The 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl featured the ninth-ranked Auburn Tigers, and the 20th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. It was the fourth edition to the Hall of Fame Bowl.
Ohio State scored first following a 1-yard touchdown run from Carlos Snow opening up a 7–0 lead. Auburn's Win Lyle kicked a 19-yard field goal, and Ohio State led 7–3 after one quarter. In the second quarter, Ohio State's Greg Frey connected with Brian Stablein from nine yards out to take a 14–3 lead. Reggie Slack threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Greg Taylor as Ohio State took a 14–10 lead to halftime.
In the third quarter, Slack and Taylor connected on another 4-yard touchdown pass, as Auburn took a 17–14 lead. In the fourth quarter, Slack scored on a 5-yard touchdown run opening a 24–14 Auburn lead. A 2-yard touchdown pass from Slack to Herbert Casey made the final margin 31–14 in favor of Auburn.
