COLUMBUS, Ohio – An undefeated Ohio State will march into the Big House on Saturday, and if history is any indication of the result, Ohio State’s outlooks are looking favorable.

This game will mark the 16th time since 1950 that Ohio State has gone into the Michigan game with an undefeated record. In the previous instances, the Buckeyes hold a 10-4-1 record, with most those losses coming in the ‘90s. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will hope to act more like the teams in the last 20 years than those of the John Cooper era in order to keep their championship aspirations in clear view.

Before Saturday’s game is added to the history books, let’s take a look back at some of the more memorable games in which the Buckeyes had to defend an undefeated season.

The only time Ohio State rolled into The Game undefeated in the '50s was in 1954. Woody Hayes was entering his fourth year as Ohio State’s head coach, and he and the Buckeyes had championship aspirations on their minds.

Behind Howard Cassidy and Bobby Watkins, Ohio State was able to fend off the 6-2 Wolverines in Columbus, winning the game 21-7. The Buckeyes would go on to win the Rose Bowl over USC and become national champions.

The ’60s would see three undefeated teams led by Hayes make it to the Michigan game. In 1961, the Buckeyes would storm the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Hayes’s group would win the game 50-20 before going on to claim another national title.

In 1968, the Buckeyes would claim another title after routing the Wolverines 50-14. Jim Otis and Rex Kern would dominate Michigan on the ground, combining for 239 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

The following year, the Wolverines were finally able to get the best of Hayes and his undefeated Buckeyes. No. 12 Michigan was able to enact revenge to the tune of 24-12. The Buckeyes would be picked off six times on the day, and Hayes’s 22-game win streak would be snapped.

Undefeated Ohio State teams would go 3-0-1 against Michigan in the ‘70s. Only one of the four matchups would take place in Columbus, where the Buckeyes would dispatch the Wolverines 20-9, avenging the loss the previous year.

The most significant of the matchups came in 1973. No. 1 Ohio State rolled into Ann Arbor with a 10-0 record to face off against No. 4 Michigan, who was also without a loss. The greatly anticipated game ended on an odd note, however, as the two rivals would end the game in a 10-10 tie. The Buckeyes would gain all 234 yards on the ground, with Archie Griffin tallying 163 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

The 1973 team would go on to beat USC 42-21 in the Rose Bowl, but the following two teams in 1975 and 1979 would lose the Rose Bowl and their undefeated seasons after defeating Michigan. The 1979 team was led by first-year Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce.

With the 1980s being devoid of any matchups featuring an unbeaten Ohio State or Michigan team, the ‘90s needed to make up for lost time. Three times the Buckeyes would enter The Game undefeated in the decade, and the Buckeyes were denied every time. What became the legacy of Cooper, his teams were capable of greatness but unable to overcome Michigan.

The most egregious loss came in 1993; the No. 5 Buckeyes were shut out 28-0 by a 6-4 Michigan team in Ann Arbor. The other instances saw a No. 2 Ohio State team fall to a three-loss Michigan team. The highest ranked Michigan team to defeat the Buckeyes in those three games was in 1995 when the Wolverines came in at 18th in the country.

After surviving the dark years of the rivalry, the Buckeyes saw better days in the following decade.

In 2002, Jim Tressel would lead a 12-0 Ohio State team into The Game in only his second year. No. 12 Michigan would outgain the Buckeyes by 104 yards in Columbus, but Ohio State’s ability to convert drives into touchdowns rather than field goals decided the game. The Buckeyes would win 14-9 and go on to win the National Championship over Miami.

In 2006, No. 1 Ohio State played host to No. 2 Michigan. In what may have been the most anticipated matchup in the rivalry’s history, the Buckeyes were able to win the shootout 42-39. The Buckeyes were able to eclipse 500 yards of total offense, and Troy Smith was the catalyst of the offensive explosion. Smith, who would go on to win the Heisman, would pass for 316 yards in four touchdowns in the victory.

In the last decade, Urban Meyer would lead two undefeated teams against the Wolverines, and the games came in his first two years at the helm. Obviously with his 7-0 record against Michigan, Meyer’s teams would win both games.

Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller would each topple the 100-yard rushing mark in the 2011 game in order to secure a 26-21 victory in Columbus, The following year, an offensive explosion between the two rivals would take place, and a Tyvis Powell interception on a late two-point conversion would save the season for the Buckeyes. This game would mark the last win of Meyer’s 24-game win streak to open his career at Ohio State.