This may have been one of Ohio State’s best bowl performances ever. The Buckeyes lost three straight games early in the regular season as sophomore quarterback Mike Tomczak struggled through his first year as a starter. But OSU rebounded in a big way to win its final seven games, including this pounding of 17th-ranked BYU.

Tailback Tim Spencer rolled up 167 yards on just 21 carries, including TD bolts of 61 and 18 yards. The Buckeyes posted 477 yards of total offense, 345 on the ground and outscored the Cougars 30-7 in the second half.

Although Ohio State finished the season ranked 12th in the polls with a 9-3 record, a 24-14 beating of Michigan and this win had some arguing the Buckeyes were the nation’s hottest team at year’s end.