6. Ohio State defeats Michigan State on the road
This was the game that showed the rest of the country that Ohio State was a different team than they were against Virginia Tech. Ohio State was looking for revenge from the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game that ended their dreams of going to the national championship in the final year of the BCS.
Michigan State was ranked 7th and was favored to win the game. After the first quarter, it looked like the Buckeyes might fall. The Spartans were up 14-7 after one quarter. Soon, the Buckeyes turned it on and didn't look back. They scored 21 points in the second quarter and took a 28-24 halftime lead.
Ohio State added to that lead and pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading 42-24 early in that final quarter. Ultimately, they would win the game 49-37 and really show the rest of the country that they meant business. That final quarter was never close.
After this game, the CFP Committee took notice. They moved the Buckeyes from 14th all the way up to 8th in the rankings the following week. All of a sudden, they had a path to make the CFP. They would need some help from Baylor and TCU to get there though.
I think this is the win that gave the team confidence that they would make a run at the CFP too. After this game, they didn't score fewer than 42 points for the rest of the season. They played like they knew they were the better team on the field, regardless of who they were playing.
Our next memory is about The Game and the actual result of it.