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The phrase "Game of the Century" is a superlative that was applied to several college football contests played in the 20th century, the first (and to date, only) full century of college football in the United States. It is a subjective term applied by
sportswriters Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...
to describe the most notable games of the period.Reineking, Jim
College football's 'Games of the Century'
NFL.COM November 13, 2013


Why the title "The Game of the Century" covers multiple games

The phrase "Game of the Century" is usually placed in
quotation marks Quotation marks (also known as quotes, quote marks, speech marks, inverted commas, or talking marks) are punctuation marks used in pairs in various writing systems to set off direct speech, a quotation, or a phrase. The pair consists of an ...
Fighting Irish Win Game of the Century
The Tech (MIT newspaper) Mike Duffy and Andrew Heitner. Volume 113, Issue 59 : Friday, November 19, 1993
to indicate the irony or emphasize the incorrectness of the term as it applies to college football games. What makes the phrase subjective is that sportswriters and fans list the games that they remember or attended. Games that were played before radio and television broadcasts are only preserved in print. Working sportswriters have a history that goes back at most to the middle of the 20th century. Television and the Internet have made broadcasts of more recent games available to all. Unlike the "Game of the Century" in college basketball, or the
1958 NFL Championship Game The 1958 NFL Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to be decided in sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New ...
, which is commonly called "The Greatest Game Ever Played", there has been no specific college football game that changed the sport as dramatically. There is a
List of historically significant college football games The following is a list of historically significant college football games. Games included on this list are single college football games that have historical impact to the sport of college football. Inclusion on this list requires games of signi ...
, from which the games listed below have stood out. College football was also played during the last three decades of the 19th century, but no games during those years rose to the level of "The Game of the Century."


What makes a game "The Game of the Century"

The primary criterion for being a "Game of the Century" is for the game to be billed as such by the football press.


No. 1 vs No. 2

Some of the games were a No. 1 vs No. 2 in the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
, and then later to the BCS rankings and now CFB playoff rankings, which happened only 31 times in the 20th century. Quite often a winning streak is on the line and the winner goes on to win the national championship. The prospect of two juggernaut teams on a roll, or " the irresistible force meets the immovable object", creates a high-interest spectacle. Not all No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups are a "Game of the Century". While the
Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, includ ...
was created to produce a matchup of the top two teams in the nation at the end of the year, a BCS championship game does not automatically constitute a "Game of the Century." Otherwise, every year's championship game would be a "Game of the Century."


Great players

Although college football is a team game, individual performances can be the difference maker in a great game. The
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
is awarded to the greatest players in the game. A top player, having the best game or best play of his career, is another common theme in the "Game of the Century".


Unexpected outcome

The "Game of the Century" is not always a decisive win. The lure of sport is that the outcome is in doubt until the game is played. A dramatic finish makes the game memorable.
''Some matchups are "Game of the Century" before being played because of what's on the line. Some become "Game of the Century" because people can't believe what they saw.'' –David Leon Moore


The Games of the 20th century

When sportswriters are asked to list the top college football games ever played, the games below usually appear on their lists. In each listing, the visiting team is listed first unless the game was played at a neutral site, in which case the teams are listed in alphabetical order. All rankings are from the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
.


1935 Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

November 2, 1935: A then Ohio Stadium record crowd of 81,018 witnessed what was billed as The Game of the Century, the first ever meeting between
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
and Notre Dame. Ohio State led 13–0 heading into the fourth, but Notre Dame rallied with three fourth-quarter touchdowns and fed off several OSU miscues to pull out an 18–13 win. Notre Dame's Bill Shakespeare, a Cincinnati native, threw the game-winning 19-yard pass to Wayne Millner with 32 seconds left. Tickets for this game sold for $50 each and there were widespread reports of counterfeit tickets. OSU officials said they could have sold 200,000 tickets for the game if they had room. The Ohio State-Notre Dame game was the most covered and most popular game of 1935.


1935 SMU vs. TCU

November 30, 1935: Before a crowd of up to 42,000, the undefeated and untied
TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competing mostly in the Big 12 Conference. The s ...
(10–0) hosted the SMU Mustangs (10–0) in a late-season matchup that noted sportswriter
Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...
called a "Game of the Century". The conference championship for the Southwest Conference was on the line, as was a possible invitation to the Rose Bowl, which would be the first time a team from Texas participated. The game was the first in the state to be broadcast nationally on radio and noted sportswriters from across the country traveled to see it. While the Mustangs established a 14–7 lead in the first half, a touchdown pass by TCU's Sammy Baugh tied the score early in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs'
Bob Finley Robert Edward Finley (November 25, 1915 – January 2, 1986) was an American professional baseball catcher, who was an SMU back drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943 and ...
responded with a
fake punt A fake punt is a trick play in gridiron football. It involves a running or passing play run out of a punt formation.Examples include: A fake punt can take a number of different forms. The punter may simply take the snap and look to throw a fo ...
play that resulted in a touchdown pass to Bob Wilson, with the Mustangs winning 20–14. While the Mustangs went on to lose in the Rose Bowl, the Horned Frogs won their Sugar Bowl game against the
LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as ...
, with both teams finishing with an identical record of 12–1 and both claiming a mythical national championship for the season.


1945 Army vs. Navy

December 1, 1945: Heading into the final game of the season both
Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
(8–0) and Navy (7–0–1) were undefeated and ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, and with both teams buoyed by the recent victory in World War II, this game had all the earmarkings of a potential classic. President Harry S. Truman even decided to attend. However, the match-up did not live up to its pre-game "Game of the Century" billing as West Point would go on to win in a rout. A three touchdown, 20-point first quarter gave Army a lead they would not yield, going on to win 32–13.


1946 Army vs. Notre Dame

November 9, 1946: The Army Cadets, then ranked Number 1 in the Associated Press college football poll, played the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, of
South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
, ranked Number 2, at Yankee Stadium in New York City. This matchup, with the national attention it got in the era before the service academies ceased to be major football powers, was usually played at a neutral site, often in New York City. The 1924 game between the schools, a Notre Dame victory at the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...
, was the game at which sportswriter
Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...
christened the Fighting Irish backfield—quarterback
Harry Stuhldreher Harry Augustus Stuhldreher (October 14, 1901 – January 26, 1965) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-A ...
, halfbacks
Jim Crowley James Harold "Sleepy Jim" Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback f ...
and Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden – the "
Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand t ...
." The 1928 edition, with Notre Dame trailing Army at halftime at Yankee Stadium, was the game where Notre Dame coach
Knute Rockne Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used ...
delivered his "
Win one for the Gipper ''Knute Rockne, All American'' is a 1940 American biographical film that tells the story of Knute Rockne, Notre Dame's legendary football coach. It stars Pat O'Brien as Rockne and Ronald Reagan as player George Gipp, as well as Gale Page, Do ...
" speech, resulting in a comeback win for the Fighting Irish. Both teams were undefeated going into the 1946 game at Yankee Stadium. Both teams averaged over 30 points per game. Army had a 25-game winning streak over four years, last losing to Notre Dame in 1943 (26–0), but had won the last two contests between the schools by scores of 59–0 and 48–0. Army had the defending
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
winner,
Doc Blanchard Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard (December 11, 1924 – April 19, 2009) was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. S ...
, also known as "Mr. Inside", the man who would win it that year, Glenn Davis, also known as "Mr. Outside", and one of the nation's top quarterbacks in
Arnold Tucker Young Arnold Tucker (January 5, 1924 – January 10, 2019) was a United States Air Force officer who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1947. Football career While lettering twice in football, Tucker w ...
. Notre Dame had the quarterback who would win the Heisman the next year,
Johnny Lujack John Christopher Lujack (pronounced Lu' jack; born January 4, 1925) is a former American football quarterback and defensive back who won the 1947 Heisman Trophy; he is currently the oldest living recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Lujack played c ...
. Both Tucker and Lujack were also outstanding defensive backs at a time when football players, college as well as professional, usually played both offense and defense. Just the previous year, in a game also labeled the "game of the century" before it was played, Army defeated a 7–0–1 Navy team 32–13. Navy's lone tie was against Notre Dame. Despite the high-scoring and much-hyped offenses, the game ended in a scoreless tie, with each school's best chance at a scoring drive coming back-to-back: Tucker intercepting Lujack, and Lujack then making a touchdown-saving tackle on Blanchard a few plays later. Notre Dame's defense did something no other team had ever done — it held the famous "Touchdown Twins", Blanchard and Davis, to a total of 79 yards. As an indication of how the defense of both teams dominated, seven linemen in that game were nominated for Lineman of the Week honors in the weekly Associated Press poll. Joe Steffy, an Army guard who helped shut down the Notre Dame running game, won the honor, followed closely by Notre Dame right tackle George Sullivan and freshman lineman Jim Martin who helped stifle Army's running attack and dropped Davis on consecutive plays for losses totalling 17 yards. Both Notre Dame coach
Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to 1940 and at ...
and Army coach
Earl Blaik Earl Henry "Red" Blaik (February 15, 1897 – May 6, 1989) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at ...
called the game "a terrific battle of defenses." Both teams would finish the season undefeated with this one tie, but it was Notre Dame that was awarded the national championship by the Associated Press, with Army coming in second. Neither school accepted bowl bids during that era, although a bowl loss would not have affected the national championship outcome since these were named before the postseason bowls in this era. Army declined an invitation to play in the
1947 Rose Bowl The 1947 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 33rd Rose Bowl Game. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the UCLA Bruins, 45–14. Illinois halfbacks Buddy Young and Jules Rykovich shared the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game awar ...
. The Army Black Knights / Cadets / the Corps Football media guide lists the 1946 team as national champions. With Blanchard, Davis and Tucker having graduated, Army's winning streak would be broken the next year, by Columbia University. Notre Dame would not lose until early in the 1950 season. ''Sporting News'' named the 1944–45 Army Black Knights / Cadets / the Corps and 1946 Fighting Irish the second and fifth greatest teams of the 20th century respectively.Hoppel, Joe., Zesch, Steve., Nahrstedt, Mike. College Football's Twenty-five Greatest Teams. United States: Sporting News Publishing Company, 1988.


1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

November 19, 1966: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Michigan State Spartans, at Spartan Stadium in
East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capita ...
. Notre Dame, which hadn't won a national championship since 1949, was ranked No. 1 in one poll and No. 2 in the other. Defending National Champion Michigan State entered the game ranked No. 2 in one poll and No. 1 in the other. This was the first time in 20 years that a college football game was given the "Game of the Century" tag by the national media. The game was not shown live on national TV. The agreement between the NCAA and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
in effect at the time limited each team to one national television appearance and two regional television appearances each season. Notre Dame had used their national TV slot in the season opening game against Purdue. ABC executives did not even want to show the game anywhere but the regional area, but pressure from the West Coast and the South (to the tune of 50,000 letters) made ABC air the game on tape delay. Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty was knocked out after getting sacked in the first quarter by Spartan defensive lineman
Bubba Smith Charles Aaron Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011), commonly known as Bubba Smith, was an American football defensive end and actor. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American hon ...
. Starting Notre Dame running back
Nick Eddy Nicholas Matthew Eddy (born August 23, 1944) is a former American football player. He was raised in Tracy, California. A broad-shouldered 6 feet, 195 lbs, he attended the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship. Eddy was a stand ...
was out entirely after hurting his shoulder getting off the train in East Lansing. Michigan State held a 10–0 lead by early in the second quarter. But the Irish came back, scoring a touchdown right after Michigan State's field goal and tied the game on the first play of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame had the ball on its own 30-yard line with 1:10 to go, needing about 40 yards for a game-winning field goal. But Notre Dame coach
Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian (; hy, Արա Ռաուլ Պարսեղյան; May 21, 1923 – August 2, 2017) was an American football player and coach who guided the University of Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973. He is noted for br ...
chose to run the clock out, not wanting to risk a turnover, preserving the tie and Notre Dame's No. 1 ranking. The game ended in a 10–10 tie. For the subsequent 50 years, Parseghian defended his end-of-the-game strategy, which left many fans feeling disappointed at the game not having some sort of resolution. College football expert
Dan Jenkins Daniel Thomas Jenkins (December 2, 1928 – March 7, 2019) was an American author and sportswriter who often wrote for '' Sports Illustrated''. He was also a high-standard amateur golfer who played college golf at Texas Christian University. E ...
led off his article for '' Sports Illustrated'' by saying Parseghian chose to "Tie one for the Gipper." Others chided Notre Dame by calling them the "Tying Irish" instead of the "Fighting Irish." Notre Dame beat Rose Bowl bound USC 51–0 in Los Angeles the next week, completing an undefeated regular season and moving them to No. 1 in both polls. The Irish did not accept bowl bids until 1969, and Michigan State was the victim of a pair of
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
rules that would be rescinded a few years later: the same school could not represent the league in the Rose Bowl in back-to-back seasons, and only the league Champions could accept a bowl bid, unless they refused the Rose Bowl bid or, because it was on probation, were prohibited from accepting the bid, which, in either case, would then go to the second-place team. So despite being Big Ten Champions and undefeated in the regular season, in each case for two seasons in a row, the Spartans could not play in the Rose Bowl. '' The Sporting News'' named the 1966 Fighting Irish and 1965–66 Spartans the eleventh and thirteenth greatest teams of the 20th Century respectively.


1967 UCLA vs. USC

November 18, 1967: The
UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
, ranked Number 1 in both polls, played the USC Trojans, ranked Number 2 in the coaches poll and 4 in the AP poll. The Bruins had senior quarterback
Gary Beban Gary Joseph Beban (born August 5, 1946) is an American former professional football player. Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, narrowly beating out O.J. Simpson, and the Maxwell Award while playing quarterback for the UCLA Bruins. He played ...
as the leading
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
candidate and the Trojans had junior running back O. J. Simpson also as a strong Heisman candidate in a showcase game for player of the year. This is widely regarded as the signature game in the
UCLA–USC rivalry The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC). Both univer ...
. The game would be broadcast live and in color in
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's second season of covering college football. At the time, both teams played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (and did so until 1982 when UCLA moved to the
Rose Bowl stadium The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Pasadena, California. Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark. At a modern capacity of an all ...
). Both teams wore their home uniforms, as was their custom for this rivalry when they shared a common home field. This game was for the "championship of Los Angeles", for the championship of the AAWU conference (later the Pac-8 Conference, subsequently the Pac-10 Conference, now the
Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
), and for Rose Bowl berth. This game was also for the national championship, since (for the final time) the final AP poll would be published before the
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdiv ...
s. The loser would not only miss out on the national championship, but would not even go to a bowl game, since the AAWU's agreement with the Rose Bowl allowed only one school to represent the league in the postseason (this provision was not repealed until 1975). With the game tied 14–14 early in the fourth quarter, an injured Beban gamely threw a touchdown pass, but the extra point attempt was blocked, resulting in a 20–14 UCLA lead. Trojan quarterback Toby Page called a pass play, then saw the Bruin linebackers drop back into pass coverage. He changed the signals before the snap, and handed off to Simpson, who ran 64 yards for a touchdown. USC kicked the extra point and held on to win 21–20. As a result of this game, USC finished the season ranked No. 1 in both polls and would go on to defeat the
Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate At ...
in the
1968 Rose Bowl The 1968 Rose Bowl was the 54th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. The USC Trojans of the Pacific-8 Conference defeated the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conf ...
. UCLA would finish the season unranked in the AP poll (at the time, this poll only ranked the top ten teams) and No. 11 in the UPI poll. Despite the loss, Beban would win the Heisman; Simpson would win it the next season.
Keith Jackson Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his caree ...
, who covered the game for ABC, declared it many years later to be the greatest game he has ever seen. So did
Giles Pellerin Giles L. (Bud) Pellerin (December 23, 1906 – November 21, 1998), nicknamed the Superfan or Super Fan, was an American telephone company executive, USC alumnus, and a fan of the University of Southern California Trojans (USC) college football t ...
, a USC graduate who attended every game USC played from 1926 until his death at the
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, 797 straight games over 72 years. Both USC broadcasters Tom Kelly and Pete Arbogast also stated that it was the greatest win in Trojan Football history – the latter attended the game at the age of 12 and lost his voice that day. ''The Sporting News'' named the 1967 Trojans one of the greatest teams of the 20th century.


1969 Texas vs. Arkansas

December 6, 1969: University of Texas at Austin vs.
University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas In ...
. In a game between unbeatens played at Arkansas'
Razorback Stadium Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was formerly known as Razorb ...
in Fayetteville, the
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...
were ranked No. 1 in the country, having won 18 straight games. The
Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...
were ranked No. 2, having won 15 straight. This game would decide the Southwest Conference Championship, as well as its berth in the
Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
, setting it up to win the national championship. Sensing that the matchup might be a possible 1-vs.-2 showdown, ABC offered to move the game from October 18 to December 6 to give it more of a national audience to showcase the 100th year of college football, and the schools, enjoying the publicity, accepted. Thanks to a fortuitous upset of top-ranked
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
by Michigan, which elevated Texas and Arkansas to the top two spots, the move worked, making their game the focus of the entire American sporting scene. The game pulled a television rating of a 50 share, meaning half the TV sets in the country were tuned to this game. President Richard Nixon attended the game along with several members of his staff and U.S. Representatives George H. W. Bush of Texas and
John Paul Hammerschmidt John Paul Hammerschmidt (May 4, 1922 – April 1, 2015) was an American politician from the state of Arkansas. A Republican, Hammerschmidt served thirteen terms in the United States House of Representatives for Arkansas's 3rd congressional ...
of Arkansas, having announced that he would give a plaque to the winner, proclaiming it to be the National Champion – to the chagrin of observers who thought it premature to do so before the New Year's Day
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdiv ...
s, and of fans of Pennsylvania State University, which would also end the season undefeated. Arkansas took a 14–0 lead, and held it into the fourth quarter, but Texas came from behind to win, 15–14, and accepted Nixon's plaque. The signature play of the game came in the 4th quarter with Texas trailing 14–8. The Longhorns, normally a conservative power running team, faced 4th and 3 and chose to gamble with a deep play action pass. Quarterback James Street was so surprised by the call that he asked head coach
Darrell Royal Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957� ...
"Are you sure?" before heading to the huddle. Despite double coverage, Street hit Randy Peschel with a 44-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Texas scored to take the lead 2 plays later. Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and removed any doubt as to whether it deserved consideration as National Champion, although Penn State fans still insist that their team, also undefeated and winner of the Orange Bowl, was better. However, it is worth noting that the Cotton Bowl Classic first invited Penn State to play the Southwest Conference champions. The Nittany Lions declined the invitation due to segregation issues, which would have resulted in them playing Texas and only one team ending the year undefeated, preferring to spend New Year's Day in warm Miami, where they defeated Big 8 champion Missouri. The 1969 Texas-Penn State conflict, never settled on the field, remains one of the lasting arguments in College Football history. Arkansas lost the Sugar Bowl to Ole Miss. The entire Texas-Penn State debate and Nixon's involvement led to a quote from Penn State coach
Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 20 ...
, a
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
Republican, during a commencement speech at Penn State in 1973 about Nixon, "How could Nixon know so much about college football in 1969 and so little about
Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
in 1973?" This game has been nicknamed " Dixie's Last Stand", since it was the last major American sporting event played between two all- white teams, although almost the entire Southeastern Conference teams did not integrate their varsity football squads until the mid-1970s. With the Vietnam War still raging and Nixon in attendance, protesters came to the game, and one of them got into a tree overlooking the stadium and held up an antiwar sign. The racial and political implications and the build-up to the game were the subject of a 2005 book, ''Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming'', which paid special attention to the demonstrations by anti-war and anti-racist groups. An urban legend grew up around this game, claiming that this protester was Arkansas native and future President Bill Clinton. Clinton, however, was not at the game, as he was then a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in England, and was listening to the game on a
shortwave radio Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
with some American friends. The two coaches in this game,
Darrell Royal Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957� ...
of Texas and
Frank Broyles John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missouri ...
of Arkansas, both retired after the 1976 season and became athletic directors at their respective schools. Broyles, who retired as the Razorbacks' men's athletic director on December 31, 2007, spearheaded Arkansas' move from the Southwest Conference to the SEC in 1990. Broyles was instrumental in the Razorbacks and Longhorns playing a two-year series in 2003 (at Austin) and 2004 (at Fayetteville). After the 1976 season, Broyles also became a top color analyst for College Football on ABC, often pairing up with Keith Jackson. '' The Sporting News'' named the 1969 Longhorns the seventh greatest team of the 20th century.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

November 25, 1971: Of this game, Dave Kindred of the '' Louisville Courier-Journal'' famously wrote, "They can quit playing now, they have played the perfect game." The defending national champion
Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
, top-ranked with a 20-game winning streak, played the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked No. 2 with a national prominence dating back to the 1950s, when they won 3 national championships and an NCAA record 47 straight games. The teams combined for 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation's top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had the nation's most productive offense, with their
Wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wishb ...
averaging over 472 rushing yards per game, an NCAA record.1971 Oklahoma vs. Nebraska Game Recap – SoonerStats.com – Oklahoma Sooners Football, Basketball, and Baseball Scores, Records, and Stats
at www.soonerstats.com
The cover of '' Sports Illustrated'' (November 22, 1971) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back
Greg Pruitt Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member ...
, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska."1971 National Champions – Huskers.com—Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
at www.huskers.com
The cover story in that issue labeled it the "Game Of The Decade" and listed 25 of the greatest college football games played to that point. The Husker "Blackshirts" defense included seven first-team All-Big Eight selections, four players (all on the defensive line) who would earn consensus All-America recognition during their careers and two
Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All- ...
winners: tackle
Larry Jacobson Larry Paul Jacobson (born December 10, 1949) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). A first round selection in the 1972 NFL Draft (24th overall) and starter in ...
and middle guard
Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head ...
. Glover would win both the Outland and Lombardi Awards in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
and eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. They were joined in the starting lineup by end
Willie Harper Willie Miles Harper (born July 30, 1950) is a former American football linebacker who played for the San Francisco 49ers. Harper played high school football for Toledo Scott and college football at University of Nebraska where he was an All- ...
, like Glover, a two-time All-American. John Dutton, an All-American in 1973, was a sophomore backup. This defense is still considered by many to be the greatest in college football history. The Sooners' record setting wishbone was led by all-American QB
Jack Mildren Larry Jack Mildren (October 10, 1949 – May 22, 2008), was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil compa ...
, who rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was also a very good passer. His weapons were
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
candidate HB
Greg Pruitt Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member ...
who averaged a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and speedy split end Jon Harrison. Future College Football Hall of Famer Tom Brahaney was the anchor at center. The Husker offense was led by flanker
Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...
, who would go on to win the
Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
the next season and bullish tailback
Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was bor ...
, a future NFL first-round draft pick. The Sooner defense was anchored by all-Big 8 defensive tackle
Derland Moore Derland Paul Moore (October 7, 1951 – September 24, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. An All-American, he play ...
, a future all-American and NFL Pro Bowler. ABC-TV would broadcast the game nationally to an estimated 55 million viewers (at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game) with
Chris Schenkel Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...
doing the play-by-play. Joining him in the booth for color analysis was Oklahoma's legendary former coach,
Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...
, with
Bill Flemming William Norman Flemming (September 3, 1926 – July 20, 2007) was an American television sports journalist who was one of the original announcers for the ABC Sports show '' Wide World of Sports''. Biography Early life Born in Chicago, Illin ...
reporting from the sidelines. Before the game, Schenkel and Wilkinson emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and when the Oklahoma crowd spotted Wilkinson, they erupted into applause. They came to their feet with admiration for the coach who had guided the Sooners to prominence with three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak in the 1950s. The game was played at Owen Field in
Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, beh ...
, on
Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
. Not only at stake was the Big Eight title, but also the No. 1 ranking in the polls. However, the bowl trips had already been determined before the game, with Nebraska going to the Orange Bowl in Miami and Oklahoma headed for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Two days after Thanksgiving, No. 5 Auburn (9–0) would host No. 3 Alabama (10–0) for the Southeastern Conference title, the two opponents that Oklahoma and Nebraska would play. Given the game's magnitude, Devaney had his players' food flown in from Lincoln, in case gamblers attempted to induce a hotel chef to give the Huskers food poisoning. The game went back and forth. The Cornhuskers struck first, with Rodgers shocking the Sooners with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Sooners' first possession was stopped. The punt return remains one of college football's signature moments, though it remains controversial. Some observers and many Sooner fans claim Nebraska cornerback Joe Blahak appeared to clip Sooner receiver Jon Harrison as Rodgers stormed for the touchdown. No penalty was called, primarily because Blahak blocked Harrison at an angle, which was not a penalty. Referees for the game have continued to deny that there was a clip on the play, even after having studied film footage of it, which is inconclusive due to Blahak's trajectory. The first half was atypical for both teams, as the Cornhuskers' potent offense was stymied by the underrated Sooner defense; meanwhile, Oklahoma's devastating
Wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wishb ...
offense was blunted by the brutal Cornhusker defense, as the Sooners had several turnovers and were continually frustrated by Husker middle guard Rich Glover, who would end up with twenty-two tackles on the day, despite lining up across from Sooner all-American center Tom Brahaney. Nebraska held a 14–3 lead, but Oklahoma came back, relying almost entirely on Jack Mildren's arm and legs, and the Sooners grabbed the lead at halftime, 17–14, on two long passes from Mildren to Harrison with just seconds left in the first half. For the first time all season, the Cornhuskers were trailing in a game. Relying on a power running game, the Huskers retook the lead and led 28–17 going into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jack Mildren led the Sooners back, and Oklahoma led 31–28 with 7:05 to play. The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. Getting to the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15.
Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was bor ...
then carried four times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska led 35–31 with 1:38 left to play. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win. This game, much more than the previous year's national championship, made Nebraska a program with a national following. Already having sold every seat available at their Memorial Stadium since coach
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
arrived from Wyoming in 1962, they would be a perennial national championship contender and a frequent presence on national TV. The Cornhuskers went on to soundly defeat
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
, by then ranked No. 2, 38–6 in the Orange Bowl, completing their back-to-back national championships. Devaney coached for one more year, going 9–2–1 and winning a third straight Orange Bowl, before becoming Nebraska's
athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...
and handing the reins over to 36-year-old assistant Tom Osborne in
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
. Pruitt did not win the Heisman, which went to Auburn quarterback Pat Sullivan in 1971. By a coincidence, Auburn met Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, and the Sooners won 40–22. (By another coincidence, these two arch-rivals, Nebraska and Oklahoma, would end up playing each half of another nasty rivalry, Alabama and Auburn, and beat them both.) Despite the defeat, Oklahoma's program was also relaunched by this game, and they would be a perennial national championship contender throughout the 1970s and much of the 1980s. Oklahoma coach
Chuck Fairbanks Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...
left the Sooners following the 1972 season to become the head coach of the New England Patriots of the NFL.
Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach ...
Barry Switzer Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...
succeeded Fairbanks and compiled a 157–29–4 record from 1973 to 1988, and guided the Sooners to national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985. The top three teams in the final AP poll for 1971 were from the Big Eight: Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado. The fourth-ranked team was Alabama, Nebraska's bowl opponent, making the 1971 Nebraska team the only team ever to finish the season ranked #1 after beating the other three teams ranked in the top four. '' The Sporting News'' named the 1971 Cornhusker team the greatest team of the 20th century in 1988. ESPN.com has named the 1971 Nebraska Cornhusker team the greatest team of all time.


1986 Miami (FL) vs. Penn State

January 2, 1987: In the next "Game of the Century", the largest television audience in college football history watched as the undefeated and No. 1 Miami Hurricanes battled the undefeated and No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. The game garnered a 25.1 television rating, with an average of 21,940,000 viewers watching the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
telecast per minute. Of the two teams, Miami had the star-power, as it was led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback
Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...
, running back Alonzo Highsmith, and defensive tackle
Jerome Brown Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987 to 1 ...
, all of whom would be selected within the first nine picks of that April's NFL Draft. Miami was seldom challenged during the regular season and was considered a prohibitive favorite over the gritty Nittany Lions. Tensions between the teams were heightened when Miami players attended a Fiesta Bowl barbecue held days before the game dressed in fatigues. The game played out in surprising fashion. Miami's offense had little trouble moving the ball, yet the vaunted Penn State defense was able to pressure Testaverde enough (four sacks) that the Hurricanes committed a whopping seven turnovers (five interceptions, two fumbles). Miami scored first to take a 7–0 lead, but Penn State would answer with a touchdown of its own to tie it up at 7 at halftime. Miami added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 10–7 lead, but momentum swung when Penn State linebacker
Shane Conlan Shane Patrick Conlan (born March 4, 1964) is a former professional American football player. He played college football at Penn State University, where he won two national championships in 1982 and 1986, although he was red-shirted prior to the ...
intercepted a pass from Testaverde and returned it 38 yards to the Miami 5. D.J. Dozier would then score on a six-yard run to give Penn State its first lead of the night at 14–10. The score was still 14–10 when Miami took over at its own 23 with just over 3 minutes left. Testaverde was masterful on the drive, converting a key 4th-and-six pass from Miami's own 27 to Brian Blades for a 31-yard gain and at one point completing six straight passes to take the Canes all the way down to the Penn State 6 with just 18 seconds left. But on the next play, Penn State fooled Testaverde when the Lions decided to drop eight men back in pass coverage and rushed just three. Testaverde failed to read the coverage and his pass was intercepted at the goal line by linebacker
Pete Giftopoulos Peter Giftopoulos (born June 14, 1965) is a former Canadian football linebacker who played eight years for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Giftopoulos played college football at Penn State. College career After pla ...
, sealing the upset win for Penn State. Miami dominated the game statistically, racking up 445 total yards and 22 first downs to just 162 yards and 8 first downs for Penn State. But in the end, it was Penn State that walked away with the victory—and the national championship.


1991 Miami (FL) vs. Florida State

November 16, 1991: In a game that featured in-state rivals Florida State University and the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation respectively, Miami won by one point after Florida State's kicker Gerry Thomas missed a field goal wide right with 29 seconds left in the game. Because of this dramatic ending, the game became known as the "Wide Right" game. Miami would go on that season to split the national championship with Washington.


1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame

November 13, 1993: In a match-up of unbeatens, Florida State University was ranked No. 1, and Notre Dame was ranked No. 2. The winner of this game, at
Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, the home field of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. It was built in 1930 under the guidance of Knute Rockne, regarded as one of the greatest c ...
in
South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
, was certain to play Number 3 Nebraska (which would then move up to Number 2) in the Orange Bowl for the national championship. Florida State had quarterback
Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. Ward was an exceptional football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship while quar ...
, who would win the Heisman Trophy. Notre Dame was the underdog, but had home-field advantage. It was a game between the most-hyped program of the era and the most-hyped program in college football history, and NBC, which had exclusive rights to Fighting Irish home games (and was thus mocked by some as the "Notre Dame Broadcasting Company", much as CBS was ripped as the "Cowboys Broadcasting System" in the 1970s and 1980s), tried to market this matchup as the "Game of the Century." There was considerable media discussion as to whether the game would live up to the hype, and, if not, how bad NBC would look. ESPN would also hype the game, showing FSU players touring the Notre Dame campus that week wearing green hats with shamrocks and gold-embroidered FSU initials on the front, and having the first on-campus edition of '' College GameDay'' from South Bend. The Peacock Network did not have to worry, because they got the classic they hoped for. The Irish appeared to be riding those mystiques the entire game, leading 31–17 as the Seminoles got the ball with 1:39 to play. But Ward drove the 'Noles down the field, and hit Kez McCorvey on 4th-and-20 for a touchdown that bounced off Irish safety Brian McGee. Notre Dame got the ball back, but went three-and-out, giving FSU one last shot. In just three plays, they got to the Irish 14 with three seconds to play. Ward rolled out and had a wide open receiver in the end zone, but did not see him, and his pass was batted down by cornerback Shawn Wooden. Notre Dame won 31–24, and a sellout crowd stormed the field. Unfortunately for the Irish, they subsequently lost to Boston College 41–39 on a last second field goal to scuttle their hoped-for Orange Bowl match-up. Florida State, meanwhile, ended up winning the consensus national championship, their first in school history, by defeating Nebraska 18–16 in that Orange Bowl.


The Games of the 21st century


2005 Texas vs. USC

Played on January 4, 2006, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, this college football
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdiv ...
served as the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college foot ...
for the 2005 College Football season and was seen as the Game of the Century. It featured the only two unbeaten teams of the
2005 NCAA Division I-A football season The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 1, 2005 and ended on De ...
: the defending Rose Bowl champion and reigning
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
champion
Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...
played Pacific-10 Conference titleholders and two-time defending AP national champions, the USC Trojans. The game was a back-and-forth contest; Texas's victory was not secured until the game's final 19 seconds.
Vince Young Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...
, the Texas quarterback, and Michael Huff, a Texas safety, were named the
offensive Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
and
defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...
Rose Bowl Players of the Game.2008 Rose Bowl Program
,
2008 Rose Bowl The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network ...
. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...
named Young's fourth-down, game-winning touchdown run the fifth-highest rated play in college-football history. The game is the highest-rated BCS game in TV history with 21.7% of households watching it, and is often considered the greatest college football national championship game of all time. Texas's Rose Bowl win was the 800th victory in school history and the Longhorns ended the season ranked third in Division I history in both wins and winning percentage (.7143). It was only the third time that the two top-ranked teams had faced each other in Rose Bowl history, with the
1963 Rose Bowl The 1963 Rose Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Tuesday, January 1, at the end of the 1962 season. The top-ranked USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42&ndash ...
and
1969 Rose Bowl The 1969 Rose Bowl was the 55th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference defeated the defending national cham ...
games being the others. This was the final game ever called by longtime broadcaster
Keith Jackson Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his caree ...
(as well as the final Rose Bowl to telecast under
ABC Sports ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Televisio ...
branding); the
2007 Rose Bowl The 2007 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 93rd Rose Bowl Game and part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) at the conclu ...
would be an
ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC (formerly known as ABC Sports from 1961 to 2006) is the branding used for sports event and documentary programming televised by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. Officially, the terrestrial television, br ...
presentation.


2006 Michigan vs. Ohio State

On November 18, 2006, Ohio State and Michigan met for their annual showdown, each carrying an 11–0 record, and billed as the Game of the Century. For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the two rivals faced off while holding the top two spots in the
Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, includ ...
rankings. Ohio State won 42–39 and became the outright Big Ten champion, earning the right to play for a national championship at the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college foot ...
in
Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all deser ...
. Michigan scored first with a touchdown run by junior running back Mike Hart, but the Buckeyes then scored 21 unanswered points, and at halftime, they were up 28–14. After an interception and a fumble recovery by junior defensive tackle Alan Branch, Michigan cut the Buckeyes' lead to 4 with 14 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. After appearing to have forced Ohio State into a fourth down situation with six minutes to go, Michigan junior outside linebacker
Shawn Crable Shawn Crable (born December 26, 1984) is a former professional American football linebacker. He played college football at Michigan and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Crable was also a member of ...
was called for roughing the QB, giving the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs. Ohio State quarterback
Troy Smith Troy James Smith (born July 20, 1984) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Ohio State, was recognized as an All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2006. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the f ...
then passed to
Brian Robiskie Brian Anthony Robiskie (born December 3, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Robiskie has also played f ...
for a touchdown, increasing the Buckeyes' lead to 42–31 with five minutes left in the game. After Ohio State was called for pass interference on a failed 4th down attempt, giving Michigan an automatic 1st down, junior quarterback
Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman startin ...
found senior tight end Tyler Ecker for a 16-yard touchdown with two minutes to go to cut the OSU lead to 42–37. Senior wide receiver
Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston (born August 20, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan. Breaston also played for the K ...
caught the two-point conversion to bring the Wolverines within a field goal. Michigan needed to recover the ensuing onside kick, and they failed to do so. The Buckeyes ran out the clock for the victory which placed them into the BCS national championship game. Troy Smith completed 71% of his passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns, essentially clinching the Heisman trophy. Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State running back
Antonio Pittman Antonio Pittman (born December 19, 1985) is a firefighter and a former American football running back. He played college football at Ohio State. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft and later played f ...
ran for 139 yards on 18 carries for a 7.7 yards-per-carry average. Michigan running back Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns against a stout Buckeye defense. Chad Henne ran 267 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers on a 60% completion percentage. The game was highly touted by ESPN/ABC (there was even a game countdown clock for a week before kickoff) and was viewed by the largest television audience for a regular season college football game since 1993, averaging 21.8 million viewers. The victory marked the first time in 43 years that the Buckeyes had won three consecutive games in the series. The game gained even more significance when, on the eve of the meeting, legendary Michigan head coach and former Ohio State assistant coach Bo Schembechler died. Schembechler was honored with a video tribute at Ohio Stadium as well as a moment of silence before kickoff. Half an hour after the game ended, the
Ohio Lottery The Ohio Lottery is a state lottery run by the Ohio Lottery Commission. Its games consist of scratch tickets; Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 ("numbers games"); Rolling Cash 5, Classic Lotto, Keno, Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The Lotter ...
PICK 4 evening drawing was 4–2–3–9, matching the final score of the game and paying out up to $5,000 per winner, for a total payout of $2.2 million. Following the game, there was a chance of a rematch in the BCS title game, but Florida was chosen over Michigan to be Ohio State's opponent. The game's long-term significance may have been diminished after disappointing post-season results for both teams—Ohio State would lose the 2007 BCS Championship Game to Florida 41–14, while Michigan suffered their sixth Rose Bowl loss to USC, 32–18.


2009 Florida vs. Alabama

The 2009 SEC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the 2009 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide was the designated "home team"; this home team, chosen on an alternating basis, was 2–4 in SEC Championship Games. The winner was all but assured to go on to play for a National Championship, in a likely matchup with the Texas Longhorns provided Texas won in the Big 12 Championship Game versus the north division champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. Entering the 2009 contest, the SEC East was 11–6 in SEC Championship games, with the Florida Gators accounting for seven of the eleven victories. Before the 2009 game, Alabama represented the SEC West six times in the conference championship game, compiling a 2–4 record, and had faced the Gators in all six of their previous SEC Championship game appearances. This was the first and so far the only time any conference championship game had featured two undefeated teams and was also the first time an AP Poll No. 1 played a No. 2 outside of the BCS Championship Game since the top-ranked Ohio State beat the second-ranked Michigan during the 2006 regular season. The game began at 4:00 p.m. EST and was televised by CBS Sports, for the ninth straight season. The game was also streamed online at CBSSports.com and on mobile for customers subscribing to the MediaFLO service on CBS Sports Mobile. Alabama defeated Florida 32–13 and as expected secured a berth to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game where they would go on to defeat Texas. This game is often considered the moment when the Alabama dynasty began in earnest after a disappointing 2007 season and a loss to the same Tebow-led Gators in the 2008 SEC Championship.


2011 LSU vs. Alabama

On November 5, 2011, BCS-ranked No. 1 LSU traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 2 Alabama. In the only "Game of the Century" to go into overtime, LSU won a close game where only field goals were scored. The final result, 9–6, was determined in the first overtime period, with a kick from Drew Alleman. Another highlight was from special teams: A
Brad Wing Bradley Thomas Wing (born 27 January 1991) is an Australian professional American football punter for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football a ...
punt that went 72 yards and sailed over hobbled Crimson Tide player Marquis Maze's head. A decisive interception at LSU's one-yard line by Eric Reid in the fourth quarter likely saved the Tigers in regulation. Alabama's kickers missed a total of four field goals in the game, including a 52-yard attempt in overtime after being sacked by Sam Montgomery previous on 3rd down. Alleman's winning field goal followed on what appeared to be a touchdown on a Michael Ford sweep, but he stepped out of bounds at the 7-yard line. This set up Alleman's game-winning field goal. As a "Game of the Century" it has been "roundly criticized as a dud because neither team scored a touchdown".Newberry, Pau
No doubt about it: Bama is the best after BCS rout
Associated Press, January 10, 2012
It is the lowest scoring No. 1 vs No. 2 match-up since the 1946 Army-Notre Dame game, which ended 0–0. The two teams met again in the
2012 BCS National Championship Game The 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, and determined the national champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season on Monday, Janu ...
. This time, the Crimson Tide shut out LSU 21–0, with the Tigers not even advancing the ball out of their own half until the 3rd quarter. The 2011 Alabama/LSU contests are also remembered for the abundance of future NFL players who participated, with 45 players going on to be drafted, including 16 of the 22 defensive starters.


2019 LSU vs. Alabama

On November 9, 2019, AP-ranked No. 1 (CFP-ranked #2) LSU travelled to take on AP-ranked No. 2 (CFP-ranked #3) Alabama in a game that was touted by some in the media as a "rematch" of the 2011 "Game of the Century". Before a crowd of 101,821 at
Bryant–Denny Stadium Bryant–Denny Stadium is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States, on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. It is the home field of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Opene ...
(including President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump), LSU defeated Alabama by the score of 46–41. LSU quarterback (and future
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
winner)
Joe Burrow Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Ohio State, Burrow played college football at LSU, where he won the Heisma ...
completed 31 of 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns in the first regular-season meeting between the top two teams in the Associated Press poll since the 2011 Game of the Century matchup between the same two teams. LSU lead 33–13 at halftime, the largest deficit a
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphi ...
-coached Crimson Tide team had faced after 30 minutes. Alabama quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa ( ; born March 2, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Foo ...
, still recovering from ankle surgery just 20 days prior, mounted an impressive comeback in the second half. With the score 46–34 and 1:37 to play, Tagovailoa (who finished 21-for-40 for 418 yards, four touchdowns, an interception and a fumble) hit
DeVonta Smith DeVonta Smith ( ; born November 14, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he recorded over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns as a ...
for an 85-yard touchdown pass that provided the final margin.
Justin Jefferson Justin Jamal Jefferson (born June 16, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2020 ...
recovered the ensuing onside kick, and LSU was able to run out the clock to win the game. Following the game, LSU moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings and Coaches Poll (remaining No. 1 in the AP), while Alabama moved from No. 3 in the CFP to No. 5, and No. 2 to No. 4 in the AP and Coaches Polls. Alabama's subsequent loss in the Iron Bowl later that year would drop the Crimson Tide out of contention for the
College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...
for the first time in the history of the playoffs. LSU would go on to defeat the defending National Champion
Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
in the
CFP National Championship The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season ...
game to cap off a perfect 15–0 season and be crowned National Champions for the first time in the CFP era. It was LSU's first time playing for the National Championship since the loss to Alabama in the
2012 BCS National Championship Game The 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, and determined the national champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season on Monday, Janu ...
, and their first title since the 2007 season.


References


Books

*Celzic, Mike. ''The Biggest Game of Them All: Notre Dame, Michigan State and the Fall of 1966'': (Michigan State – Notre Dame Game) *Corcoran, Michael. ''The Game of the Century'' (A detailed narrative of the 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game) *Frei, Terry. ''Horns, Hogs and Nixon Coming'': (The details of the political climate in the leadup to this game in terms of racial tensions and anti-Vietnam War sentiments are documented in the book) *White, Lonnie. (August 2004). ''UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports'': Los Angeles Times Books. () (UCLA – USC) *Whittingham, Richard. (December 1985). ''Saturday Afternoon: College Football and the Men Who Made the Day'': Workman Pub Co. (Synopsis of several of the listed games) *Hoppel, Joe., Zesch, Steve., Nahrstedt, Mike. ''College Football's Twenty-Five Greatest Teams'': The Sporting News. United States: Sporting News Publishing Company, 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Game of the Century (college football) College football games Nicknamed sporting events