At Indiana The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes went on the road for their first game of the season, a conference game against the
Indiana Hoosiers at
Memorial Stadium in
Bloomington, Indiana. This marked the first time that the Buckeyes opened a season on the road since their 42–24 victory over
Virginia Tech in
2015 and their first time opening with a
Big Ten opponent since
1976 when they defeated
Michigan State 49–21. Ohio State began the game well, driving the ball 66 yards on 11 plays, but were stalled in the redzone, settling for a Sean Nuernberger field goal to take an early 3–0 lead. The Hoosiers answered with an 87-yard drive that was capped with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Richard Lagow to tight end
Ian Thomas to take a four-point lead. The teams continued to trade punts until the second quarter when the Buckeyes'
Jordan Fuller intercepted an Indiana pass in the endzone. Ohio State mounted a 58-yard drive that ended came up short at Indiana two-yard line that resulted in another Nuernberger field goal to bring the score to 7–6. Each team would score on touchdown drives of more than 75 yards on the next two possessions to give the Hoosiers a 14–13 lead at halftime. The third quarter started off looking like it would continue to be a back-and-forth game as the teams again traded touchdowns, but the Buckeye passing offense, led by
J. T. Barrett, threw touchdown passes to
Parris Campbell for 74 yards and to Johnnie Dixon for 54 yard to give the Buckeyes a 35–21 lead. The Buckeye defense took over from there turning the Hoosiers over two times, each resulting in an Ohio State touchdown. The Buckeyes held on for the win, 49–21. Two Buckeye records were set during the game:
J. K. Dobbins broke
Maurice Clarett's 2002 debut rushing performance of 175 yards by amassing 181 yards on the ground, and
J. T. Barrett also moved onto the list of the most career offensive yards by a Buckeye with his 365-yard performance. Barrett was named co-Offensive Big Ten Player of the Week for the seventh time in his career and Dobbins was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for their performances in week one.
Game Statistics Game Leaders No. 5 Oklahoma The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes hosted the No. 5
Oklahoma Sooners at
Ohio Stadium in
Columbus, Ohio, in a top-five matchup.
College GameDay made its record 16th visit to Ohio State's campus and the program's 39th appearance overall, including its fourth in a row. It was the fourth meeting between the two programs. In the first quarter, Oklahoma moved into Buckeye territory on each of its first three drives, but came away without points because of two fumbles and a failed fourth-down conversion. Ohio State opened with two consecutive punts, and the game remained scoreless at the end of the quarter. The first points came with 11:11 remaining in the second quarter, when Sean Nuernberger made a 24-yard field goal after the Buckeyes failed to convert in the red zone. Eight plays later, Oklahoma again came up empty in Ohio State territory, missing a 37-yard field-goal attempt. After an Ohio State punt, the Sooners put together a 55-yard drive and tied the game at 3–3 on a 35-yard field goal before halftime. Ohio State opened the second half with a 56-yard kickoff return by
Parris Campbell, followed by a 6-yard touchdown run by
J. K. Dobbins, to take a 10–3 lead. Oklahoma answered 1:47 later, as
Baker Mayfield threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to
Dimitri Flowers to tie the game. Ohio State did not score another touchdown and added only two more field goals by Nuernberger. Mayfield finished with 386 passing yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma pulled away in the second half. A touchdown run by Jordan Smallwood completed the scoring in the Sooners' 31–16 victory. After the game, Mayfield planted Oklahoma's flag at midfield while teammates celebrated on the Ohio State logo. He later apologized for the incident. Ohio State (1–1, 1–0) fell to No. 8 in the AP Poll, while Oklahoma (2–0) rose to No. 2.
Game statistics Game leaders Army The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (1–1, 1–0) took on the
Army Black Knights (2–0) at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. This was the Buckeyes first-ever match-up against the Black Knights and the seventh match-up against a military academy. Ohio State is 5–1 all-time against the other two major military academies with the most recent win coming in
2014 against
Navy and the only loss coming in
1990 against
Air Force. A week after seemingly nothing went right in a prime-time loss to
Oklahoma, Ohio State couldn't have scripted a better start in its bounce-back attempt against Army. The Buckeyes purred on their first two drives, covering 75 and then 94 yards, to race to a 14–0 lead. Army limited the Buckeyes to one possession in the second quarter and outscored OSU to draw to 17–7. Army started the quarter with an 11-play drive that ended when Blake Wilson missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt. Finally getting the ball back in the second half, the Buckeyes wasted little time taking it to the end zone.
J. K. Dobbins ripped off a 22-yard run on first down from the 26, then went 52 yards on a run around left end, a play in which the freshman juked Army cornerback Mike Reynolds almost into the ground. That made the score 24–7, and after
Kendall Sheffield recovered a fumbled snap on Army's next drive, OSU went to the air to increase its lead.
J. T. Barrett completed all three of his passes on the next drive, including a 31-yarder across the middle to tight end
Marcus Baugh to move the ball to the 22. Two plays later, Barrett threw a fastball strike to
Terry McLaurin, who headed downfield until he found an open spot in the end zone. With a 31–7 lead, the Buckeyes forced a three-and-out but couldn't put the game away and punted from inside Army territory late in the quarter. The Buckeyes were winning big on the scoreboard, and that continued to the end. Barrett's 9-yard touchdown pass to
Austin Mack, which gave the senior quarterback the Big Ten record by accounting for his 107th career touchdown. Another three-and-out gave OSU the ball back with 4:36 remaining, and backup QB
Dwayne Haskins guided the offense 72 yards before the time arrived for victory formation.
Game Statistics The Buckeyes moved up to the No. 6 spot in both the
AP Poll and
Coaches Poll.
Game Statistics Game Leaders No. 12 Michigan State The No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (8–2, 6–1) defeated the No. 12
Michigan State Spartans (7–3, 5–2) at
Ohio Stadium by a score of 48–3. OSU coach
Urban Meyer moved to 4–2 versus the Spartans, while MSU coach
Mark Dantonio fell to 3–6 against the Buckeyes. With the victory, Ohio State became the sole possessors of first place in the Big Ten East. While Michigan State started on a nine-play drive that took more than five minutes off of the clock, the Buckeyes were able to force a punt, a large part due to Nick Bosa's 12-yard sack on third down. The Buckeye offense was able to form an 86-yard drive that resulted in 79 rushing yards, including a 47-yard touchdown run by
Mike Weber.
J. T. Barrett was able to rush for two more touchdowns as well as pass for another to give them a 28–0 lead. The Buckeye's final score of the first half came on a Weber 82-yard run on their next to-last possession, while Michigan State was able to kick a field goal as time expired following a Barrett interception. The Buckeyes would lead 35–3 at halftime. Ohio State was able to find the endzone on the third play of the second half with a 48-yard pass from Barrett to
Binjimen Victor, this would be the last touchdown of the game. Ohio State would kick two Sean Nuernberger field goals on their next two possessions to increase their lead to 45. Before this game, the largest Dantonio-Meyer match-up spread had been a 12-point OSU victory. This result was the largest defeat in the series history. The Buckeyes moved up three spots to No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches' polls and four spots to No. 9 in the CFP poll while Michigan State fell to No. 24 in the AP poll, No. 22 in the Coaches' poll and No. 17 in the CFP poll. Weber was named Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week for his 162-yard and two touchdown rushing performance.
Game Statistics Game Leaders Illinois The No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (9–2, 7–1) defeated the
Illinois Fighting Illini (2–9, 0–8) by a score of 52–14 to end their Big Ten West match ups for the 2017 regular season and clinch the Big Ten East title as well as a berth in the
Big Ten Football Championship Game. Ohio State was awarded the
Illibuck for the ninth consecutive time, which has been given out since 1925, making it the second oldest trophy between Big Ten football programs.
Urban Meyer is now 5–0 against the Illini, while this was Illinois coach
Lovie Smith's first game against the Buckeyes. The Buckeye offense came out and struck quickly by scoring on their first drive by a 25-yard
Mike Weber touchdown run. Ohio State's defense, matched the effort by forcing what would be the first of many three-and-outs. The following drive also resulted in a touchdown following a 6 play, 71-yard drive, capped by
J. T. Barrett's ninth rushing touchdown of the season. Ohio State would go on to score two more touchdowns in the first quarter, one by a pass from Barrett to
Binjimen Victor and the other by a 43-yard Weber run. Illinois would fail to convert a first down, giving the Buckeyes a 28–0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Ohio State was able to add a 33-year Sean Nuernberger field goal at the beginning of the second period, followed soon after by another OSU drive that ended with a
J. K. Dobbins touchdown run, which would be the last time the primary starters would see the game in the first half. Ohio State would fail to score on a drive for the first time during their last possession, while Illinois would gain their only first down of the opening half. Ohio State would go into halftime with a 38–0 lead as heavy rain began to fall. Ohio State's defense mounted another three-and-out to start the second half, but the offense was apparently effected by the rain when back-up quarterback
Dwayne Haskins fumbled the ball and it was returned 54-yards by Ahmari Hayes for Illinois' first score. Ohio State's offensive starters went back into the game but were forced to punt. Luckily for the Buckeyes, the punt was muffed and recovered by Ohio State that led to a Barrett touchdown pass to tight end
Marcus Baugh. Ohio State led 45–7 at this point and would be the last time the offensive starters saw the field. The teams traded punts to close out the third quarter. After a short performance by back-up quarterback,
Joe Burrow, Haskins went back in the game which resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass to Victor. The Illini would match the result with their only offensive touchdown on a 65-yard drive to make the score 52–14. Neither team would score again to make that the final. Ohio State would only allow three first downs and it was the sixth game of the season that they allowed less than 100 rushing yards and the fifth game they allowed less than 100 passing yards.
Game Statistics Game Leaders At Michigan The 114th edition of the
Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, colloquially known as
"The Game", took place at
Michigan Stadium between the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (10–2, 8–1) and the
Michigan Wolverines (8–4, 5–4). The No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines by a score of 31–20. Ohio State and Michigan both started off slowly by forcing three-and-outs on each team's opening drive before the Wolverines mounted a nearly six minute, 13-play, 77-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. Ohio State was again forced with another three-and-out that was followed by a Michigan drive that ended in a punt that pinned the Buckeye's deep. Ohio State was forced to punt and was returned 42-yards by Michigan wide receiver
Donovan Peoples-Jones, additionally, Ohio State committed a block in the back which gave the Wolverines the ball at the five-yard line. Michigan was able to take a 14–0 lead when quarterback
John O'Korn completed a three-yard pass to
Sean McKeon. Ohio State was held to −6 yard in the first quarter and was the first time since 2010 that Ohio State had been held to negative yardage in a quarter. The Ohio State offense and the rushing attack of
J. T. Barrett and
J. K. Dobbins came alive on the following drive when the two gained 71 yards on the ground that ended with a 21-yard Barrett touchdown run. Following a Michigan punt, Ohio State was able to move the ball again behind Barrett when he ran for 26 yards and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Marcus Baugh, tying the game at 14. Neither team would score again in the first half. Ohio State again started off slow by being forced to consecutive three-and-outs, while Michigan was able to score on a 2-yard
Karan Higdon touchdown run. Ohio State linebacker,
Chris Worley, was able to block the PAT and Michigan led 20–14. The Buckeyes answered back when Ohio State mounted a 78-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard Dobbins touchdown run. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, Barrett was injured during the drive and was forced out for the remainder of the game. RS Freshman,
Dwayne Haskins gained 24 yards on the ground and 31 in the air on the drive that gave the Buckeyes a one-point, 21–20 lead. The Wolverines were unable to capitalize on the following possession and Ohio State was able to tack on a 44-yard Sean Nuernberger field goal, increasing the lead to four. Michigan drove the ball 36-yards on their next possession, but turned the ball over on downs following an O'Korn sack and two additional incomplete passes. The Buckeyes drove again and Nuernberger missed only his third field goal of the season on a 43-yard attempt. The following play, O'Korn committed the only turnover of the game when he threw an interception to
Jordan Fuller. On Ohio State's next possession, Dobbins ran for 41 yards and
Mike Weber was able to seal the game by scoring a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:44 remaining in the game, to make what would be the final score, 31–20. Michigan coach
Jim Harbaugh dropped to 0–3 versus the Buckeyes, while
Urban Meyer moved to 6–0 against the Wolverines. The current winning streak is tied for the second-longest in the series and tied for the longest for Ohio State with the 2004–2009 games. J. T. Barrett became the only quarterback in the series history to have four wins versus the other and moved Ohio State into first place in the number of all-time Big Ten wins. Ohio State clinched their first outright divisional title since 2014 and faced Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State's ranking would remain unchanged in the AP Poll at No. 8 and they would move up one spot to No. 7 in the Coaches Poll.
Game Statistics Game Leaders ===Vs. No. 3 Wisconsin (
Big Ten Championship)=== The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (11–2, 8–1) defeated the No. 3
Wisconsin Badgers (12–1, 9–0) 27–21 at
Lucas Oil Stadium in the
Big Ten Championship. Urban Meyer is now 5–0 versus the Badgers, with two of the victories coming in overtime.
Paul Chryst fell to 0–2 versus the Buckeyes. This was Ohio State's third appearance in the Championship game and Wisconsin's fifth, including their second straight. The Badgers began the game with the ball and were forced to punt after a three-and-out with the reverse result happening on the Buckeyes' first possession as well. Wisconsin would then follow with a 55-yard drive that ended with an interception in Wisconsin's redzone thrown by
Alex Hornibrook to
Denzel Ward at OSU's 4-yard line.
J. T. Barrett would rush for a total of 12 yards before hitting
Terry McLaurin for an 84-yard touchdown pass giving the Buckeyes an early 7–0 lead. The pass from Barrett to McLaurin was the longest play committed against the Badgers' defense all season. The following Wisconsin drive lasted for 7 plays and 44 yards and a punt trapped the Buckeyes on their own two-yard line. Barrett would go on to throw an interception to Wisconsin linebacker
Andrew Van Ginkel that was returned for a touchdown, tying the game at 7–7. Ohio State would bounce back quickly and score on a Barrett to
Parris Campbell, 57-yard touchdown pass, once again regaining the lead 14–7 and bringing an end to the first quarter. Ohio State wand Wisconsin traded punts to open the second quarter, but the Buckeyes would strike again with a Barrett 1-yard touchdown run that was set up by a 77-yard rush by
J. K. Dobbins. On Ohio State's second possession of the second quarter,
Mike Weber would commit his first fumble of the year that was recovered by Van Ginkel that would lead to a 28-yard field goal, making the score 21–10 in favor of the Buckeyes. Ohio State would attempt to add to their lead, but Sean Nuernberger's 43-yard field goal was blocked as time expired. While Ohio State couldn't amount a drive to open the second half, Wisconsin was able to convert a 46-yard field goal to narrow the lead to 8, which was quickly matched by the Buckeyes thanks to a 53-yard Dobbins run and a 27-yard Nuernberger field goal. Punts were traded after several three-and-outs both teams until Wisconsin began an 11-play, 52-yard drive that started with a Barrett interception that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Chris James and a successful 2-point conversion. The score narrowed to 24–21 favoring Ohio State. The Buckeyes followed with a 15-play drive that took 5:20 off the clock and tacked on a 20-yard Ohio State field goal to increase the lead back to 6. The Buckeyes and the Badgers again traded punts and with 1:50 left in the game, Wisconsin would begin their final offensive drive. Wisconsin would secure two first downs bringing them to mid-field. A holding penalty on Wisconsin on first down would force a first and 20. Hornibrook would throw three incomplete passes until he threw an interception to Damon Webb. Ohio State was able to run out the clock and secure their 36th Big Ten Title.
J. K. Dobbins would be named the MVP of the game which was the first time a Freshman earned the award. He would also become the all-time leading Freshman rusher in Ohio State history, passing
Maurice Clarett. Ohio State would go on to be ranked No. 5 in the final CFP poll and miss the playoffs while Wisconsin would fall to No. 6. It was announced on December 3, that No. 5 Ohio State would face No. 8 USC in the
Cotton Bowl Classic.
Game Statistics Game Leaders ===Vs. No. 8 USC (
Cotton Bowl Classic)=== The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (12–2) defeated the No. 8
USC Trojans (11–3) 24–7 at
AT&T Stadium in
Arlington, Texas in the
Cotton Bowl Classic. This was the first time that the Buckeyes defeated the Trojans since 1974, which broke a seven-game USC win-streak. Ohio State and their Silver Bullet defense proved to be a tough match for USC. On the third play of the game, Ohio State's
Kendall Sheffield was able to strip the ball from USC wide receiver
Deontay Burnett which was recovered and advanced 20 yards by Ohio State's Damon Webb. This set up a short five-play drive that resulted in a
J. T. Barrett 1-yard touchdown run. Punts were traded a few times by both teams until the Buckeyes produced an 83-yard drive that tacked on a 26-yard Sean Nuernberger field goal at the beginning of the second quarter to five OSU a 10–0 lead. The following play,
Sam Darnold threw an interception to Ohio State's Damon Webb which was returned for a 23-yard touchdown giving the Buckeyes a 17–0 lead. Again, both teams traded punts and USC fumbled the ball which set up a 59-yard Buckeye drive that ended with a 28-yard Barrett touchdown run giving the Buckeyes a 24-point lead. USC was able to find the scoreboard in the second quarter when
K. J. Hill fumbled a punt return which set up a 15-yard drive, capped by a one-yard
Ronald Jones II touchdown run. The score at half would be 24–7 favoring Ohio State. Offensively, the Buckeyes remained quiet the second half by having all but one drive ending in a punt. USC was able to drive deep into Buckeye territory three times, but a missed field goal, a fumble and a failed fourth-down conversion didn't allow the Trojans to score any points. The final score would end as 24–7. Barrett and Webb were named the Offensive and Defensive MVPs respectively. Barrett also passed
Drew Brees for the Big Ten record of most offensive yards in a career.
Game Statistics Game Leaders ==Early departures==