I watched that game live - it was the first broadcast carried by the main Big Ten Network feed (I believe YSU-Ohio State was on the alternate feed, feel free to correct me on this one YSU folks), and dweeby teenaged me was already fascinated by what it meant for the sport. The fact that the game itself was incredibly compelling definitely helped.

After this one, the bottom fell out of the Big Ten for the next five or so years, and its nadir was the 2011 Illinois-Penn State game, which was both Joe Paterno's last game as a coach and an event that set the sport back to when he started coaching in 1950. For our division it was like a hit of rocket fuel. I don't think the boost has petered out yet.