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Pete
Fiutak
Q:
The ten greatest regular season games of all-time were ...
A:
This is always fun. No sport has a more important regular season
than college football, so the excitement level is always jacked up for
the biggest of the big games. Normally these rankings are done on
meaning and importance, but here, I put as much of a premium on the
exciting battles.
The games that just missed the cut (in order of how close they
came). They all belong on the list....
- Notre Dame 31
... Florida State 24
November 13, 1993
- Georgia
Tech 41 ... Virginia 38 November
3, 1990
-
USC 21 ... UCLA 20 November
18, 1967
-
Boston College 41
... Notre Dame 39
November 20, 1993
- Princeton
21 ... Chicago 18 October
28, 1922
- Georgia
26 ... Florida 21 December
2, 1980
The top ten ...
10. Harvard 29 ... Yale 29 November 23, 1968
This is one of the most endearing games of all-time
since it fuels the imagination for everyone who dreams of being called out of
nowhere to become a star in the biggest situation imaginable. Both
Harvard and Yale were undefeated and playing for the Ivy League
title. Down 22-0 late in
the first half and with its offense going nowhere, Harvard replaced starting quarterback
George Latich with Frank Champi, who had thrown for 46 yards on the
season. He immediately sparked the Crimson as he threw a 15-yard
touchdown pass with only 39 seconds to go in the first half, and led a
scoring drive early in the second half culminating with a Gus Crim
scoring run to narrow the lead to 22-13. After Yale and its star
quarterback Brian Dowling scored to take a 29-13 lead with just
under eleven minutes to play, all seemed hopeless for the Crimson. Champi responded with an 86-yard drive ending
with a 16-yard TD pass with only 42 seconds to play. Crim ran for
the two-point conversion to get Harvard within eight. On the ensuing
onside kick, Yale lined up in a normal kick return formation and
bobbled it leading to a Harvard recovery. With three seconds to play, Champi hit
captain Vic Gatto with a pass deep in the end zone to pull within
two, and then completed the two-point conversion to give the Crimson a
miraculous tie preserving the Crimson's first unbeaten season
since 1920 finishing 8-0-1. The Harvard student newspaper ran the
classic headline "Harvard Wins 29-29."
9. Army 0 ... Notre Dame 0 November 9, 1946
In Yankee Stadium, the nation's two best teams, who each came into
the game averaging over 30 points per game, were locked in a defensive
struggle. Army marched six times inside the Irish 30-yard line, but Notre Dame held tough
time and again. Army QB/DB Arnold Tucker was the star
of the game
intercepting three Irish passes including one that wiped out one of the best
Irish scoring threats of the day. Notre Dame, led by star
quarterback Johnny Lujack,
only got across midfield three times all day, but the defensive effort by
the Irish, also led by Lujack, was able to match Army's defensive
performance.
After Tucker's interception, Mr. Inside, Doc Blanchard, took off around
the right side, but was barely tripped up by a game-saving tackle by Lujack
to keep the game scoreless. This halted Army's 25-game winning streak.
8. Boston College 47 ... Miami 45 November 23, 1984
Yes, we all know about, arguably, the most famous play
in college football history, the Doug Flutie-to-Gerard Phelan Hail
Mary. This game was so much more. In a game that would resemble a pinball
game, the points were flying fast and furious in windy and rainy
conditions. Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar threw for 447 yards and
two touchdowns while UM running back Melvin Bratton ran for 134
yards and four scores including what appeared to be the game-winning
run with 28 seconds to play. Down 45-41 and 48 yards away, Flutie scrambled to his right,
narrowly averted a sack, and then let it fly. He let it go from around his own 37-yard line
which means the 5-9 QB chucked it 63+ yards after already throwing
the ball 45 times and scrambling around all game long. Amazingly enough,
Gerard Phelan had gotten behind the Miami secondary, adjusted to the
throw, and made the miraculous catch.
7. SMU 20 ... TCU 14
November 30, 1935
This game had as much hype as there had ever been for a Southwest Conference
game. When it was over, it was dubbed the Game of the First Half
of the Century. 10-0, No. 1 SMU had the great running back Bobby Wilson
while 10-0, No. 2 TCU boasted All-America quarterback Sammy Baugh. Wilson started off the scoring
with a nine-yard touchdown run. He put the Mustangs up 14-0 on his
second touchdown of the game. Baugh was able to fight to get the Horned Frogs back
into the game early in
the fourth quarter tying it at 14. On the drive following Baugh's game-tying touchdown
pass, Wilson, all 147 pounds of him, converted on a fourth-and-seven
catching a fake 36-yard punt from Bob Finley. On the play, Wilson
dove, caught it on the four-yard line, and then rolled into the end zone for
score. Baugh came close to leading TCU to scores on two late drives, but
both fizzled out and SMU ended up winning the national title.
6. Miami 26 ... Florida State 25 October 3, 1987
The Hurricanes
were ranked third in the nation and was firmly entrenched as a college
football powerhouse at this point. Florida State was ranked number four
and was starting to establish itself as one of the best programs in the
nation.
Down
25-19 with 2:32 to play, Miami quarterback Steve Walsh audibled out of a short pass and
floated a throw up the right sideline hitting Michael Irvin in perfect
stride for a 73-yard touchdown. FSU quarterback Danny McManus got
the ball back needing to go 75 yards for a touchdown, and he came
through lofting a perfect pass to Ronald Lewis, who made a diving catch
in the back of the end zone while dragging his feet to pull within one.
Even though the Seminole kicking game had been miserable all day,
head Bobby Bowden didn't hesitate to send Derek Schmidt out on the
field for the tie. Bowden had said before the game that if it came
down to it, he'd kick the extra point and take the tie instead of
going for two, but McManus and the other FSU players lobbied furiously
to go for two and the win. An underthrown McManus pass was broken up
in the right corner of the end zone and the Canes had the win on the way
to the national title.
5. Notre Dame 10 ... Michigan State 10 November 19, 1966
The No. 1 ranked Irish and No. 2 ranked Spartans battled and bruised
each other to no avail. Star Irish quarterback Terry Hanrattay was knocked out after getting
crushed in the first quarter by Spartan defensive lineman Bubba Smith.
Starting Notre Dame running back Nick Eddy was out after hurting
his shoulder getting off the train in East Lansing.
Even without their
stars, the Irish found themselves tied 10-10 with the ball on their
30-yard line with time to go for the touchdown, or at least a game-winning
field goal. But head coach Ara Parseghian elected to run the clock out and
take the tie to the disappointment of football fans everywhere.
4.
Notre Dame 31 ... Miami 30 October 15, 1988
The No. 1 ranked Hurricanes came into South Bend with the swagger of a
defending national champion. The Canes had little trouble with the Irish
over the previous years winning 24-0 in 1987 and 58-7 in 1985, but this
was a new Irish team. The
Hurricanes would overcome the crowd and a controversial Cleveland Gary
fumble in the end zone as Steve Walsh moved the ball with
little trouble on the team's final drive. On fourth down, Walsh threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to pull
the Canes to within
one point with 45 seconds to play. Head coach Jimmy Johnson could've
kicked the extra point and would've still been the team to beat for the
national title, but he chose to go for the win. Miami's two-point attempt was denied when Notre Dame's Pat Terrell knocked down Walsh's
desperate try, and the Irish went on to win the national championship.
3. Nebraska
35 ... Oklahoma 31, November 25, 1971
I always get yelled at whenever I underrank this game, but I just
watched it again a few weeks ago and it just doesn't compare to the top
games on my list.
For months, the hype for this game was more than simply fodder
for sports fans. It became a national event, and the game
itself more than lived up to the hype. By many opinions, this
remains the Game of the Century and a favorite in the hearts
of many old-time fans. It was No. 1 Nebraska traveling to face No.
2 Oklahoma with the defending national champion Huskers coming in on a
29-game winning streak on Thanksgiving day and all the sports world
watching. 55 million homes were tuned in. With 7:05 to play and 74-yards away
with 7:05 left to play, the Huskers marched to the end zone highlighted
by a big third down catch and run from eventual Heisman Trophy winner,
Johnny Rogers. Bruising running back Jeff Kinney pounded it in for the
lead and his fourth touchdown of the day, and then the defense held to preserve the historic victory.
2. USC 34 ... Notre Dame 31,
October 15, 2005
Matt Leinart twisted and turned his way in for a one-yard
touchdown run with three seconds to play to cap a wild finish. Notre Dame's
Brady Quinn stretched out his arm for a five-yard touchdown with just
over two minutes to play for a 31-28 Notre Dame lead, but there was too
much time left on the clock. USC's final drive
was bogging down, but Leinart called an audible on 4th and nine and
connected with Dwayne Jarrett for a 61-yard pass. Three plays later, USC
got to the two and was able to stop the clock on a Reggie Bush run for a
first down, but didn't have any timeouts left. Leinart scrambled and
dove to the end zone, and was stopped just short. Fans and players
rushed the field as time ran out, but few saw the ball get knocked out
of bounds giving USC second and goal from the one with seven seconds
left. With USC head coach Pete Carroll and the coaches signaling to
spike the ball, Leinart took the snap and got in for the score. Bush
scored three touchdowns on runs of 36, 45 and nine yards, and LenDale
White ran for a three-yard touchdown. Notre Dame's top highlight came
on a bruising 60-yard punt return for a touchdown from Tom Zbikowski.
1. Texas
15 ... Arkansas 14
December 6, 1969
I always argue that this is among the most underrated games of all-time
in terms of excitement and importance. Most still call the 1971
Nebraska-Oklahoma classic the greatest game of all-time, but this was
simply a more entertaining game (at least to me). It
was No. 1 Texas, winner of 18 straight vs. No. 2 Arkansas, winner of
15 straight in the showpiece game in college football's 100-year
anniversary. It was a game that received almost unprecedented national
hype when it was moved from October 18th to December 6rh
to give it more of a national audience. It worked as the move made the
showdown the
focus of the entire sporting world doing a television rating of a 50
share. In other words, half the TV sets in the country were on this game.
The game was given even a loftier status when a helicopter carried in
President Richard Nixon, who had said he would name the winner of this
game the national
champion. Arkansas took a 14-0 lead,
and then Texas quarterback James Street began a great fourth quarter by
running for a
42-yard touchdown and converted the two-point conversion. On fourth and three late in the game, Street hit Randy
Peschel for a 44-yard play called 53 veer pass. The pass was a shock
from the hard-core running team and would've caused a colossal controversy
if it didn't work. Jim Bertelson scored on a two-yard run to tie things
up. The conversion from Happy Feller put Texas up 15-14 with just under
four minutes to play. Arkansas wasn't finished as the offense marched
down the field making it all but certain that the game would come down
to a game-deciding field goal attempt, but the Longhorns won the game,
and the national title, when they intercepted a Bill Montgomery pass
with 1:22 to play on their 21.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
The ten greatest regular season games of all-time were ...
A:
10. Northwestern 54 ... Michigan 51,
Nov. 4, 2000
Maybe more than any other game in league history, this classic
shootout declared the Big Ten as much more than just hulking linemen
and three yards and a cloud of dust. The game was the scene of
almost 1,200 yards of total offense and wasn’t decided until Zak
Kustok found Sam Simmons with 20 seconds left. It was a wildly
entertaining game, and easily one of the biggest wins in
Northwestern history. Best of all, those gaudy numbers were grown
organically, without the artificial inflation that comes with five
or six overtimes.
9. Georgia 26 ... Florida 21, Nov. 8, 1980
This game was arguably the best Cocktail Party ever—that alone would
put in the Top 25. Factor in a memorable day from a freshman named
Herschel Walker and a spectacular 93-yard, game-winning catch and
run from Georgia’s Lindsay Scott, and you’ve got the ingredients for
one of the ten bets games of all-time. The Dawgs would go on to a
perfect season and a national championship, which gives the
come-from-behind even more historical relevance.
8. California 25 ... Stanford 20, Nov. 20, 1982
The 1982 version of this long-standing rivalry was already a good
game, but it was the final play that stamps it as one of the most
memorable in college football history. In what’s probably the
zaniest, most unthinkable finishes in the annals of the sport, Cal
turned the final kickoff into a rugby match, lateralling the ball
long enough for Kevin Moen to find a seam in the tuba section and
sprint into the end zone for a miraculous game-winning score. We’ve
seen plenty of games end on a Hail Mary, but for sheer sports
novelty and excitement, we may never again witness a finish this
unique.
7. Notre Dame 31 ... Florida State 24, Nov. 13 1993
As luck would have it, the best regular season game of the decade
happened to fall on the day I got hitched. The things we do for
love. The overwhelming majority of the men chose the bar with the
TV over lots of free food, a testament to how meaningful this game
was between the No. 1 ‘Noles and No. 2 Irish. Like the cocktail
hour, the game lived up to the hype and kept Notre Dame fans holding
their collective breaths until Charlie Ward’s bid for the tie was
batted away in the Irish end zone.
6. Texas 15 ... Arkansas 14, Dec. 6, 1969
Naturally, I’ve only seen this game on Classic Sports, but as a
historian of college football, it’s easy to recognize the
significance of a rivalry game between the nation’s top two teams.
The game received an unprecedented amount of attention, creating an
unbelievable national buzz that would compare to one of today’s
Super Bowls. The ‘Horns scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth
quarter and squelched a late Hog rally to remain unbeaten and cop
the 1969 national championship.
5. Boston College 47 ... Miami 45, Nov. 23, 1984
At its best, sports can have a magical quality about it. And that
was never more evident than when Doug Flutie’s heave found Gerard
Phelan’s chest at the end of the Miami game. It was one of the
greatest finishes ever of a college game, but this was much more
than a single play. Miami and BC went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes,
putting up all kinds of numbers in awful conditions. Even before
the miracle finale, it was vintage Flutie, who threw for 476 yards
and three scores, and ended any speculation over who would win the
1984 Heisman Trophy.
4. Miami 26 ... Florida State 25, Oct. 3, 1987
It started slowly, but wound up being one of the most compelling and
dramatic final two quarters of college football. It was Miami and
Florida State, which meant gobs of talent and instant hatred on both
sidelines and in both cities. The ‘Noles jumped out to a big lead,
but the ‘Canes battled back and took a 26-19 lead in the waning
minutes on Steve Walsh’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin.
Danny McManus drove Florida State 75 yards for what appeared to be
the equalizer, but the ‘Noles went for the win, and the two-point
conversion failed. It was vintage Miami-Florida State in a game that
set the standard for this rivalry.
3. USC 34 ... Notre Dame 31, Oct. 15, 2005
The energy for this game was palpable from the Friday night pep
rally right up until kickoff in South Bend. It just felt
like a one-for-the-ages match up, and it failed to disappoint. It
was also the first time in years that a game between these long-time
rivals really mattered on a national scale. The last five minutes
pulsated like mad with three lead changes, an absolutely perfect
61-yard, fourth down toss from Matt Leinart to Dwayne Jarrett and
Leinart’s plunge to win the game with the three seconds left. Just
an insane finish to a great football game. USC left South Bend with
its 28-game winning streak intact, while even in losing, Notre Dame
make a statement that better days lie ahead.
2. Nebraska 35 ... Oklahoma 31, Nov. 25, 1971
Again, never saw it live, but know enough about the game and its
place in history to place it this high. All the ingredients were in
place for a classic American sporting event—Thanksgiving Day, rival
programs, No. 1 v. No. 2 with the top-ranked Huskers riding a
29-game winning streak. Both teams had steamrolled everything in
their paths, setting up a showdown of epic proportions. The game
itself lacked a dramatic, last-second finish, but was competitive
throughout and well-played, living up to its billing as the Game of
the Century.
1. Notre Dame 31 ... Miami 30, Oct. 15, 1988
Personally speaking, it was the most exciting regular season college
football game I’d ever seen. The whole Catholics vs. Convicts thing
was stirring passions on both sides and the teams brawled in the
tunnel before the game even started. The game could possibly match
that kid of intensity, could it? It did. Miami temporarily quieted
a berserk South Bend crowd by pulling within a point with under a
minute left. Making one of the gutsiest calls a coach will ever
make, Jimmy Johnson put Miami’s 36-game winning streak on the line
and sent out the offense to go for two and the lead. Steve Walsh’s
pass was batted away in a game that propelled the Irish to the 1988
national championship and back to prominence in college
football.
John
Harris
Q:
The ten greatest regular season games of all-time were ...
1. 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
This one just seemed to have it all. Offensive explosion, led by
Nebraska IB Jeff Kinney’s four touchdowns. Defensive performances, led
by Nebraska NT Rich Glover’s 22 tackles. A transcendent moment, 1972
Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers’ “Man, woman and child” punt return
in the first quarter when he first shook Oklahoma star RB Greg Pruitt on
first contact and then bobbed and weaved for the opening score of the
game. Can you imagine Adrian Peterson running down and covering punts?
Either way, Oklahoma QB Jack Mildren and WR Jon Harrison kept the
Sooners in the game with tremendous performances as well, even though
the passing game wasn’t the foundation of the OU wishbone offense.
Eventually, though, Kinney wore down the Oklahoma defense. Games don’t
often live up to the tremendous hype, but this one did.
2. 1984 Boston College vs. Miami
If all you ever remembered about this game was the “Hail Mary” from Doug
Flutie to Gerard Phelan, that might be enough to make the list.
However, what moves this game up the list is the entire 60 minutes where
Miami’s Bernie Kosar and BC’s Flutie waged an air battle akin to
Ali-Frazier III. Flutie just got the chance to throw the last punch,
and what a haymaker it was. But, Kosar sliced up the BC defense just as
much as Flutie did the Cane secondary (Flutie – 476 yards passing, Kosar
– 447). 92 points, a million yards of total offense and two of the
greatest college QBs dueling in a fabled setting? Has to be one of the
top two regular season games ever.
3. October 15, 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame
It’s hard to believe that, as a college football fan, you weren’t in a
quandary about which game to watch at about 7:00 PM EST. USC and Notre
Dame were completing one of the greatest in their storied history, 34 –
31 Men of Troy. Michigan ruined Penn State’s perfect season on the last
play of the game on a Chad Henne dart to Mario Manningham. And, in the
underrated game of the day, West Virginia and Louisville went into three
overtimes. Lucky for me, I had two TVs and one computer showing games
so I didn’t miss one play (okay, sorry, that was a bit obnoxious). No
one day had as much to remember than this October day last season and
the USC-Notre Dame finish just added the panache it needed to be,
arguably, the greatest single day in college football history
4. 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami (ironically
October 15th, 1988)
If the “Catholics vs. Convicts” moniker wasn’t enough to tell you about
the bad blood between these two, maybe the pre-game fight was. The
Canes hadn’t lost a regular season game since early in the 1985 season,
a season in which the Canes drubbed the Irish in the Orange Bowl.
Running it up, actually. The Irish seniors were freshmen when that
happened and by their senior year they were ready to exact revenge. The
Irish defense made one play after the next slowing down a Steve
Walsh/Cleveland Gary offense that didn’t seemingly have a weakness.
Irish DE Frank Stams was brilliant coming off the edge, harassing Walsh
all game long, helping create Pat Terrell’s key pick six off a Stams
deflection. The Irish did have luck on its side when the officials blew
the Cleveland Gary fumble call in the fourth quarter, but they deserved
to win this game, regardless. Jimmy Johnson made it a game for the ages
when he decided to go for two to win, not to tie and on this occasion,
it didn’t pay off for him or the Canes. 31 – 30. Irish. Greatness.
5. 1968 Harvard vs. Yale
Ivy League games don’t usually make any list of the greatest games of
all-time, but this one is the exception, to say the least. Yale, led by
Brian Dowling and Calvin Hill, were as dominant as any Ivy team had ever
been, but Harvard was undefeated as well going into the game at Harvard
Stadium. The Crimson were toast with 42 seconds left, trailing by 16
points, 29 - 13, but somehow Frank Champi, Vic Gatto and the Crimson
pulled ‘victory’ from the jaws of defeat by scoring 16 points in those
last 42 seconds to tie. The final touchdown of the game, where Champi
scrambles for about a year in the pocket, is one of the most improbable
in the history of the Ivy League. The next day the Harvard newspaper
headline read “Harvard wins – 29 – 29”. Leave it to the ‘smaht’ kids to
figure that one out.
6. 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas
For all of the hype that followed this game, it didn’t quite live up to
all of the hype, but this old-school SWC battle was a tremendous
game, nonetheless. With President Nixon in the audience, Texas QB James
Street made two plays in the fourth quarter that made him a legend in
Austin forever – 43 yard touchdown scramble and the 4th and 3
throw to Randy Peschel to put the Horns in position to score the game
winning touchdown. For three quarters, the Hogs shut down the
unstoppable Horn offense, but when Street exerted his will in the final
15 minutes, the Hogs couldn’t stop him. President Nixon made enemies
all over Happy Valley, PA when he proclaimed the Longhorns National
champs in the locker room after the game, which just added more intrigue
to the game. Rumor has it that Joe Paterno was Deep Throat, in response
to the slight of his undefeated 1969 team, but that’s never been
substantiated (yes, that’s tongue in cheek).
7. 1980 Georgia vs. Florida
“Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott!”. This Cocktail Party,
err, Florida-Georgia matchup looked bleak for the Dawgs due in large
part to a passing game that was putrid throughout the day. That’s
probably why Georgia announcer Larry Munson couldn’t believe what he was
seeing as Scott was sprinting down the sideline past the Florida
secondary with just over a minute remaining for the 93 yard game winning
touchdown. The Scott TD overshadowed a wonderful performance by true
freshman RB Herschel Walker (238 yards) and the loss overshadowed a
gutty performance by freshman Gator QB Wayne Peace. But, all everyone
will remember is “Lindsay Scott!” and Munson’s famous call.
8. 1967 USC vs. UCLA
Two Heisman candidates battling for personal and team supremacy in not
only the Pac-8, but the national championship race – a solid formula for
one of the greatest regular season games of all-time. UCLA’s Gary Beban,
who would win the ’67 Heisman, and USC’s OJ Simpson carried each one’s
respective team in the most memorable ‘battle of LA’. Simpson’s 64 yard
touchdown run put the Trojans ahead early in the fourth quarter. But,
Beban had a shot to bring the Bruins back, but the Trojan defense
snuffed out each opportunity to put USC into the Rose Bowl and at the
forefront of the national championship race.
9. 1985 Alabama vs. Auburn
Soon-to-be Kansas City Royal Bo Jackson was the marquee name in this
version of the annual Iron Bowl. Even in playing with broken ribs, Bo
still ran for two touchdowns against Cornelius Bennett and the ‘Bama
defense. But, the names Gene Jelks and Van Tiffin became household
names in ‘Bama homes and blasphemous in Auburn residences due to this
game. Jelks’s long touchdown run put ‘Bama up late in the fourth
quarter, but Auburn responded with a late touchdown to put them up one.
After Auburn sacked QB Mike Shula, it didn’t look like Tiffin would get
a shot at a game winning field goal, but one bold reverse call and a
completion to Greg Richardson gave Tiffin a 52 yard shot to win the
game. And, become a hero. Chalk up both for Tiffin. The Iron Bowl has
had many great memorable games, but this was one of the best games I
ever saw.
10. 1987 Miami vs. Florida State
It’s hard to imagine that a regular season game had as many pro
prospects. Prime Time. Michael Irvin. Steve Walsh. Sammie Smith.
Bennie Blades. Bill Hawkins. Leroy Butler. Daniel Stubbs. Wow. And,
the list goes on and on. But, the game itself was a gem. Miami trailed
19 to 3, but it should’ve been worse if the Noles could kick a field
goal (yes, the precursor to the Wide Right series). But, after two
touchdowns and two 2 point conversions, the Canes tied it up. After
recovering a Nole fumble, Walsh hit Irvin on a long touchdown
catch-and-run that put Miami up by a touchdown late in the fourth
quarter. But, the Noles fought back to score what seemed to be the game
tying touchdown on a tremendous catch by Jacksonville native Ron Lewis.
However, Bobby Bowden went for the two to win, and Bubba McDowell made
him pay for taking the risk. The state of Florida has always had great
football, but this game exemplified the talent that was prevalent in
this state. People may not have taken notice before this game, but
those people took notice after this game, no question.
Honorable Mention: 1993 Boston College vs.
Notre Dame, 1997 Florida vs. Florida State, 2000 Northwestern vs.
Michigan, 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss (7 OTs), 1982 Cal vs. Stanford,
1966 Michigan State vs. Notre Dame, 1994 Florida vs. Auburn and Colorado
vs. Michigan, 1972 Auburn vs. Alabama (“Punt, Bama, Punt”), 1997
Nebraska vs. Missouri – “Flea Kicker”, 1999 Alabama vs. Florida, 1999
Georgia Tech vs. Georgia
Best “Weather” games
1. 1992 Apple Cup – QB Drew Bledsoe slicing UW through a
blinding snowstorm to drop defending national champs.
2. 1992 Notre Dame vs. Penn State – the “Snow Bowl”
3. 1950 Michigan vs. Ohio State – the first “Snow Bowl”
4. 1985 Ohio State vs. Michigan game – Sheets of rain and Bucks
knocking off #1 Iowa.
5. 1984 Red River Rivalry – Texas vs. OU – Kissing your sister in the
rain
Best offensive shootouts
1. 2000 Michigan vs. Northwestern
2. 1984 Boston College vs. Miami
3. 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
4. 1994 Florida vs. Auburn
5. 1990 USC vs. UCLA
6. 1990 Georgia Tech vs. Virginia
7. 1998 Washington vs. Arizona State
8. 1992 Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech
9. 1999 Alabama vs. Florida
10. 1999 Georgia Tech vs. Georgia
Best series of great games
1. Miami vs. Florida State (1987, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2002)
2. Alabama vs. Auburn (1972, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993)
3. Notre Dame vs. USC (2005, 1989, 1974, 1986)
4. Miami vs. Notre Dame (1988 – 1990)
5. Michigan vs. Ohio State (1969, 1996)
Best Upsets
1. 1969 Michigan over #1 ranked Ohio State
2. 1981 Wisconsin over #1 ranked Michigan
3. 1993 Boston College over #1 ranked Notre Dame
4. 1997 Georgia over Florida
5. 1995 UVA over Florida State – first ACC loss for Noles comes in
C’Ville.
6. 1990 BYU over Miami
7. 1999 Minnesota over #2 Penn State
8. 1988 Washington State over #1 UCLA
9. 1997 LSU over #1 Florida
Best Comebacks
1. 1994 Florida State vs. Florida – the “Choke at the Doak”
2. 1968 Harvard vs. Yale – “Harvard wins 29 – 29”
3. 1984 Maryland vs. Miami
4. 1974 USC vs. Notre Dame
5. 2003 Arkansas vs. Alabama
6. 1994 Colorado vs. Michigan
7. 1988 Miami vs. Michigan
8. 1994 Penn State vs. Illinois
Best #1 vs. #2
1. 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
2. 1969 Arkansas vs. Texas
3. 1967 USC vs. UCLA
4. 1993 Notre Dame vs. Florida State
5. 1981 USC vs. Oklahoma
6. 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State
Best Finish
1. 1982 Cal vs. Stanford
2. 1984 Boston College vs. Miami
3. 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame
4. 1994 Colorado vs. Michigan
5. 1968 Harvard vs. Yale
6. 2002 LSU vs. Kentucky – the “Bluegrass Miracle”
7. 1988 Florida State vs. Clemson – the “Fumblerooski”
8. 1982 SMU vs. Texas Tech – think “Music City Miracle” 18 years
earlier
9. 1979 Michigan vs. Indiana – solely for Michigan announcer Bob Ufer’s
end game ‘call’.
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
The ten greatest regular season games of all-time were ...
A:
Having two teams in a larger
context gives less cause for divisiveness. Do note that a number of
highly publicized and historically significant games are not on this
list. The notion of a great game suggests that a game with appreciable
significance and attendant hype was played well by two teams, with the
end result having considerable implications for the sport in some
fashion: a national title game reached (or not), a Heisman Trophy won
(or not), a great rivalry being affirmed or enhanced on a national
level. Great games merge on-field quality with history. Many well-played
games in college football's 137-year history have not been significant,
and many significant games have not been played well.
This list, then, looks at the huge games that were
played well.
(1) Nebraska 35, Oklahoma 31 - 1971. Why the best
ever? A Heisman AND an eventual national champion were defined in this
game, but the loser possessed levels of valiance and stature that were
very close to the winning team. I would also submit that it's important
that a game reverberates through the pages of time, aging the way a fine
wine would, before it dares to be called the very best regular season
college football game of all time.
Consider this: if the 2006 Notre Dame team
stumbles, would you downgrade the 2005 USC-Notre Dame game on an
all-time list? The answer isn't an easy or automatic one, but the very
fact that such a question merits contemplation is enough to keep
Trojans-Irish out of the top spot. It's also why very recent history
needs to be tempered by a longer historical view... in college football
and just about any other field of study.
(2) Army 21, Navy 18 - 1946. There were two
Army-Navy games with particularly incredible play, heft and drama in the
20th century. In 1963, Navy went to the national title game because a
clock malfunction at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia. In this game,
Army benefited from a clock malfunction that hampered Navy's chances for
victory in the dying moments.
This game rises above the '63 contest because the
last of Army's great Blanchard-and-Davis juggernauts was taken to the
wire by a one-win Navy team. That only makes this game more
remarkable... and more emblematic of the spiritedness of an Army-Navy
game, in which the passions often render the records irrelevant.
(3) USC 21, UCLA 20 - 1967. The greatest run John
McKay ever saw occurred in this game. 'Nuff said.
(4) USC 34, Notre Dame 31 - 2005. A classic by any
standard in any age.
Ragged in a few areas, but boy was that fourth
quarter chock full of glorious gridiron moments that gave you goosebumps.
As memorable a fourth quarter in any football game, anywhere and
anytime. The rivalry and the scene only enhanced the football fullness
of this electrifying climax to a mid-Autumn masterpiece.
(5) Notre Dame 31, Miami 30 - 1988. The other game
at Notre Dame Stadium in the past 30 years that truly exceeded the
absurdly ridiculous pre-kickoff hype. That it had the ultimate college
football ending - a climactic two-point try which Notre Dame's Pat
Terrell foiled - didn't hurt.
(6) Miami 26, Florida State 25 - 1987. The best
Miami-FSU game ever played.
That alone makes this a game worthy of
distinction.
(7) Florida 32, Florida State 29 - 1997. Bobby
Bowden won the career series against Steve Spurrier and Florida, but in
1997, Spurrier had his two greatest moments as a coach. First came the
national title in January, the moment that validated his career and gave
the Gators a coveted, historic and long-elusive moment on the
mountaintop. This game in November of that same calendar year featured
one of the single most creative coaching performances in college
football history. The Doug Johnson-Noah Brindise QB shuffle--a
play-to-play platoon used by Spurrier--enabled a flagging Florida team
to pick off the Noles and knock FSU out of a likely split national title
with Michigan. It's hard to remember a big and consequential game being
more influenced by a coach's strategy than this one.
(8) Navy 21, Army 15 - 1963. 1946, except the
other team got victimized by the clock. This turnabout is precisely what
makes the Army-Navy game worthy of two entries on this short list: you
can't have one of these without the other.
(9) Boston College 47, Miami 45 - 1984. One could
find other "fun"
shootout-style games in college football's long
and colorful history, but this was the point-a-minute game that had the
great scene (the venerable Orange Bowl), the national TV audience, the
lasting effect on the Heisman Trophy, and a classic finish, all wrapped
into one. That the sport's reigning champion was on the other side of
Hail Flutie didn't exactly diminish the magnitude of the occasion.
(10) Georgia 26, Florida 21 - 1980. This game
produced riveting action, one of the great radio calls in sports
history, an eventual national champion's closest escape from danger, and
the ability of a run-first team to find an unusual way to win a game in
its final stages. "Run, Lindsay, Run!" is a moment that, even to this
day, reverberates through the ages the way a great moment should. That
the rest of this game wasn't chopped liver makes the '80 Cocktail Party
worth toasting.
