It is very difficult to rank the best games in the history of any competition, let alone college football with so many important and memorable affairs over the course of history. We’ve witnessed so many upsets and shocking turnarounds in the clashes between the very best college football outfits. The fact that you can ill afford defeats throughout the entire season to go all the way and win the national championship makes college football so unique and special.
Some of you may not agree with our top-ten rankings. We have had bountiful debates among us experts at bettingpicks4you.com regarding some of the matches that had to be left out of the list. Nevertheless, here are the outings that we consider the ten biggest affairs in the history of college football. We got the chills by writing about some of these outings once again and we are sure you will also feel something special while reading about them. Stay tuned and enjoy the good memories.
10 – Colorado vs Michigan 27-26 (1994)
Two Top 10 teams in power rankings met each other at the very start of the season in 1994 and boy did the match produce a thriller. Michigan had a five-point lead with seconds to go when Kordell Stewart threw a Hail Mary to complete a pass to Michael Westbrook for an amazing 64-yard touchdown. Colorado won the match in Ann Arbor leaving the fans all over the country in shock.
9 – Miami Florida vs Florida State 17-16 (1991)
Florida State Seminoles and Miami Florida Hurricanes had been massive rivals even long before becoming ACC enemies. Two elite programs back from three decades ago battled it out in an important regular season affair that served as a predecessor for many more outings between these counterparts. This match provided the maiden "Wide Right" game as Florida State's kicker Gerry Thomas missed a field goal that would have given his team a victory at the death of the affair.
8 – Boston College vs Miami Florida 47-45 (1984)
The Heisman Trophy is one of the most prestigious individual awards in college football these days. We’ve seen the exact Heisman moment in the 1984 Orange Bowl clash between Boston College and Miami Florida. Boston’s Doug Flutie has completed a marvelous Hail Mary pass on the final play of the contest as Gerard Phelan scored a touchdown to complete a shocking comeback in a 47-45 win.
7 – Alabama vs Penn State 14-7 (1979)
While offenses generally dominate this kind of rankings, we have decided to give defense the seventh place in this list. Alabama Crimson Tide came up with one of the best defensive efforts in the history of college football (and football in general) in the 1979 Sugar Bowl tie against Penn State. The Nittany Lions had a chance to score a touchdown on the last play of the game and they had a fourth down and inches to find the score. Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide defense got big with a superb goal-line stand that gave them the national championship on the occasion.
6 – Cal vs Stanford 25-20 (1982)
Cal produced one of the most shocking comebacks ever in a 25-20 win over Stanford in November 1982. They returned a squib kick for a touchdown on the last play of the game with just several seconds remaining to play.
5 – Miami Florida vs Nebraska 31-30 (1984)
Miami Florida were a special team indeed in the early 1980s. We have already had them in this article in eighth place (a win over Florida State) and here they are again. This time, it is about the New Year's Orange Bowl in 1984. Nebraska Cornhuskers had a chance to tie the game but they decided to opt for a two-point conversion. It eventually failed as the Hurricanes celebrated a big victory.
4 – Ohio State vs Miami Florida 31.24 (2003)
One of the greatest pass interference calls in the history of college football occurred in the 2003 BCS national championship game between Ohio State and Miami Florida. The Hurricanes thought they had won the game when they successfully defended a play on 4th-and-3 from the Buckeyes. Nevertheless, a late pass interference call came and two plays later, the Buckeyes scored through running back Maurice Clarett.
3 – Auburn vs Alabama 34-28 (2013)
How Auburn dispatched Alabama in the Iron Bowl game en route to their 2013 national championship was just out of this world. The teams were tied at 28 each and Alabama had the final play. Their coach Nick Saban directed a field-goal attempt from 57 yards with one-second remaining. It turned out as a disaster for the Crimson Tide as Chris Davis returned the failed field-goal attempt for a 100-yard touchdown at the death of the match.
2 – Boise State vs Oklahoma 43-42 (2007)
Boise State Broncos earned their fairytale victory in the most beautiful of fashions in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, beating Oklahoma 43-42 in a spectacular affair. The Broncos were underestimated by most experts despite going unbeaten in the season up until the bowl tie. They were seven points down with a minute to play when Boise State pulled off three of the most beautiful plays in successive runs to secure the overtime and later get the win.
1 – Texas vs USC 41-38 (2006)
This may not be the most dramatic of them all, but the 2006 national championship match between Texas and USC is widely considered the biggest game in college football history. When you take the strength the two outfits possessed on the occasion with the likes of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush going head to head with Vince Young, and add the dramatic finish to the mix, you get the well-deserved No 1 rank in this list.
