COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Thousands of celebratory fans who stormed the field lingered in Ohio Stadium long after they had witnessed an instant classic in the history of one of the greatest rivalries in college football.

They wanted to soak in the moment after watching No. 2 Ohio State come back from a 10-point deficit after halftime to claim a 30-27 victory in double overtime over No. 3 Michigan in a Big Ten dogfight that lived up to the hype between two of college football's elite teams.

In the first overtime game in the 113-year history of the series, Curtis Samuel scored on a 15-yard run in the second overtime and the Buckeyes pulled out the win after they were outplayed most of the day.

"(I've) been a part of some crazy football games," Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett said. "That's number one."

Kenny Allen kicked a 37-yard field goal after Michigan failed to pick up a first down in the second overtime to give the Wolverines (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) a 27-24 lead.

Ohio State (11-1, 8-1) took possession and gambled on a fourth-and-1 from the 16-yard line. The Buckeyes eschewed a tying field goal attempt and Barrett barely picked up the first down that was confirmed by review.

"That stopped my heart for a second," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. "When the official said they're buzzing me for the spot, I thought, oh, my goodness."

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh vehemently disagreed with the spot and also was dismayed by the outcome.

"It wasn't a first down," Harbaugh said. "I'm bitterly disappointed in the officiating today. ... Can't make that any more clear."

On the next play, Samuel raced into the end zone to send fans pouring onto the field to unleash their emotions at the end of a tension-filled, drama-packed afternoon.

The Buckeyes captured a share of the Big Ten East Division championship and Meyer improved to 8-0 in his coaching career in overtime games.

Because of Ohio State's loss to Penn State in October, the Buckeyes will not go the Big Ten championship game next Saturday in Indianapolis despite having a better overall record. The Nittany Lions whipped Michigan State on Saturday to secure a title share and and win the tiebreaker with Ohio State based on their head-to-head meeting.

Nonetheless, the victory probably secured a place for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff despite it advances to the Big Ten title game.

"It's really out of our hands," Barrett said. "At this time, I think we are one of the top four teams in the country, personally, but I think that, like I said, it's up to the committee to do their thing. Hopefully, everything works out in our favor."

In the first overtime, Barrett scored on a 7-yard run and Michigan countered with a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from quarterback Wilson Speight to wide receiver Amara Darboh to tie the score 24-24. Darboh finished with a game-high eight catches for 68 yards.

The Buckeyes forced overtime by driving 77 yards in 13 plays to a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Durbin with one second remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 17-17.

Durbin missed a 21-yard attempt with 7:01 left in regulation that would have tied the score.

For most of the day, Ohio State's only offense was its defense.

In the third quarter, Speight's pass was picked off by linebacker Jerome Baker at the Michigan 35-yard line -- the Buckeyes' second interception of the day -- and returned 22 yards to the 13. Two penalties and two plays later, running back Mike Weber scored on a 1-yard dive to make it 17-14 with 1:30 to go in the third quarter.

Speight, a surprise starter after sitting out last week because of a shoulder injury, completed 23 of 36 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

"I feel like I let the defense down with the mistakes I made," Speight said. "It stings. But we had opportunities down the stretch and got into the second overtime, but I am not going to comment on the ref's calls at the end of the game."

The Buckeyes found it difficult to move the ball against Michigan's rock-solid defense, which was ranked No. 1 nationally in fewest points and yards allowed.

Barrett was 15 of 32 for 124 yards and one interception and was sacked eight times. But he ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries to lead all rushers.

"That's an instant classic between two great teams," Meyer said. "We knew going in it was going to be that way. That's one of the best defenses we've ever gone against."

NOTES: Ohio State S Malik Hooker's 16-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter was his third pix-six of the season and his sixth interception of the year. ... Attendance was an Ohio Stadium record 110,045. ... Some Ohio State players were wearing special cleats from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, an Ohio native and Buckeyes fan. The LeBron Soldier 10s were designed for The Game. ... James and his Cavaliers teammates attended the game.