Which Big Ten football opponent has given Ohio State the most fits since the beginning of the century?
It’s not rival Michigan, which the Buckeyes have dominated, winning 16 of 19 games, good for 84.2 winning percentage.
It’s not Penn State, which owns five victories over OSU. However, the Bucks can counter with 17 wins, which translates to 77%.
The correct answer is Purdue. Since 2000, Ohio State has the advantage (8-5), but the Buckeyes’ 61.5% winning percentage is the lowest against the other 13 conference schools.
Lowest Winning Percentage Against Big Ten School Since 2000
61.5% – Purdue (8-5)
76.5% – Wisconsin (13-4)
77.7% – Penn State (17-5)
77.7% – Iowa (7-2)
82.4% – Michigan State (14-3)
84.2% – Michigan (16-3)
86.6% – Illinois (13-2)
87.5% – Nebraska (7-1)
92.3% – Minnesota (12-1)
92.3% – Northwestern (12-1)
100% – Maryland (7-0)
100% – Rutgers (8-0)
100% – Indiana (19-0)
In all five of those losses (all of which came on the road, too), Ohio State entered the game with a better record, and was higher-ranked (when applicable).
2000 No. 16 Purdue (6-2) beat No. 12 OSU (6-1) 37-21
2004 Purdue (5-4) beat OSU (6-3) 24-17
2009 Purdue (1-5) beat No. 7 OSU (5-1) 26-18
2011 Purdue (4-5) beat OSU (6-3) 26-23 in OT
2018 Purdue (3-3) beat No. 2 OSU (7-0) 49-20
The Buckeyes come into this game with an 8-1 record, and ranked sixth in the Associated Press poll, and fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings. Purdue (6-3) is just outside the AP poll, but is No. 19 in the CFB rankings.
Even when Ohio State wins in this series, it’s not always easy. Two victories needed overtime, including the last trip to Columbus for Purdue in 2012. With starting quarterback Braxton Miller carted off with an injury, the Buckeyes were down 22-14 in the fourth quarter when back-up Kenny Guiton threw a touchdown pass to Chris Fields with just three seconds left. A subsequent two-point conversion to Jeff Heuerman sent the game into overtime, where OSU scored the lone touchdown for a 29-22 win, keeping its undefeated season alive.
Purdue hasn’t won in Columbus since John Cooper’s first season in 1988, marking nine straight wins in the series in Ohio Stadium for the home side.
The Boilermakers have more than earned the endearing moniker of “Spoilermakers” over the years. Purdue has upset a top-five ranked team a Football Bowl Subdivision record 17 times while itself unranked. It has added to that list twice already in 2021, with wins over Iowa and Michigan State.
Three times, the Buckeyes have found themselves on the wrong side of that statistic:
1960 Purdue beat No. 3 OSU 24-21
1984 Purdue beat No. 2 OSU 28-23
2018 Purdue beat No. 2 OSU 49-20
Everything mentioned to this point is history, and has no direct bearing on Saturday’s game. Ohio State is in a good spot currently, ranked in the top four in the CFB Playoff rankings, and with the rest of its schedule also ranked (Michigan State is seventh, Michigan sixth).
So style points aren’t necessarily needed, as there is plenty of opportunity to impress the committee. But the Buckeyes need to clean up some things internally first, especially on offense.
Over the past two games, each nine-point wins over Penn State and Nebraska, the offense has appeared discombobulated. The Buckeyes have only scored two touchdowns in nine red zone trips, committed several penalties, and had trouble running the ball.
Adding to the challenge, is a solid Purdue defense, led by potential first-round draft pick at defensive end, George Karlaftis. The Boilermakers are in the top 30 nationally in red zone defense (14th at 72.4%), passing defense (15th at 185.3 points per game, scoring defense (16th at 18.4 points per game) and total defense (27th at 329.8 yards per game).
On offense, Purdue is a pass first outfit, eighth in FBS at 332.8 yards a game through the air, while averaging just over 77 yards a contest on the ground (128th). Wide Receiver David Bell will need to be accounted for on every play, and is one of the country’s best at his position.
To see how everything shakes out, tune in to The Postgame Show following the game on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App. Andy Baskin and former Buckeye Bryant Browning will break down the game, and take you live to Ryan Day’s postgame news conference.
