76,503[3]
*Non-Conference Game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Game notes[]

West Virginia[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Buckeyes 10 10 7 7 34
Mountaineers 3 7 0 7 17




Toledo[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Rockets 0 0 0 0 0
Buckeyes 21 21 7 0 49




Missouri[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Tigers 0 14 0 0 14
Buckeyes 7 6 8 14 35




Penn State[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Penn St 0 3 6 0 9
Ohio St 0 14 14 0 28


Illinois[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Buckeyes 10 14 0 17 41
Fighting Illini 0 0 0 0 0





Minnesota[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Golden Gophers 3 10 0 2 15
Buckeyes 14 17 7 7 45





Northwestern[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Buckeyes 17 6 6 7 36
Wildcats 7 3 0 0 10





Indiana[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Buckeyes 14 7 7 10 38
Hooisers 0 7 0 0 7





Michigan State[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Spartans 3 6 9 10 28
Buckeyes 17 0 7 0 24





Iowa[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Buckeyes 14 14 7 10 45
Hawkeyes 7 7 0 0 14





Michigan[]

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan 0 10 3 3 16
Ohio State 14 7 10 0 31

Ohio State secured a share of its 28th Big Ten title as the fans stormed the field with less than 30 seconds to play. Joe Germaine completed 19-of-24 passes for 330 yards, his seventh career 300-yard game, and his favorite target was David Boston, who finished with 10 receptions for 217 yards, most ever by a Michigan opponent. Boston also broke his own single-season reception mark and moved pass Cris Carter on the school's all-time yardage list.[4]


Texas A&M[]

1 2 3 4 OT
Aggies 7 0 7 0 14
Buckeyes 21 3 0 0 24





Coaching staff[]

  • John Cooper - Head Coach - 11th year
  • Bill Conley - Recruiting Coordinator (11th year)
  • Jim Heacock - Defensive Line (4th year)
  • Mike Jacobs - Offensive Coordinator (4th year)
  • Fred Pagac - Defensive Coordinator (17th year)
  • Tim Salem - (2nd year)
  • Shawn Simms - Defensive Ends (2nd year)
  • Tim Spencer - Running Backs (5th year)
  • Chuck Strobart - Offensive Coordinator (4th year)
  • Jon Tenuta - Defensive Backs (3rd year)

1999 NFL draftees[]

Player Round Pick Position NFL Club
David Boston 1 8 Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals
Antoine Winfield 1 23 Defensive Back Buffalo Bills
Andy Katzenmoyer 1 28 Linebacker New England Patriots
Joe Montgomery 2 49 Running Back New York Giants
Joe Germaine 4 101 Quarterback St. Louis Rams
Damon Moore 4 128 Defensive Back Philadelphia Eagles
Brent Bartholomew 6 192 Punter Miami Dolphins
Dee Miller 6 196 Wide Receiver Green Bay Packers

References[]

  1. Thomaselli, Rich (1998). "Big Ten". The Sporting News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_1998_Nov_16/ai_53256099. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  2. "A Case for No. 1". CNN. January 9, 1999. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/1998/bowls/sugar/news/1999/01/01/sugar_bowl/. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Park, Jack (2003). The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-695-7.
  4. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores98/98325/98325493.htm

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