Conference record book

Big Ten Conference Top 25 Games of the 1970s

The best games involving a Big Ten member at the time of kickoff, ranked without favoring either side.

Games: 25
Top score: 82/100
Overtime: 0

National ranking

The conference's top 25

25 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.

1979PostseasonNeutral site
Ohio State vs. USC
Ohio State 16, USC 17
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 3 USC · 1-point margin
Ranking 48/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
82
Game score
1973Week 13
Michigan at Ohio State
Michigan 10, Ohio State 10
Conference game
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 3 Ohio State · 0-point margin
Ranking 45/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
80
Game score
1977Week 4
Oklahoma at Ohio State
Oklahoma 29, Ohio State 28
Nonconference
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Ohio State · 1-point margin
Ranking 45/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
79
Game score
1974Week 12
Michigan at Ohio State
Michigan 10, Ohio State 12
Conference game
No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 4 Ohio State · 2-point margin
Ranking 45/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
78
Game score
1974PostseasonNeutral site
Ohio State vs. USC
Ohio State 17, USC 18
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 5 USC · 1-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
78
Game score
1975Week 12
Ohio State at Michigan
Ohio State 21, Michigan 14
Conference game
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Michigan · 7-point margin
Ranking 47/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
75
Game score
1976PostseasonNeutral site
Michigan vs. USC
Michigan 6, USC 14
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 USC · 8-point margin
Ranking 47/50 · Closeness 27/35 · Overtime 0/15
74
Game score
1978PostseasonNeutral site
Michigan vs. USC
Michigan 10, USC 17
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 3 USC · 7-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
72
Game score
1972Week 12
Michigan at Ohio State
Michigan 11, Ohio State 14
Conference game
No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 9 Ohio State · 3-point margin
Ranking 40/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
72
Game score
1976Week 5
Ohio State at UCLA
Ohio State 10, UCLA 10
Nonconference
No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 5 UCLA · 0-point margin
Ranking 37/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
72
Game score
1975PostseasonNeutral site
Michigan vs. Oklahoma
Michigan 6, Oklahoma 14
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 3 Oklahoma · 8-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 27/35 · Overtime 0/15
71
Game score
Full Game · 1975 Oklahoma vs. Michigan (Bowl Full Game)
1975Week 3
Penn State at Ohio State
Penn State 9, Ohio State 17
Nonconference
No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 3 Ohio State · 8-point margin
Ranking 42/50 · Closeness 27/35 · Overtime 0/15
69
Game score
1976Week 3
Ohio State at Penn State
Ohio State 12, Penn State 7
Nonconference
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Penn State · 5-point margin
Ranking 39/50 · Closeness 30/35 · Overtime 0/15
69
Game score
1979Week 3
Notre Dame at Michigan
Notre Dame 12, Michigan 10
Nonconference
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Michigan · 2-point margin
Ranking 36/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
69
Game score
1970Week 13
Michigan at Ohio State
Michigan 9, Ohio State 20
Conference game
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 2 Ohio State · 11-point margin
Ranking 43/50 · Closeness 24/35 · Overtime 0/15
67
Game score
1977Week 12
Ohio State at Michigan
Ohio State 6, Michigan 14
Conference game
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Michigan · 8-point margin
Ranking 40/50 · Closeness 27/35 · Overtime 0/15
67
Game score
1979Week 12
Ohio State at Michigan
Ohio State 18, Michigan 15
Conference game
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 16 Michigan · 3-point margin
Ranking 34/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
66
Game score
1976Week 4
Missouri at Ohio State
Missouri 22, Ohio State 21
Nonconference
No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 8 Ohio State · 1-point margin
Ranking 32/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
66
Game score
1971PostseasonNeutral site
Michigan vs. Stanford
Michigan 12, Stanford 13
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 16 Stanford · 1-point margin
Ranking 32/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
66
Game score
1971Week 3
Colorado at Ohio State
Colorado 20, Ohio State 14
Nonconference
No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 6 Ohio State · 6-point margin
Ranking 36/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 0/15
65
Game score
1970PostseasonNeutral site
Ohio State vs. Stanford
Ohio State 17, Stanford 27
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Stanford · 10-point margin
Ranking 38/50 · Closeness 25/35 · Overtime 0/15
63
Game score
1977PostseasonNeutral site
Michigan vs. Washington
Michigan 20, Washington 27
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 13 Washington · 7-point margin
Ranking 35/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
63
Game score
1975PostseasonNeutral site
Ohio State vs. UCLA
Ohio State 10, UCLA 23
Postseason · Neutral site
No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 11 UCLA · 13-point margin
Ranking 40/50 · Closeness 22/35 · Overtime 0/15
62
Game score
1979Week 11
Michigan at Purdue
Michigan 21, Purdue 24
Conference game
No. 13 Michigan vs. No. 12 Purdue · 3-point margin
Ranking 27/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
59
Game score
1975Week 3
Michigan at Stanford
Michigan 19, Stanford 19
Nonconference
No. 2 Michigan vs. Unranked Stanford · 0-point margin
Ranking 24/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
59
Game score

Methodology

How each game earns up to 100 points

AP ranking, 50 points: each team earns 26 minus its game-time AP rank. Unranked teams receive zero.

Closeness, 35 points: the final margin is subtracted from 35, with margins of 35 or more receiving zero.

Overtime, 15 points: overtime starts at nine points and rises by two per additional period, capped at 15.

Conference inclusion comes from each team's conference ID stored on the game row, so later realignment never rewrites history. Regular-season AP ranks come from the game's week; postseason ranks use the final regular-season poll before bowl and playoff results.