1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
| 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
Big Ten co-champion Sugar Bowl champion | |
Sugar Bowl, W 24–14 vs. Texas A&M | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 2 |
| Record | 11–1 (7–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Jacobs (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Fred Pagac (3rd season) |
| MVP | Joe Germaine |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ohio State %+ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Wisconsin $+ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Michigan + | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Purdue | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Penn State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 8 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1998 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their eleventh year under head coach John Cooper, the Buckeyes compiled a 11–1 record (7–1 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie with Wisconsin and Michigan for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 506 to 130. Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes defeated No. 11 West Virginia, No. 21 Missouri, No. 7 Penn State, and No. 11 Michigan. Their sole loss was to unranked Michigan State, a November 7 loss that dropped the Buckeyes from No. 1 to No. 7 in the following week's AP poll. The Buckeyes concluded the season with a 24–14 victory over No. 8 Texas A&M in the 1999 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the final AP and Coaches polls.
The Buckeyes gained an average of 182.1 rushing yards and 279.5 passing yards per game. On defense, they gave up 61.8 rushing yards and 174.5 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included senior quarterback Joe Germaine (3,108 passing yards, 60.4% completion percentage), running back Michael Wiley (1,147 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry), wide receiver David Boston (74 receptions for 1,330 yards, 14 touchdowns), and kicker Dan Stultz (92 points scored on 50 of 51 extra points, 12 of 22 field goals). Cornerback Antoine Winfield was selected as a consensus first-team All-American. David Boston and safety Damon Moore also received first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and The Sporting News, respectively. Eight Ohio State players received first-team honors on the 1998 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Germaine; Wiley; Boston; Winfield; Moore; guard Rob Murphy; and linebackers Na'il Diggs and Andy Katzenmoyer.
The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.