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Most Important College Football Game for Each Top 25 Team During 2016 Season

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) celebrates after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second overtime at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime.Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) celebrates after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines in the second overtime at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime.Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Ohio State Beats Michigan 30-27 in Double Overtime (Nov. 26)

One could make a solid argument that Ohio State’s 21-point victory over Oklahoma on Sept. 17 was more important in terms of bolstering their strength of schedule. After all, that was a win over a Power Five conference champion, on the road, in a showcase non-conference affair. Had Oklahoma won, they and not the Buckeyes would likely be in the College Football Playoff instead of the Sugar Bowl. And it was Ohio State’s best win over the year over a Top 25 opponent, the only time they truly managed to assert their will over another highly regarded foe.

But no game is ever quite as important to Ohio State as the annual showdown against That School Up North. Had Michigan won, they would have reached the Big Ten championship game and Ohio State would be out of the Playoff. Instead, a Buckeyes win sent Penn State to the title game and allowed Urban Meyer’s team to get in on the merits of earlier wins like that Oklahoma rout. Against the Wolverines, Ohio State was outplayed for long stretches, but rallied to force the first overtime game in the rivalry’s long history thanks to a 23-yard Tyler Durbin field goal with one second left on the clock.

In overtime the teams traded touchdowns, the most consistent offensive output that either team experienced all day. Then Ohio State’s defense held firm in the second overtime, holding the Wolverines to a 37-yard Kenny Allen field goal, and got the ball with the chance to win. A controversial J.T. Barrett first down kept their drive alive:

On the next play, Curtis Samuel busted 15 yards for the winning score, and neither team ended up in the Big Ten championship. The win knocked Michigan down to the Orange Bowl, while even without a conference title this 11th win sent the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.

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