College Football Old School Game of the Week: Spartans Deny Buckeyes National Title Game Berth with Big 10 Champ Game Upset

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio celebrates with the Big 10 championship trophy after his Spartans upset Ohio State in the 2013 Big 10 Championship Game.

Since their inception in 1992, college football conference championship games have often been the make-or-break for a team's hopes of playing for a national championship in the bowl games that are played in the first few days of January.

That was such the case in the 2013 Big 10 Championship Game when the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Indianapolis to play the Michigan State Spartans with a spot in the National Championship Game on the line for the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes came into the Big 10 Championship Game ranked #2 in the country behind #1 Florida State with a 12-0 record having won the Big 10 Legends division to earn a spot in the Big 10 Championship Game.

The Buckeyes were led by head coach Urban Meyer, who after taking a year off following a six-year tenure at the University of Florida where he won two national championships, became the Ohio State head coach for the 2012 season, taking over from interim head coach Luke Fickell, who had taken over for Jim Tressel who had resigned prior to the 2011 season because of NCAA infractions.

Those infractions would ban the Buckeyes from the 2012 postseason as the team went undefeated under Meyer and quarterback Braxton Miller who ran for 1,271 yards while throwing for 2,039 yards during that season which was followed up with another undefeated regular season in 2013 as Ohio State won its first 24 games since Meyer became the head coach.

All the Buckeyes needed to do was defeat Michigan State and they would secure a spot in the BCS National Championship Game to be played in Pasadena.

While the Buckeyes had hopes of playing for the national championship in Pasadena, the Spartans had ropes of playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1987 as Michigan State came into the game ranked #10 in the country with a 11-1 record having won the Big 10 Leaders division.

It was the second division title under head coach Mark Dantonio, who had been the Spartans' head coach since 2007, having led Michigan State to bowl games in each of his prior six seasons and had complied two seasons of at least 10 wins in 2010 + 11.

On the field, the Spartans were led by sophomore quarterback Connor Cook and a stout defense that had given up only 141 points during the regular season.

Even though a loss would probably still allow them to play in the Rose Bowl as they would presumably be the Big Ten's highest ranked team after Ohio State, the Spartans were looking for redemption as they had lost a heartbreaker to Wisconsin in the inaugural Big 10 title game two years earlier.

The Spartans got the ball to start the game as they would move 47 yards in 14 plays on a drive that was extended twice by Ohio State pass interference penalties on 3rd down pass that fell incomplete.

Michael Geiger would kick a 40-yard field goal to cap off the six and a half minute drive to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead as the two teams would trade punts for the rest of the first quarter.

Then on the first play of the second quarter, Cook would find Keith Mumphrey on a corner route as the junior wide receiver would turn the play into a 72-yard touchdown to extend the Spartans' lead to 10-0.

Spartans quarterback Conner Cook completed 24 of 40 passes for 303 yards and threw three touchdown passes in his MVP performance.

After an Ohio State punt, the Spartans got the ball back at their 34-yard-line as two runs by running back Jeremy Langford collected seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Cook connected with wide receiver Aaron Burbridge for 14 yards, then with Mumphrey for 12 more, before firing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Tony Lippett to increase the Michigan State lead to 17-0 with 9:01 to go in the second quarter.

Desperately needing a spark, the Buckeyes would get it on the second play of their ensuing possession as Miller escaped a sack and ran 48 yards to the Michigan State 34-yard-line as Miller would end the 5-play, 84-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Philly Brown to put Ohio State on the scoreboard for the first time in the game.

The two teams would exchange punts until 1:23 left in the first half when the Buckeyes got the ball at their 36-yard-line with a drive that got off to an auspicious start as Miller was sacked for a six-yard loss by Spartans linebacker Max Bullough and defensive end Shilique Calhoun.

However, the Buckeyes would get out of the hole as Miller ran for 15 yards on the next play which was followed by an eight-yard run for Hyde to pick up an Ohio State 1st down at Michigan State 47-yard-line.

Miller would complete a 36-yard pass to tight end Jeff Heuerman to help set a 28-yard field goal by Drew Basil as time expired in the first half with the Buckeyes trailing 17-10 as Ohio State would get the ball to start the second half.

The Buckeyes would use their running game to drive down the field on their first possession of the second half as three runs by Hyde for 27 yards and a 24-yard run by Miller put Ohio State at the Michigan State 19-yard-line when disaster nearly struck as Devin Smith fumbled the ball after catching a 11-yard pass from Miller only for Smith to fall on the ball at the Spartans' eight-yard-line.

On the next play from scrimmage, Miller would run it in for an eight-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game a 17 with 12:21 remaining in the third quarter.

The Spartans looked to respond on their next possession as they drove from their 29-yard-line to their 47-yard-line until Cook was intercepted by Buckeyes safety C.J. Barnett to give the Buckeyes the ball at the Michigan State 48-yard-line.

But the Buckeyes could not take advantage of the interception as the Spartans' defense would force an Ohio State punt to give their offense the ball back at their four-yard-line.

Following a Michigan State three-and-out, the Buckeyes got the ball back at the Spartans' 44-yard-line as the Ohio State offense would run the ball on five straight plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes their first lead of the game at 24-17 with 5:36 left in the third quarter.

Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller threw for 101 yards and a touchdown while running for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Having seen their 17-point lead disappeared, the Spartans needed to get their offense moving again which they did when Langford exploded for a 34-yard run on the first play of Michigan State's ensuing possession to give the Spartans a 1st down at the Ohio State 41-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up eight yards, the Spartans were faced with a 4th & 2 situation when Dantonio decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Cook kept the ball and ran for six yards to give Michigan State a fresh set of downs at the Buckeyes' 27-yard-line.

Three straight incomplete passes would lead to Geiger coming on to kick a 44-yard field goal which barely made over the crossbar to cut the Buckeyes' lead to 24-20 with 2:29 left in the third quarter.

Following an Ohio State punt, the Spartans would begin their next possession at their 10-yard-line with a 12-yard pass from Cook to Bennie Fowler which was followed by an 48-yard pass from Cook to Macgarrett Kings, that despite having 10 yards given up because of an illegal block penalty, put Michigan State in Ohio State territory at the Buckeyes' 40-yard-line.

Six plays later, Cook found tight end Josiah Price wide open in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown to put Michigan State back on top at 27-24 with 11:41 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Buckeyes would get great field position to start their next drive as the Spartans attempted a squib kick in hopes of recovering it only for Ohio State to recover it at its 41-yard-line.

However, the Buckeyes would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Spartans who picked up one 1st down before punting it back to Ohio State, who would once again get great field position as linebacker Ryan Shazier would partially block Mike Sandler's punt to give the Buckeyes the ball at the Michigan State 47-yard-line.

Three consecutive running plays gained eight yards to set up 4th & 2 when Meyer decided to go for the 1st down only for Spartans linebacker Denicos Allen tackle Miller for no gain to give Michigan State the ball at its 39-yard-line with 5:41 left in regulation.

Langford would run for 16 yards to begin the drive which was followed by the junior running back being stopped for no gain as Cook would complete back-to-back passes for 11 yards to give the Spartans a 1st down at the Ohio State 34-yard-line.

After an eight-yard run to make it 2nd & 2, Langford would get the ball again as he bursted through the Buckeyes' defense to score on a 26-yard touchdown run to increase the Spartans' lead to 34-24 with 2:16 left in regulation.

Needing a miracle to keep their national championship hopes alive, the Buckeyes next possession would begin with a 12-yard run by Miller, only to be followed by four straight incomplete passes to give the ball back to the Spartans who would run out the clock to come away with the 34-24 win to send Michigan State to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 26 years.

Spartans running back Jeremy Langford finished 128 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown.

The loss snapped Ohio State's 24-game winning streak and dropped them to #7 in the rankings as the Buckeyes would be invited to play in the Orange Bowl where they would face the Clemson Tigers with a chance to end their season on a high note.

But the Buckeyes would fall to the Tigers by the score of 40-35 as their 2013 season would end with Ohio State finishing with a 12-2 record and #10 final ranking in the coaches poll while finishing #12 in the final AP poll.

As for the Spartans, they would go on to face the Stanford Cardinal in the 100th playing of the Rose Bowl as linebackers Kyler Elsworth and Darien Harris would stop Stanford running back Ryan Hewitt for no gain on a 4th & 1 with 1:46 to go in the game to preserve Michigan State's 24-20 victory to give the Spartans their school record 13th win and #3 ranking in both the final AP and coaches polls.