College Football SMQ: The greatest forfeit games in college football history
By Zach Bigalke
2010: No. 2 Ohio State wins (forfeit) over No. 12 Miami at the Horseshoe
Ohio State and Miami squared off in Columbus on Sept. 11, 2010. The Buckeyes sat at No. 2 in the polls. The Hurricanes also ranked in the top 12. It was the first meeting between the two powerhouses since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl for the BCS national championship. Miami was looking to gain revenge for the double-overtime loss that prevented the Hurricanes from winning back-to-back national championships.
The Buckeyes scored first on a 24-yard Devin Barclay field goal with just under six minutes left in the first quarter. Miami responded with an 88-yard kickoff return by Lamar Miller on the next play. The Hurricanes tacked on a 51-yard Matt Bosher field goal early in the second quarter to build a 10-3 lead. Then things fell apart, as the defense gave up a quick touchdown to tie things up.
Ohio State never looked back, adding 16 more points before the half to build a 26-17 lead. Travis Benjamin scored the other touchdown for Miami on a 76-yard punt return. The Hurricanes offense sputtered as Jacory Harris threw four interceptions.
The Buckeyes went on to beat everybody but Wisconsin, finishing the regular season 11-1 and winning the Big Ten title. They were slated to play Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, and then news broke about the tattoos-for-memorabilia scandal that ended Jim Tressel’s coaching career. Ohio State still got to play in New Orleans, where they beat the Razorbacks to finish but ended up going into the record books as a 0-1 team.