Top 300 Finishes in College Football History (100-51)

100. Nov. 19, 1983-Ole Miss 24, Mississippi St. 23 (Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Mississippi)

The Build Up: Bowl eligibility was on the line for Ole Miss as they sat at 5-5, while MSU was playing for pride sitting at 3-7.

The Finish: With Mississippi St. trailing 24-23 with 24 seconds left, they attempted what would’ve been a GW 27-yard FG.  The ball sailed straight and high into air, but wind gusts were so strong that the wind stopped the ball in midair before it could cross the crossbar and fell short to preserve a miraculous Ole Miss win. 

How they ended up: The play has become known as the Immaculate Deflection in the state of Mississippi.  For the Rebels, it was their 5^th straight win to put them in the Independence Bowl against Air Force, but they lost 9-3 to finish 6-6.  For the Bulldogs, they finished 3-8.

99. Sept. 26, 1981-#1 (14) USC 28, #2 (20) Oklahoma 24 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

The Build Up: These teams came into this much hyped early season meeting ranked as the #1 and #2 teams in the AP.

The Game: The matchup of the top 2 teams in the country looked like anything but as both teams made numerous mistakes in a sloppy game.  Oklahoma fumbled 10 times, losing 5 of them including 2 that ended drives that could’ve added to the Sooners lead in the 3^rd quarter.  Instead, OU took a 10-point lead into the 4^th.  USC cut it to a 24-21 deficit for one final drive. 

The Finish: Facing 3^rd & 2, eventual Heisman winner Marcus Allen slipped, forcing a 4^th & 1.  QB John Mazur converted with a keeper.  The Trojans drove to the Sooner 7 where they faced 2^nd & goal with 12 seconds left.  Mazur saw Allen in the end zone and threw him the ball for what he thought would be a TD, but TE Fred Cornwell thought the pass was for him and reached up and knocked the ball down incomplete.  Now facing 3^rd & goal with 9 seconds left, Mazur couldn’t find anyone and rolled to his left.  Thinking about trying to run it in, at the last second Mazur found Cornwell in the end zone for the GW TD with 2 seconds left. 

How they ended up: Allen ran for 208 yards to tie an NCAA record with his 3^rd straight game with at least 200 rushing yards, and he scored 2 TDs in making his early Heisman case.  The Trojans retained their #1 ranking, while the Sooners fell to #5.  However, neither team had the season they were hoping for as USC went 9-3 and OU went 7-4-1.  Allen went on to win the Heisman trophy.

98. Jan. 1, 1982-#10 (4) Pitt 24, #2 (6) Georgia 20 (Sugar Bowl, Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana)

The Build Up: These teams came into this game with identical 10-1 records.  This game was originally to have major national championship implications until #1 Pitt got stunned by rival #11 Penn St. 48-14 at home the last game of the regular season.  Now the national title was only on the line for Georgia if new #1 Clemson lost to #4 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, which was taking place at the same time as this game.  Clemson had handed Georgia their only loss earlier in the season, so a Clemson win would all but assure them a national championship even if Georgia won here.  This was the matchup that people would’ve liked to have seen the year before when the national title would’ve been on the line for both teams. 

The Game: Georgia took a 7-3 lead at halftime, but the scoring picked up in the 2^nd half with the lead changing hands 5 times. 

The Finish: The see-saw matchup finally ended with Dan Marino’s GW 33-yard TD pass to John Brown with just 35 seconds left for the dramatic win to give Pitt the win for their 2^nd consecutive 1-loss season. 

How they ended up: Pitt finished 11-1, while Georgia finished 10-2.  Clemson won the Orange Bowl to win the national title.

97. Oct. 4, 1986-San Jose St. 45, #19 Fresno St. 41 (Spartan Stadium, San Jose, California)

The Build Up: Fresno St. came into this game on a 15-game unbeaten streak and ranked in the AP poll.  Meanwhile, San Jose St. was 2-2 with all of their games coming against Pac-10 foes.

The Game: This was an all-time thriller that ultimately determined the PCAA championship.  San Jose St. rushed out to a shocking 24-0 lead to put Fresno State’s 11-GW streak in jeopardy.  At the time it was the longest winning streak in the nation.  However, the Bulldogs star WR Stephen Baker had himself quite the game with TD catches of 30, 45, and 84 yards, the last of which gave Fresno St. their first lead at 38-31 with 10:31 left.  Barry Belli added a 49-yard FG to all but put the game away for a 41-31 Bulldogs lead with 1:15 left. 

The Finish: Many of the fans in Spartan Stadium began to leave.  However, the Spartans mounted a quick 69-yard drive finished off with a 5-yard TD pass from Mike Perez to Guy Liggins to cut it to 41-38 with 42 seconds left.  On the ensuing onside kick, J.D. Williams tried to field the kick, but Craig Bell leveled him to jar the ball loose and Chris Alexander recovered it for San Jose St.  Perez hit Lafo Malauulu to get down to the 26.  Then on the next play, Perez avoided a sack and hit Malauulu again for the GW TD pass with 18 seconds left to give the Spartans a miracle win over ranked rival Fresno St. 

How they ended up: San Jose St. went on to win the remainder of their game to finish with a 10-2 record, and by the virtue of this win, won the outright PCAA title.  Meanwhile, Fresno St. went 9-2 but they never re-entered the rankings again in 1986.

96. Nov. 13, 2004-#6 (5) Texas 27, Kansas 23 (Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas)

The Build Up: Texas came into this game 8-1 with their only loss coming to #2 Oklahoma.  They could not afford another loss to reach a BCS Bowl.  Meanwhile, Kansas was just 3-6.

The Game: The Jayhawks gave the Longhorns all they could handle taking a 23-20 lead late in the game.

The Finish: Trailing 23-20 and facing 4^th & 18 with 1:09 left, Vince Young decided to run for it and broke a tackle on his way to a 1^st down run to keep Texas’ hopes alive.  Young then drove the Longhorns in range for the GW 21-yard TD pass to Tony Jeffrey with just 11 seconds left to give Texas the dramatic win to keep their BCS hopes alive. 

How they ended up: With the lobbying of coach Mack Brown, Texas jumped #4 Cal for the Rose Bowl selection to face #13 Michigan.  The Longhorns won 38-37 (see #149) to complete an 11-1 season.  Meanwhile, Kansas went just 4-7.

95. Sept. 10, 2011-(12) Michigan 35, (once #16) Notre Dame 31 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

The Build Up: This was a matchup of the two winningest programs in college football history at this point and was the first night game in Michigan Stadium history held under the lights.

The Game: Notre Dame had led 24-7 late in the 3^rd quarter, but Michigan came back and cut it to 24-21.  Then Denard Robinson threw a 21-yard TD pass to Vincent Smith with 1:12 left to give the Wolverines a 28-24 lead. 

The Finish: The Irish drove 61 yards for Tommy Rees’ 29-yard TD pass to a wide-open Theo Riddick to give Notre Dame back a 31-28 lead with only 30 seconds left.  After an incompletion that burned 7 seconds, Robinson threw a bomb to Jeremy Gallon who caught the ball at the Irish 45 and then cut across the field to the 16 with 8 seconds left.  Instead of kicking a FG to send the game to OT, Brady Hoke drew up one more play.  Robinson found Roy Roundtree with the GW 16-yard TD pass with only 2 seconds left to give Michigan a miracle win in their first game at the Big House under the lights. 

How they ended up: Michigan went on to by far their best season over the Rich Rodriguez/Brady Hoke years at 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl win.  Meanwhile, Notre Dame went 8-5 under 2^nd year coach Brian Kelly.

94. Oct. 24, 2009-#6 (7) Iowa 15, Michigan St. 13 (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)

The Build Up: Iowa had matched their best start in program history starting 7-0 and ranked #6.  Meanwhile, Michigan St. had won 3 straight to sit at 4-3.

The Finish: With Iowa leading 9-6 late in the game, Michigan St. faced 3^rd & 18 from their own 32 when Kirk Cousins threw an 11-yard pass to TE Brian Linthicum who lateraled to Blair White who took it 27 more yards.  That set up Cousins 30-yard TD pass to White to give the Spartans a 13-9 lead with 1:37 left.  However, Ricky Stanzi led a 70-yard drive.  It looked like Michigan St. sealed the win when Chris L. Rucker came up with an interception in the end zone, but he was flagged for holding.  Four plays later, Stanzi threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Marvin McNutt on 4^th down as time expired to give Iowa one of the biggest wins in program history to get off to the best start in program history to move up to #4.

How they ended up: Iowa increased their winning streak to 9-0 before they were stunned at home by unranked Northwestern after Stanzi was injured on a play that resulted in a Wildcat fumble for a TD.  Iowa lost in OT at #11 Ohio State the next week with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, but the Hawkeyes would go on to win the Orange Bowl to finish 11-2 with their best final ranking since 1960 at #7.  Meanwhile, the Spartans went 6-7.

93. Nov. 14, 1987-(16) Iowa 29, (once #5) Ohio St. 27 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)

The Build Up: Iowa had won 3 straight to come into this game 7-3, while Earle Bruce was on the hot seat as Buckeye coach having lost their last 2 games to sit at 5-3-1.

The Finish: Iowa had the ball at the Ohio St. 29 with 16 seconds left trailing 27-22 and facing 4^th & 23.  Chuck Hartlieb threw a pass to TE Marv Cook short of the 1^st down on the sideline, but he cut back inside and raced to the end zone, just barely making it in as he was tackled to give the Hawkeyes the miracle win. 

How they ended up: This was the 4^th of 6 straight wins to end the Hawkeye season at 10-3.  Meanwhile, the Buckeyes lost their 3^rd straight to fall to 5-4-1 to officially put the nail in Earle Bruce’s coffin as Ohio St. coach.  The Michigan game was all he had left as the Buckeyes coach.  They won 23-20 to send Bruce out a winner.

92. Nov. 10, 2001-Virginia 39, #20 (24) Georgia Tech 38 (Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia)

The Build Up: Georgia Tech was 6-2, while Virginia was in the midst of a 5-GL skid to sit at 3-6.

The Finish: Trailing late in the game, Virginia’s Bryson Spinner threw a pass to Alvin Pearman who lateraled it back to Billy Mullin who ran 37 yards for the GW score with 22 seconds left to give the Cavs the dramatic GW hook-and-lateral for the upset win.  This was 5 years before Boise St. pulled off a memorable hook-and-lateral of their own (more on that later).

How they ended up: Georgia Tech only won 2 of their final 5 games to finish 8-5, while Virginia went just 5-7.

91. Jan. 1, 1949-#7 (7) Northwestern 20, #4 (4) Cal 14 (Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

The Build Up: Cal came into the Rose Bowl a perfect 10-0, while Northwestern was 7-2 and finished 2^nd in the Big Nine, but due to the conference’s no-repeat rule, champion Michigan could not go to back-to-back Rose Bowls, so 2^nd place Northwestern went. 

The Game: Frank Aschenbrenner had a 73-yard return for a TD, which was then a record longest in the Rose Bowl.  With the game tied at 7 in the 2^nd quarter, a controversial play occurred, which Cal fans would refer to as the “phantom touchdown.”  Art Murakowski appeared to fumble the ball before entering the end zone for what would have been a touchback, but the referees awarded him a TD for a 13-7 Northwestern lead at halftime.  Photographic evidence supports Cal’s claim of a fumble before the ball crossed the plane.  Cal took a 14-13 lead in the 3^rd with a 56-yard TD drive.  That score held until late in the 4^th. 

The Finish: With Northwestern 88 yards from the end zone, and less than 3 minutes left, Aschenbrenner completed the only pass of the game for 18 yards, followed 3 plays later with a 45-yard GW TD run by Ed Tunnicliff on a Statue of Liberty Play.  A Cal interception on the ensuing drive assured them of their first loss of the season. 

How they ended up: This was 58 years to the day before Boise St. pulled off a winning Statue of Liberty play of their own (more on that later).  Northwestern finished 8-2, while this was the first of 3 straight seasons that Cal went unbeaten heading into the Rose Bowl only to lose the grandaddy of them all.  The Wildcats would not win another bowl game until exactly 64 years later when they won the 2013 Gator Bowl.

90. Oct. 6, 2001-(22) Georgia 26, #6 (4) Tennessee 24 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee)

The Build Up: Tennessee came into this game 3-0 and with national title hopes.  Georgia was 2-1.

The Game: Tennessee took a 14-3 lead and seemed to be in control until Georgia returned a punt for a TD and came back and took a 17-14 lead.  The Vols tied it at 17 and had a chance to take a lead into halftime, but they missed a FG just before the break.  The 2^nd half became a defensive battle as the 17-17 score held heading into the 4^th.  Georgia kicked a 4^th quarter FG for a 20-17 lead with less than 6 minutes left. 

The Finish: That score would hold until the final minute, when Travis Stephens took a screen pass from Casey Clausen 62 yards for a TD with 44 seconds left to put the Vols up 24-20 for the seeming dramatic GW score.  Tennessee went for the squib kick, which gave Georgia great field position at their own 41.  They could only get to the Vol 47 with 26 seconds left, but then freshman QB David Greene fired a pass into a tight window to Randy McMichael for a 27-yard gain to the 20-yard line.  Greene then found McMichael again down to the 6 where Georgia called their last timeout with 10 seconds left.  First year Georgia coach Mark Richt drew up a play action pass that saw Verron Haynes sneak wide open to the end zone where he caught Greene’s GW TD pass with 5 seconds left.  The game was memorable for Larry Munson’s call likening the finish to stomping Tennessee with a “hobnail boot” to break their collective noses. 

How they ended up: Tennessee won their final 7 games of the regular season to take a 10-1 record and #2 ranking into the SEC Championship Game.  All they needed to do to earn a shot in the BCS National Championship Game was beat #21 LSU, but the Tigers came up with the upset under 2^nd year coach Nick Saban to cost the Vols a shot at the natty.  Instead, they fell all the way to the Citrus Bowl where they beat Michigan to finish 11-2.  Meanwhile, the Dawgs went 8-4.

89. Sept. 14, 1968-(8) Georgia & #9 (13) Tennessee tied at 17 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee)

The Build Up: This was the opener for both teams and was the first time these schools had played each other in 31 years. 

The Game: Georgia S Jake Scott returned a punt 90 yards for a TD to put the Dawgs up 10-7 in the 3^rd.  Tennessee responded by driving downfield only to fumble on the Georgia 1-yard line.  However, Steve Kiner tackled Dawg QB Donnie Hampton in the end zone for a safety to cut it to a 10-9 game.  In the 4^th, Bruce Kemp broke an 80-yard TD run to put Georgia up 17-9.  After a Tennessee punt, the Dawgs drained some clock before the Vols got the ball back with 2:41 left. 

The Finish: Tennessee QB Bubba Wyche had struggled up to that point, so things seemed bleak.  However, Wyche started connecting on passes, as the Vols drove to the Georgia 9 only for 2 sacks in 3 plays to move them back to the 21 for a 4^th & goal with time for only one play that seemed impossible.  However, Gary Kreis caught the TD pass from Wyche as time expired, and then Wyche hit Ken DeLong for the 2-point conversion to miraculously tie the game. 

How they ended up: The result dropped Tennessee to #16, while Georgia remained out of the polls.  This ended up being 1 of 2 ties on Georgia’s regular season, which they finish 8-0-2 on their way to an SEC title and Sugar Bowl appearance where they lost to #9 Arkansas 16-2 to finish 8-1-2.  Tennessee would finish 2^nd in the SEC with a Cotton Bowl appearance where they lost to #5 Texas 36-13 to finish 8-2-1.

88. Nov. 3, 2001-(once #22) Michigan St. 26, #6 (20) Michigan 24 (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)

The Build Up: Michigan came into this game on a 5-GW streak to sit at 6-1 and #6.  Meanwhile, Michigan St. was 4-2.

The Game: The 1^st half went back-and-forth the whole way with Michigan taking a 17-14 lead at the break.  Michigan St. missed a FG, then made two more to take a 20-17 lead with 7 and a half minutes left.  Michigan would have to punt, but a fumbled snap on the ensuing possession gave the Wolverines the ball at the Spartan 39 with just over 6 minutes left.  That led to a John Navarre 20-yard TD pass to backup QB Jermaine Gonzalez with 4:44 left to put Michigan up 24-20. 

The Finish: With 1:25 left, Michigan St. faced 4^th & 16 at midfield when a penalty gave the Spartans a 1^st down.  Later, they faced 4^th & 4 at the Michigan 11 when a Jeff Smoker pass to T.J. Duckett gave the Spartans the 1^st down.  However, on the next play, Smoker tried to scramble for the touchdown and came up 2 yards short of the end zone with the clock at 11 seconds and still ticking.  They scrambled to spike the ball in time, but the clock appeared to stop with 1-second left before Smoker could spike the ball.  The clock could’ve/should’ve ran out, but the Spartans were given one more play.  Smoker scrambled, then lofted a pass to the center of the end zone that went over the head of the Michigan defenders and into the waiting arms of Duckett who caught the GW TD pass as time expired to give Michigan St. the thrilling win over their “big brother” rival.

How they ended up: The game and ending has gone on to be referred to as “Clockgate” by Wolverine fans.  The loss officially ended Michigan’s national title hopes as they fell to 6-2 and #12.  It ended up costing the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten title as well as they ended up losing their last 2 games to finish 8-4.  Meanwhile, the Spartans went 7-5.

87. Nov. 2, 1968-(once #13) Ole Miss 27, #14 (19) LSU 24 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

The Build Up: Nine years earlier, a young Archie Manning listened to the ending of this rivalry game and cried when Ole Miss lost a thriller (more on that game later).  Now he was looking for revenge against the school that ruined his Halloween in 1959.

The Finish: Archie Manning led the Rebels on a 75-yard last minute drive, with the GW TD pass coming on a tipped ball to Steve Hindman with only 4 seconds left. 

How they ended up: Manning threw for 345 yards in the upset to knock LSU to #20.  LSU went 8-3, while Ole Miss went 7-3-1.

86. Nov. 4, 1972-#6 (11) LSU 17, Ole Miss 16 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

The Build Up: LSU came into this game 6-0 and ranked #6, while Ole Miss struggled with life after Johnny Vaught and sat at 4-3.

The Finish: This game became known as “The Night the Clock Stopped.”  LSU trailed 16-10 with 4 seconds left on the Ole Miss 10-yard line.  After a short incompletion by Bert Jones at the goal line, the clock still showed 1-second left.  Given one more play, The Tigers capitalized on a GW TD pass from Jones to Brad Davis with the clock finally expiring to give LSU the dramatic walk-off win to retain their #6 ranking heading to Legion Field to face #2 Alabama. 

How they ended up: LSU lost to Bama for their only loss in the regular season on their way to a 9-2-1 season.  The Rebels would finish 5-5.  There has since been a running joke among fans in the region that time moves back a second when you cross over from Mississippi to Louisiana.

85. Oct. 27, 1979-#10 (18) Michigan 27, (19) Indiana 21 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

The Build Up: Michigan had won 5 in a row since losing to #9 Notre Dame to sit at 6-1.  Meanwhile, Indiana was having a good year by their standards and sat at 5-2.

The Game: Late in the 4^th quarter, Indiana QB Tim Clifford led a 79-yard drive including a 54-yard pass to get down to the Michigan 2.  Then Clifford found Dave Harangody for the TD to tie the game with 55 seconds left to seemingly end this game in a tie. 

The Finish: Lawrence Reid caught a pass and intentionally tossed the ball out of bounds to stop the clock at the Indiana 45 with 6 seconds left.  On the next play, Johnny Wangler threw a pass to Anthony Carter at the 23-yard line who then evaded 2 tacklers at the 20 and ran by another at the 5 on his way to the GW 45-yard TD pass as time expired to give the Wolverines the dramatic walk-off win. 

How they ended up: Michigan retained their #10 ranking and went on to improve to 8-1 before they lost their last 3 games to finish 8-4.  Indiana also went 8-4.

84. Nov. 29, 1907-Vanderbilt 17, Sewanee 12 (Dudley Field, Nashville, Tennessee)

The Build Up: Vanderbilt came into this rivalry game 4-1-1, while Sewanee was 8-1.  The SIAA title was on the line (the SIAA was the precursor to the SEC).

The Finish: Vanderbilt’s had a double pass play to set up Honus Craig’s GW TD late in the game.  The play was described by Grantland Rice as the greatest thrill in his years of watching sports. 

How they ended up: Sewanee finished 8-1 but the loss cost them the SIAA crown.  Instead, Vanderbilt finished 5-1-1 and took the SIAA title despite only playing 3 conference games.

83. Oct. 25, 2007-#2 (10) Boston College 14, #8 (9) Virginia Tech 10 (Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia)

The Build Up: One hundred years later, Boston College was 7-0 and ranked #2 in the country.  Meanwhile, Virginia Tech was 6-1 with their only loss coming at #2 LSU.

The Game: Virginia Tech led 10-0 with 4 minutes left with their defense shutting down Matt Ryan and the BC offense. 

The Finish: That was until Ryan led BC 90 yards in 8 plays capped with a 16-yard TD pass to Rich Gunnell to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 2:11 left.  Then the Eagles recovered the ensuing onside kick to suddenly give themselves a chance to win.  Ryan led BC in range for his GW 24-yard TD pass to Andre Callendar with just 11 seconds left to give BC the comeback win. 

How they ended up: The Eagles remained perfect at 8-0 and #2, but they lost their next 2 games.  Meanwhile Virginia Tech fell to 6-2 and #11, but they won the remainder of their regular season games to set up a rematch with BC in the ACC title game.  The Hokies got revenge to win the ACC title to earn a trip to the Orange Bowl where they lost to #8 Kansas.  Both teams finished 11-3.

82. Oct. 17, 1987-(UPI #19) Texas 16, #15 Arkansas 14 (War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas)

The Build Up: Arkansas came into this game 4-1 with their only loss coming to eventual national champion Miami.  Meanwhile, Texas was only 2-3.

The Finish: Texas trailed 14-10 with 1:48 to go before the Longhorns went on an 11-play, 56-yard march.  The game ended on a GW 18-yard TD pass from Bret Stafford to Tony Jones who hung on despite being hit by 2 Hog defenders as he caught it, as time expired, to give the Longhorns the improbable win to improve to 3-3. 

How they ended up: Despite the loss, Arkansas went on to win 3 straight before losing 14-0 to Texas A&M in a matchup that determined the SWC crown.  The Hogs went on to lose the Liberty Bowl to Georgia to finish 9-4.  The Longhorns went on to a 7-5 season.

81. Oct. 15, 2005-(once #3) Michigan 27, #8 (3) Penn St. 25 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)

The Build Up: This is the 2^nd of 3 games on this list to take place on this date.  Penn St. was having a resurgent season sitting at 6-0 and #8 having just come off a huge win over #6 Ohio St. in a “White Out” in Beaver Stadium.  Meanwhile, Michigan was uncharacteristically struggling at 3-3.

The Game: Michigan led 10-3 heading into the 4^th quarter before Penn St. rattled off 2 quick scores.  Michael Robinson had a 4-yard TD run, and Chad Henne was stripped and Alan Zemaitis returned it 35 yards for a TD with K Kevin Kelly running in the 2-point conversion to suddenly make it an 18-10 Nittany Lion lead.  However, the Mario Manningham show was about to begin.  Henne found Manningham for a 33-yard TD pass and the 2-pointer knotted the game at 18.  Garrett Rivas’ 47-yard FG with 3:45 left gave Michigan a 21-18 lead. 

The Finish: Robinson kept the ensuing drive alive with a 1^st down scramble on 4^th & 7 and ran in the go-ahead TD from 3 yards out to give Penn St. a 25-21 lead with just 53 seconds left.  However, Steve Breaston returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Michigan 47 to give them great field position.  Henne completed two passes for 21 yards with 28 seconds left when Lloyd Carr called timeout and wanted 5 seconds put back on the clock.  The officials gave him 2 to put 30 seconds back on the clock.  Those 2 seconds ended up being the difference.  Michigan got to the PSU 10 with 6 seconds left.  A Henne pass to Breaston fell incomplete, which ended up being a good thing for the Wolverines since if he caught it, the clock would have run out.  That left one second on the clock with only one play for Michigan to try to win it. Henne hit Manningham in the end zone for the GW walk-off TD to give Michigan the dramatic win to improve to 4-3. 

How they ended up: This ended up being the Nittany Lions’ only loss of the entire 2005 campaign as they finished 11-1.  Meanwhile, the Wolverines went 7-5.

80. Sept. 18, 2010-(14) Michigan St. 34, Notre Dame 31 (((OT))) (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)

The Build Up: Michigan St. came into this game 2-0, while Notre Dame was 1-1.

The Game: Notre Dame jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Michigan St. came back and took a 14-7 lead on a 56-yard TD run from Edwin Baker early in the 3^rd.  The Irish answered back with a 10-yard TD pass from Dayne Crist to Kyle Rudolph to knot the game at 14.  MSU answered with a 16-yard TD run from Le’Veon Bell for a 21-14 Spartans lead.  The game continued going back-and-forth when the Irish had a drive kept alive with an MSU PI penalty on 3^rd & 16 leading to a 15-yard TD pass from Crist to Theo Riddick to knot the game at 21 heading into the 4^th.  Notre Dame forced the first punt of the 2^nd half and then scored on a 24-yard TD pass from Crist to Michael Floyd for a 28-21 Irish lead.  Michigan St. eventually tied the game on a 24-yard TD pass from Kirk Cousins to B.J. Cunningham with 7:43 left to knot the game at 28.  That held as the score heading into OT. 

The Finish: After Notre Dame was held to a FG on the first possession for a 34-31 lead, it appeared that Michigan St. was going to try to tie it after a sack on Cousins.  The FG unit came out to attempt a 46-yarder, but holder Aaron Bates took the snap and stood up looking for a receiver.  Eventually, TE Charlie Gantt broke free, and Bates found him for the GW 29-yard walk-off fake FG TD to give the Spartans a stunning win. 

How they ended up: In the hours following the game, MSU coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack and would miss the next two games in recovery.  Michigan St. went on to an 8-0 start to the season before they lost to #18 Iowa on their way to an 11-2 season as co-Big Ten champions.  Meanwhile, Notre Dame went 8-5 under 1^st year coach Brian Kelly.

79. Nov. 25, 1971-#1 (1) Nebraska 35, #2 (2) Oklahoma 31 (Owen Field, Norman, Oklahoma)

The Build Up: This game had “Game of the Century” hype.  Nebraska came into this game on a 20-GW streak, while Oklahoma was cruising with their wishbone offense averaging over 472 rushing yards a game, an NCAA record.  These teams combined for 17 of 22 1^st team All-Big 8 players.  This game was viewed by an estimated 55 million viewers on Thanksgiving, at the time the largest audience ever to view a college football game.  Legendary Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson did color commentary for this game.  On the line was the Big 8 title and the #1 ranking in the nation, although the Orange Bowl had already agreed to take Nebraska and Oklahoma was headed to the Sugar Bowl.

The Game: Nebraska struck first with a 72-yard punt return for a TD from future Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers in a moment that has become a classic in college football history.  The Huskers went on to a 14-3 lead before QB Jack Mildren led the Sooners back with his arms and legs for a 17-14 Oklahoma lead at halftime with 2 long passes to Jon Harrison just seconds before halftime.  For the first time all season, Nebraska was trailing.  Nebraska came back and took a 28-17 lead heading into the 4^th thanks to their rushing attack.  Mildren again led the Sooners back to a 31-28 lead with 7:05 left. 

The Finish: The Huskers got the ball back at their own 26.  After reaching the OU 48, QB Jerry Tagge threw to Rodgers who broke tackles as he raced all the way down to the 15.  Jeff Kinney then ran 4 straight times, the last one for the GW TD for the 35-31 Nebraska lead with 1:38 left.  Sacks on Mildren on 3^rd and 4^th down finished off one of the great college games ever played to keep Nebraska at #1 while Oklahoma fell to #3. 

How they ended up: These teams finished #1 and #2, so this was a de facto national championship game.  Nebraska won another #1 vs. #2 matchup vs. #2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, 38-6 to not only be crowned consensus national champs, but also one of the best teams ever.  Oklahoma finished 11-1 and #2 after beating #5 Auburn 40-22 in the Sugar Bowl. 

78. Nov. 28, 1964-(10) USC 20, #1 (3) Notre Dame 17 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

The Build Up: Notre Dame came into this game a perfect 9-0, while USC was 6-3.  The Irish were 11-point favorites as the #1 team in the country heading into their season finale with the national championship on the line.  This was before Notre Dame had resumed playing bowl games, so a win would likely clinch them the natty.

The Game: Notre Dame stormed out to a 17-0 halftime lead behind eventual Heisman winner John Huarte.  However, the momentum completely shifted in the 2^nd half.  USC took the opening drive of the 2^nd half for a Mike Garrett TD run to quickly cut it to a 17-7 deficit.  Notre Dame drove the length of the field but fumbled the ball away inside the USC 10-yard line.  On their next possession, the Irish went on another drive deep into USC territory and appeared to score a TD if not for a holding penalty that Ara Parseghian would later refer to as “the worst officiating call in the history of college football.”  Notre Dame couldn’t score after the holding penalty, and USC took advantage with an 88-yard drive finished off with a Craig Fertig to TE Fred Hill TD pass to cut it to a 17-13 game with just over 5 minutes left.

The Finish: The Trojans forced an Irish punt, and Garrett had a long return to give USC the ball inside Notre Dame territory.  Another connection from Fertig to Hill moved the Trojans inside the red zone.  On 2^nd down Fertig hit Hill in the end zone, but another controversial call nullified that score.  On 3^rd down from the Notre Dame 15, Fertig was hit and the ball came loose, and the Irish recovered.  However, in another controversial call, the play was ruled an incomplete pass, so USC retained possession but now faced 4^th down.  With the game on the line, Fertig rolled left, while Ron Sherman faked left and cut to the middle.  Fertig connected with Sherman for the GW 15-yard TD pass with 1:35 left to give the Trojans the 20-17 lead.  The Irish would desperately try to drive for a score, but a desperation Huarte pass to the end zone was broken up to complete the stunning Trojan upset.

How they ended up: Despite the win, USC lost a controversial tie-breaker for the Rose Bowl berth to Oregon St. after a vote of AAWU members.  The vote split 4-4 (4 northern vs. 4 southern) and then USC lost the tie-breaker due to having gone to the Rose Bowl more recently.  For Notre Dame, the loss cost them the national championship.  It was the second of several instances of USC spoiling legitimate Notre Dame national championship hopes.

77. Nov. 26, 2016-#2 (6) Ohio St. 30, #3 (10) Michigan 27 (((2OT))) (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)

The Build Up: The stakes could not be higher for this version of The Game.  If Michigan won, they would clinch their spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and keep their national title hopes alive.  Ohio St. needed a win to keep their national title hopes alive, and a Penn St. loss to make it to the Big Ten title game. 

The Game: Khalid Hill’s 1-yard TD run gave the Wolverines a 10-7 lead with 6 seconds left in the half.  Jabrill Peppers came up with an interception shortly into the 2^nd half to set up Michigan with a short field.  The Wolverines drove all the way to the OSU 1 before Wilton Speight fumbled the snap and Davon Hamilton recovered to end a prime scoring opportunity.  However, Urban Meyer dialed up a fake punt that came up short to give Michigan the ball right back at the OSU 22.  Speight converted a 3^rd & 5 with an 8-yard pass to Amara Darboh to set up his 8-yard TD pass to Hill to give the Wolverines a 17-7 lead.  Later, Speight was intercepted for the second time, this time by Jerome Baker who returned it 22 yards to the Michigan 13.  An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Jim Harbaugh helped set up Mike Weber’s 1-yard touchdown run to cut it to a 17-14 Wolverine lead heading into the 4^th.

After an exchange of punts, J.T. Barrett broke a 41-yard run to move to the Michigan 22.  Weber converted a 4^th & 1, but after reaching the UM 2, they were forced to settle for a chip shot Durbin 21-yard FG only for him to miss it wide left to leave the Buckeyes behind 17-14 with 7:01 left.  Ohio State forced a 3-and-out and got the ball back at their own 18 with 5:36 left after a great punt by Allen. 

The Finish: With the help of a pass interference penalty and intermediate completions thrown by Barrett, Ohio St. had 1^st and goal at the 8 with 2:27 left.  However, a false start and back-to-back runs for lost yardage from Barrett moved them into 3^rd & goal from the 18.  Barrett found Marcus Baugh for 13 to get down to the Wolverine 5.  Facing 4^th & goal from the 5, Meyer opted to drain the clock to 6 seconds before calling their last timeout.  Durbin was sent into the biggest game of the year with the outcome on his leg after having just missed from 21.  This time Durbin sent the 23-yarder through to tie the game at 17 with 1-second left to send The Game to OT for the first time ever.

Curtis Samuel took a pitch for an 18-yard run to set up Barrett’s 7-yard touchdown run to give Ohio State a quick 24-17 lead, their first lead since the 2^nd quarter.  On Michigan’s possession, De’Veon Smith converted a 3^rd & 1 with a 9-yard run get 1^st & goal from the 7.  In three plays, the Wolverines only managed 2 yards to face 4^th & goal from the 5.  With The Game on the line, Speight found Darboh in the back of the end zone who made a great sliding catch of a low pass for the game-tying TD to put Michigan within an extra point of tying the game.  Speight lobbied Harbaugh to go for 2, but Harbaugh opted to kick for the 2^nd OT.  The holder made a great play to spot a low snap for the PAT to send The Game to a 2^nd OT tied at 24.

Michigan went 3-and-out to start the 2^nd OT to set up Allen’s 37-yard FG for a 27-24 Wolverines lead.  Barrett ran for 5 yards and then got sacked by Ben Gedeon to set up 3^rd & 9.  In one of the wildest plays of the year, Samuel took a screen pass to the right and danced his way around defenders before reversing his field and taking off to the left to turn a loss into an 8-yard gain, but that left him 1-yard short of the 1^st down to set up 4^th & 1.  Ohio State scrambled to set up a play to go for it on 4^th down, but as the snap neared, Harbaugh called timeout to seemingly bail out the Buckeyes to give them time to think about the play call.  Then in one of the most controversial and dramatic plays of the year, Barrett took off to run and got stopped right at the yard to gain marker.  The most important game of the year came down to a spot from the officials.  They ruled a 1^st down and replays appeared to show the Barrett just barely made the line to gain, but the call is still argued by Michigan fans.  The play was indeed reviewed and stood as called.  On the next snap, to complete one of the most dramatic 3-snap sequences in the history of the sport, Samuel took the handoff on a sweep to the left and broke through the line for the GW walk-off 15-yard TD run to all but ensure the Buckeyes a spot in the playoff. 

How they ended up: Not only were Michigan’s Big Ten title hopes crushed, but also their national title hopes.  Penn St. ended up winning to take the spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, but Ohio State got the nod for the playoff where they took an 11-1 record and #3 ranking into the Fiesta Bowl against #2 Clemson, while Michigan fell to 10-2 and #6 and had to settle for the Orange Bowl against #11 Florida St.  The Buckeyes got blown out by Clemson 31-0 to end their season 11-2.  Meanwhile, Michigan lost the Orange Bowl 33-32 to Florida St. in another thriller to end their season 10-3 with 3 losses in their last 4 games.

76. Oct. 24, 2015-Georgia Tech 22, #9 (14) Florida St. 16 (Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)

The Build Up: Florida St. came into this game having not lost a regular season game since Nov. 24, 2012, and having not lost an ACC game since they were upset by NC St. on Oct. 6, 2012.  They were 6-0 in 2015, while Georgia Tech had lost 5 straight since starting 2-0.

The Game: Florida St. took a 16-10 lead at halftime, but they were shut out in the 2^nd half.  Harrison Butker kicked 2 FGs in the 2^nd half, the second a 35-yarder with 54 seconds left to tie the game. 

The Finish: The Noles drove in range for Roberto Aguayo’s potential GW 56-yard FG, but the Yellow Jackets blocked it.  Lance Austin picked it up and returned it 78 yards for the spectacular GW TD as time expired to give Georgia Tech the miraculous win. 

How they ended up: This ended up being the Yellow Jackets’ last win of the year as they finished 3-9 with this being their only win in their last 10 games.  Meanwhile, Florida St. went 10-3.

75. Jan. 1, 1946-Miami 13, #16 (16) Holy Cross 6 (Orange Bowl, Burdine Stadium, Miami, Florida)

The Build Up: Miami came into the Orange Bowl 8-1-1, while Holy Cross was 8-1.

The Finish: With the game tied at 6, and Holy Cross at the Miami 26 with 15 seconds left, Holy Cross went for the win, but Gene DeFilippo’s pass went off the fingertips of receiver Bob Conway twice as he bobbled it high up into the air and into the hands of Al Hudson who made a man miss and returned it 89 yards for the GW TD as time expired.

How they ended up: Miami won their first bowl game to finish 9-1-1, while Holy Cross finished 8-2 with a loss in their only bowl appearance ever.  Conway and Hudson would go on to become friends despite being on opposite sides of this dramatic ending.

74. Oct. 15, 1994-(once #24) West Virginia 47, Pitt 41 (Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

The Build Up: Both of these Backyard Brawl rivals were struggling with West Virginia sitting at 2-4, while Pitt was 1-5.

The Game: West Virginia led 31-6 before Pitt came storming back behind backup QB John Ryan who gave Pitt a dramatic 41-40 lead with 38 seconds left with a TD pass and 2-point conversion run. 

The Finish: However, Chad Johnston bought time and then found walk-on Zach Abraham behind the Pitt defense for the GW 60-yard TD with 15 seconds left to give WVU the wild win.

How they ended up: The Mountaineers used the momentum to turn their season around as they went on to a bowl game and a 7-6 season.  Pitt never recovered on their way to a 3-8 season.

73. Nov. 22, 1975-Washington 28, Washington St. 27 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)

The Build Up: Washington was 5-5, while WSU was 3-7.

The Game: Washington St. dominated the 2^nd half and held a 27-14 lead with 3 minutes left, and they were driving for another score when Al Burleson returned an interception 93 yards for a TD to cut it to 27-21.

The Finish: Then sophomore QB Warren Moon threw a deep pass that was tipped and found the hands of Bob “Spider” Gaines who took it the rest of the way for a 78-yard GW TD pass in the final minute to give the Huskies the miracle win in the Apple Cup.

How they ended up: UW ended 6-5, while WSU finished 3-8.

72. Sept. 19, 1970-Texas A&M 20, #12 (7) LSU 18 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

The Build Up: This was the opener for LSU, while Texas A&M was 1-0.

The Finish: Texas A&M threw a deep pass to a receiver, who shrugged off a tackle attempt and went all the way for a 79-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left to upset heavily favored LSU to get the Aggies off to a 2-0 start. 

How they ended up: However, A&M wouldn’t win another game all year to finish 2-9, while the Tigers finished 9-3 and ranked #7 in the final AP poll.

71. Sept. 18, 1965-(UPI #15) Georgia 18, #5 (1) Alabama 17 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)

The Build Up: This was the opener for both teams with Alabama coming off a “national championship” season and looking for another.

The Game: Georgia jumped out to a 10-0 2^nd quarter lead with a 55-yard pick-six.  Alabama kicker David Ray kicked a FG just before half to cut it to a 10-3 halftime deficit, and then RB Steve Bowman added a TD in the 3^rd to tie the game at 10.  Late in the 4^th Bama QB Steve Sloan led a drive down field with his arm but finished the drive with a TD run to give the Tide a 17-10 lead with just over 2 minutes left. 

The Finish: Then Georgia pulled off a play for the ages.  Pat Hodgson caught a pass well downfield then lateraled to Bob Taylor who took it all the way for a 73-yard TD.  Hodgson’s knees were clearly on the ground before he lateralled, but the referees didn’t see it, so the TD stood.  Georgia’s 2^nd-year coach Vince Dooley opted to go for 2 and the win, and they converted with a pass to the end zone to give the Dawgs a miracle 18-17 lead.  Alabama quickly moved downfield in the last couple of minutes, but Ray missed a 42-yard FG to leave Bama behind to give Georgia the big upset. 

How they ended up: This ended up being the only loss for Alabama all season as they went on to win the AP poll’s first ever post-season national championship, which they would not have won had they awarded it prior to the bowl games.  Meanwhile, Georgia went 6-4.

70. Nov. 14, 1959-#12 (5) Georgia 14, #8 (UPI #15) Auburn 13 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)

The Build Up: Georgia came into this game 7-1, while Auburn was 6-1 for the most important game in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry in some time.  The Dawgs had not beaten the Tigers since 1952.  This ended up being one of the classic games in this storied rivalry’s history. 

The Finish: In a strange twist of fate Georgia player and future legendary Auburn coach Pat Dye recovered a fumble for the Dawgs to set up Fran Tarkenton’s GW TD pass in the final seconds for the dramatic win to cost Auburn a chance at an SEC championship, while putting Georgia in the driver’s seat for the conference crown.

How they ended up: Georgia ended up winning the SEC title and went on to win the Orange Bowl to complete a 10-1 season, while Auburn also lost to rival Alabama to finish 7-3.

69. Oct. 14, 1989-Southern Miss 16, Louisville 10 (Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky)

The Build Up: Southern Miss stunned #6 Florida St. in their opener before losing 4 straight and then beating Tulane to come into this game 2-4.  Meanwhile, Louisville was 3-1.

The Finish: With the game tied at 10 and Southern Miss at their own 21, QB Brett Favre rolled out, barely avoided a sack near the sideline and unleashed a bomb.  The ball bounced off the helmet of Eagles’ WR Michael Jackson to teammate Darryl Tillman who caught it at the 25 and then outraced the defense to the end zone as time expired for the 79-yard Hail Mary, the longest Hail Mary of all time. 

How they ended up: Southern Miss went 5-6, while Louisville went 6-5.

68. Oct. 31, 1992-Rutgers 50, Virginia Tech 49 (Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey)

The Build Up: Rutgers was 4-3 coming into their homecoming, while Virginia Tech was 2-4-1.

The Game: Rutgers came back from a 42-30 4^th quarter deficit.  Virginia Tech led 49-44 heading into the final minute. 

The Finish: Rutgers were at their own 39 but only 14 seconds remained.  Running out of options, they basically threw up a Hail Mary pass that was somehow caught at the 15 with 7 seconds left.  With 5 seconds left they had time for one more play where the Scarlet Knights came up with the GW 15-yard TD pass as time expired to set off a wild homecoming celebration.

How they ended up: Rutgers finished 7-4, while the Hokies didn’t win again all year to finish 2-8-1 in Frank Beamer’s 6^th season as coach leaving alum calling for his job.

67. Nov. 17, 1990-Stanford 27, (other) Cal 25 (Cal Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California)

The Build Up: Cal was 6-3-1 and bowl bound, while Stanford was playing for pride after a roller coaster season where they barely lost to eventual national champion Colorado (see #227) and beat #1 Notre Dame in South Bend but sat at 4-6 coming into this game.

The Game: This game is referred to as “The Revenge of the Play” or “The Payback” by Stanford fans.  John Hopkins gave Stanford their first lead of the game with his 4^th FG for an 18-17 lead with 9:56 left.  Cal responded with a TD and 2-point conversion for a 25-18 Bears lead with 6:03 left.  Later, the Cardinal had the ball at their own 13 with 1:54 left.

The Finish: Stanford nearly avoided 2 separate interceptions and converted a 4^th & 6 on their way to the Cal 19 with 17 seconds left.  That’s when QB Jason Palumbis threw a TD pass to Ed McCaffrey to cut it to a 25-24 deficit with 12 seconds left with the PAT pending.  Despite the fact that a tie kept the Stanford Axe in Palo Alto, Dennis Green opted to go for 2.  However, John Hardy came up with the seeming game-sealing interception.  Cal fans stormed the field leading to a lengthy delay and a penalty on the Bears.  When play finally resumed, Hopkins bounced an onside kick off a Cal player, and after the ball bounced off 7 different players, Stanford’s Dan Byers recovered at the Cal 37 for one of the wildest onside kick recoveries in college football history.  With 9 seconds left and no timeouts, a pass to McCaffrey fell incomplete, but the Bears were flagged for roughing the passer.  That moved the ball to the Cal 22 to set up Hopkins’ GW 39-yard FG into the wind as time expired to give Stanford the miraculous win. 

How they ended up: The Cardinal wrapped up their season at 5-6, while Cal went on to win the Copper Bowl to finish 7-4-1.

66. Nov. 16, 1996-Georgia 56, #20 (24) Auburn 49 (((4OT))) (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)

The Build Up: Auburn came into this game 7-2 hoping to keep themselves alive in the SEC West race.  Meanwhile, Georgia was struggling under 1^st year coach Jim Donnan and was 3-5 and just trying to get to bowl eligibility.

The Game: This went down as the “Miracle on the Plains” in Georgia circles.  Auburn led 28-7 in the 2^nd quarter, but Georgia cut it to a 28-14 deficit by halftime.  The Tigers controlled the ball for nearly 11 minutes in the 3^rd only to fumble at the UGA 11, and Jaret Holmes missed a 38-yard FG to leave it a 28-14 game.  Early in the 4^th, Mike Bobo found Hines Ward for a 67-yard TD to cut it to a 28-21 Dawgs deficit. 

The Finish: Georgia had their last chance with 1:07 left and no timeouts left.  They drove to the Auburn 22 with 19 seconds left before Auburn sacked Bobo to seemingly end the game.  As the officials were spotting the ball for a play that Georgia wouldn’t have time to pull off, Tiger DL Charles Dorsey inexplicably took the ball from the official and took it to the Auburn bench only for the officials to stop the clock to spot the ball, thus giving the Dawgs time to line up and spike the ball with 1-second left.  Georgia had time for one play at the Tiger 30-yard line.  Legendary Georgia announcer Larry Munson declared “there’s no way we can do it…”  Needing a miracle, Bobo threw the ball up for Corey Allen who made the catch at the goal line for the game-tying 30-yard TD pass as time expired to send the 100^th meeting between Auburn and Georgia into OT, the first OT game in SEC history.

Each team scored TDs in the first 3 OTs as the game went back-and-forth.  Torin Kirtsey ran in a 1-yard TD to give Georgia the 56-49 lead on the first possession of the 4^th OT.  After 3 plays on Auburn’s possession, they faced 4^th & 3 where DL Jason Ferguson made the GW tackle short of the line to gain to give the Dawgs the upset of the rival Tigers. 

How they ended up: Auburn’s SEC West hopes all but vanished and were officially closed when the Tigers lost to rival #15 Alabama the next week.  They survived a tough #24 Army team in the Independence Bowl to finish 8-4.  Meanwhile, Georgia’s bowl hopes came to an end with a loss to Ole Miss the next week on their way to a 5-6 finish.

65. Nov. 1, 2008-#6 (12) Texas Tech 39, #1 (4) Texas 33 (Jones Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)

The Build Up: Both teams came into this game undefeated at 8-0 and ESPN’s College GameDay came to Lubbock for the first time.  Before it even kicked off the hype was centered around this possibly being the biggest home game in Red Raider history.

The Game: The first points of the game came on a safety when Texas Tech stuffed the Longhorns in the end zone.  The ensuing drive resulted in a 29-yard Matt Williams FG for an early 5-0 Red Raider lead.  A 3-yard TD run from Baron Batch gave Tech a 12-0 lead after 1 quarter.  Texas went 3-and-out leading to another Tech TD for a 19-0 lead.  The Longhorns went 3-and-out again, but Texas forced a fumble leading to a 43-yard Hunter Lawrence FG to cut it to 19-3.  Tech answered with a FG of their own for a 22-3 lead.  Texas drove as far as the Tech 8 but would have to settle for another Lawrence FG as time expired in the half to end the half with a 22-6 Red Raiders lead.

Jordan Shipley had a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown to cut it to a 22-13 Longhorns deficit early in the 3^rd.  Texas got the ball back, but Daniel Charbonnet returned a pick 18 yards for a touchdown for a 29-13 Red Raider lead.  Texas responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to Malcolm Williams, but McCoy’s 2-point pass was knocked down to leave it a 29-19 Longhorns deficit.  Texas Tech drove to the UT 9, but a sack forced them to kick a FG, which Texas blocked.  On the next play, McCoy hit Williams for a 91-yard touchdown to suddenly cut it to a 29-26 Tech lead with 11 minutes remaining.  Tech drove in range for a 42-yard FG from Donnie Corona for a 32-26 Red Raider lead.  McCoy led a drive by completing 4 of 5 passes and running for 11 yards to set up a 4-yard TD from Vondrell McGee to give the Longhorns their first lead at 33-32 with just 1:29 left. 

The Finish: The Red Raiders returned the kickoff to their own 38 where Graham Harrell completed passes of 8, 5, 11, and 10 yards to get to the Texas 28 with 15 seconds left.  Harrell’s next pass was deflected and nearly intercepted by S Blake Gideon, but he couldn’t haul it in with 8 seconds left.  Instead of kicking the long FG, Mike Leach opted for another pass.  Harrell found Michael Crabtree at the Texas 6 near the sideline, but instead of stepping out of bounds, he escaped a tackle and went in for the GW TD with only 1-second left to give Texas Tech one of their biggest wins ever in the most dramatic of fashions.  Fans rushed the field which resulted in two excessive celebration penalties forcing Tech to kickoff from their own 7, but Texas couldn’t come up with a miracle to seal the Red Raiders win.

How they ended up: With the win, Texas Tech took the stunning lead in the Big 12 South race and improved to 9-0 and moved up to #2, while Texas fell to 8-1 and #5.  The Red Raiders justified their ranking with a 56-20 home win over #8 Oklahoma State, but then they were blown out 65-21 by #5 Oklahoma.  This created a 3-way tie for 1^st place in the Big 12 South between Texas Tech, Texas, and the Sooners.  Big 12 rules gave Oklahoma the nod for the Big 12 Championship Game due to their higher BCS ranking.  Thus, this game cost Texas a shot at not only a Big 12 title, but a shot at a national championship as well.  The Longhorns went on to beat #10 Ohio St. in a thriller in the Fiesta Bowl (see #289) to finish 12-1, while Texas Tech lost to Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl to finish 11-2.

64. Oct. 20, 2007-#5 (1) LSU 30, #18 (15) Auburn 24 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

The Build Up: LSU was just coming off an upset loss at Kentucky that cost them their #1 ranking and could not afford another loss.  Meanwhile Auburn was on a 4-GW streak to sit at 5-2.

The Game: Auburn led 17-7 at halftime, but LSU came back and cut it to 24-23. 

The Finish: LSU had a 58-yard drive that appeared to set them up for a GW FG, but with time ticking under 25 seconds, Les Miles opted not to call a timeout and they took their time to dial up one more play.  By the time Matt Flynn took the snap, the clock was ticking under 9 seconds and instead of running to set up an easier FG, Matt Flynn dropped back to pass.  He threw to the end zone where Demetrius Byrd fought through the arms of CB Jerraud Powers and caught the ball for the GW TD with only 1-second left to give LSU the dramatic win. 

How they ended up: Miles’ decision not to call timeout and to pass instead of setting up a FG was criticized even in a win and helped add to his moniker the “Mad Hatter.”  Without this win, LSU does not win the national championship or even the SEC title since this game ultimately determined the SEC West.  But win the SEC title and national championship LSU did, even with another loss in another classic game against Arkansas (just missed the list).  The wild 2007 season allowed the 2-loss Bayou Bengals to sneak into the BCS National Championship Game where they defeated #1 Ohio State 38-24 for the program’s 3^rd national championship and second of the decade.  Meanwhile, Auburn went 9-4.

63. Nov. 8, 1958-#3 (3) Army 14, #13 Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas)

The Build Up: Army came into this game in the midst of one of their best seasons since the 1951 academic violation scandal at 5-0-1 and ranked #3.  Meanwhile, Rice had come into this game coming off a huge upset of Texas to put themselves in the driver’s seat for the SWC title.

The Game: Two 2^nd quarter TDs left the game a 7-7 tie at halftime as the game became a defensive struggle.  Rice broke into Army territory 3 times but couldn’t find the scoreboard on any of those occasions with a fumble, an interception, and a blocked FG ending promising drives. 

The Finish: With time running low, Army had the ball in the shadow of their own end zone when Joe Caldwell hit eventual Heisman winner Pete Dawkins to give them some breathing room.  Then a completion to Bob Anderson got them to their own 36.  That’s when Caldwell fired a pass to Dawkins down the sideline.  Dawkins broke to the middle of the field and stayed on his feet when a desperation tackle attempt left him stumbling, and finally he went all the way to the end zone for the GW 64-yard TD pass in the final minute. 

How they ended up: Army won their final 2 games including a 22-6 win over Navy to finish 8-0-1 and Dawkins won the Heisman with the winning play being his signature moment.  Meanwhile, Rice never recovered.  This was the first of a 3-GL skid for the Owls, including a 21-10 loss to #7 TCU to cost them the SWC title on their way to a 5-5 season.

62. Sept. 21, 2024-(25) Colorado 38, Baylor 31 (((OT))) (Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado)

The Build Up: Deion Sanders had brought swagger back to Boulder, but in his first season the Buffs only ended up with 4 wins.  Now in his 2^nd season, Coach Prime was looking to make some national recognition with a talent laden roster.  They were 2-1 coming into this game as was Baylor.

The Game: Jamaal Bell had a 100-yard kickoff return followed shortly after by Sawyer Robertson’s 45-yard TD run to give Baylor a 24-10 lead with 4:19 left in the 2^nd quarter.  However, Shedeur Sanders had a 58-yard TD to Omarion Miller with 50 seconds left in the half to cut it to 24-17 heading into halftime.  Micah Welch’s 2-yard touchdown run tied the game at 24 heading into the 4^th.  Robertson threw a 24-yard touchdown to Hal Presley to give the Bears a 31-24 lead with 5:43 left.  Baylor had a chance to put the game away, but Isaiah Hankins missed a 45-yard field goal with 2:19 left. 

The Finish: The Buffaloes wasted much of the remaining time with poor clock management before a Sanders bomb was dropped by Will Sheppard that likely would’ve been a TD and left only 2 seconds on the clock. With time for only one more play, Sanders ran to his left and lofted a 43-yard bomb that was caught by a sliding LaJohntay Wester as time expired for the miraculous TD to send the game to OT.  Colorado had the ball first in OT and scored on Welch’s 1-yard TD run for the 38-31 lead.  Baylor drove to the Buffs 2, where Dominic Richardson dove towards the end zone, but eventual Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, forced a fumble just barely before ball crossed the plane, and the ball went through the end zone for the touchback to seal Colorado’s miraculous win. 

How they ended up: Colorado went on to a 9-4 season and ranked in the final AP and Coaches polls, while Baylor went 8-5.  Hunter went on to become the first 2-way player to win the Heisman trophy since the early 1960s.

61. Nov. 6, 1999-(18) Minnesota 24, #2 (11) Penn St. 23 (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)

The Build Up: Penn St. came into this game 9-0 and #2 hoping to end their season in the 2^nd ever BCS National Championship Game.  Minnesota wasn’t expected to be much of a threat, having lost 3 of their last 4 games, including 2 in a row to sit at 5-3.

The Finish: With Penn State clinging to a 23-21 lead, Minnesota faced 4^th & 16 and came up with a miracle 1^st down catch of a deflected pass to set up freshman Dan Nystrom’s GW 32-yard FG as time expired to end the Nittany Lions’ national title hopes. 

How they ended up: The loss sent Penn St. into a spiral.  This was the first of a 3-GL skid as they finished 10-3.  The Nittany Lions wouldn’t return to national prominence again until 2005.  For the Gophers the win was the first of 3 in a row as they finished 8-4.

60. Jan. 1, 1975-#5 (2) USC 18, #3 (4) Ohio St. 17 (Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

The Build Up: Ohio St. rebounded from a controversial loss to Michigan St. (more on that later) and beat rival #2 Michigan (see #126) to clinch a spot in this Rose Bowl ranked #3.  Meanwhile, USC lost their opener to Arkansas, but would not lose again, although they suffered a tie to Cal midseason to take a 9-1-1 record and #5 ranking into this Rose Bowl.  #1 Oklahoma had already clinched the AP national title, but since they were on probation, they were not eligible for the Coaches poll national title.  With #4 Michigan again not playing a bowl game due to Big Ten rules at the time, that left these two teams and #2 Alabama to contend for the UPI title.  #2 Alabama would play #9 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl later in the night to leave these two teams to battle it out and hope the Tide lost later.

The Game: Champ Henson ran the ball in for a 2-yard TD run to put OSU up 7-3 in the 2^nd.  USC drove into FG range behind 2 big passes from Pat Haden to J.K. McKay and Steve Luke.  Chris Limahelu made a 39-yard FG only for OSU to be called for an offside penalty on the play.  Trojan coach John McKay opted to take the 1^st down rather than keep the points and the Trojans drove to the 5, but would have to settle for a FG on the last play of the half.  However, kicking from a tough angle, Limahelu missed the 24-yard kick to leave the score 7-3 Ohio St. at halftime when it could have been 7-6.

Limahelu missed another FG in a 3^rd, but a 9-yard TD pass from Haden to Jim Obradovich put USC up 10-7 early in the 4^th.  By this point, USC had doubled up Ohio St. in offensive yardage, and Woody Hayes’ bunch needed to get something going on offense.  Facing 3^rd & 8, QB Cornelius Greene dropped back deep and looked to be getting sacked, but he broke away and scrambled for 23 yards and a 1^st down.  Then when Greene couldn’t find a receiver down field, he dumped it off to reigning Heisman trophy winner Archie Griffin who ran past midfield and to the USC 35.  After a couple of runs, a pass interference penalty moved the Buckeyes to the USC 17.  From there, OSU ran the ball, with Griffin surpassing 100 yards rushing for the 22^nd consecutive game.  It was Greene who ran it in for a 3-yard TD to put OSU up 14-10.  On the ensuing possession, Haden couldn’t handle a snap, and the ball was kicked around into the hands of Ohio St. to give them the ball right back at the USC 30.  However, the Trojans held the Buckeyes to a 34-yard FG to make it a 17-10 game with 6:38 left.

The Finish: USC started the ensuing drive from their own 16, but they were able to effectively run the ball until they were held to 4^th & less than a yard at the Ohio St. 42 with 2:34 left to play.  Allen Carter was able to pick up the crucial 1^st down with a run to the OSU 38.  On the next play, Haden dropped back deep and found J.K. McKay in the right corner of the end zone for a 38-yard TD pass to cut it to a 17-16 deficit.  Coach McKay opted to go for 2 and the win rather than a tie knowing that a tie would not be enough to earn them the national title.  On the 2-point attempt, Haden rolled out, and for a second appeared to be running for the score but then suddenly dumped off a pass in the end zone where Shelton Diggs made a diving catch for the GW 2-point conversion to put USC up 18-17 with 2:03 left.

Ohio St. drove out to their own 40 before, on a 2^nd & 1 play, Gary Jeter sacked Greene for a huge loss to put OSU back at their own 28.  However, Greene converted the 1^st down with a completion to Mike Bartoszek to the OSU 41.  Greene connected with Bartoszek for 9 1/2 yards but just short of the 1^st down to move into USC territory.  After 2 incompletions, Griffin converted the 4^th down, but time was running out on the Buckeyes with the ball on the 45 and only 2 seconds left.  They attempted a 58-yard FG, but the kick fell well short to give USC the win in the Rose Bowl.

How they ended up: USC wrapped up their season 10-1-1, while Ohio State settled for 10-2.  Now the Trojans had to wait to see the outcome of the Orange Bowl where they found themselves in the unusual circumstance of rooting for Notre Dame (since USC had just beaten the Irish in the last game of the regular season 55-24 after scoring 55 unanswered points, a Notre Dame win would likely give the Trojans the national title).  The #9 Irish stunned #2 Alabama in another thriller (13-11) to give USC the Coaches poll national championship.

59. Sept. 24, 1977-#3 (7) Oklahoma 29, #4 (11) Ohio St. 28 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)

The Build Up: This was the first ever meeting between these two blue-blood programs and it was an all-time classic. 

The Game: Oklahoma took a 14-0 lead within the first 4 minutes of the game and led 17-0 after the 1^st quarter.  Early in the 2^nd, Uwe von Schamann made his 2^nd FG for a 20-0 lead.  However, by that time, OU had lost their starting QB and future Heisman winner Billy Sims to injuries.  Suddenly the Sooner offense couldn’t move the ball, and Ohio St. had cut the deficit to 20-14 by halftime.  After 2 more 3^rd quarter TDs, Ohio St. took a 28-20 lead heading into the 4^th.  Oklahoma finally got another drive going and scored a TD in the final minute, but the 2-point try failed to leave OU behind 28-26. 

The Finish: However, the Sooners recovered a Schamann onside kick and completed a pass to move into FG range.  From there Barry Switzer called back-to-back running plays to set up Schamann’s potential GW FG attempt with 6 seconds left.  Woody Hayes called timeout to ice Schamann, but instead it seemed to fire him up.  As the “Horseshoe” crowd began chanting “block that kick,” Schamann turned to the crowd and began waving them on as if imploring them to get louder.  Schamann then nailed the GW 41-yard FG with 3 seconds left to give OU the dramatic win to keep them undefeated.

How they ended up: The Sooners moved up to the #1 spot, but a loss to rival Texas put their national title hopes in jeopardy.  However, they completed a perfect Big 8 slate to take the conference title and a #2 ranking into the Orange Bowl, only ranked behind the Longhorn team that beat them.  When #5 Notre Dame upset #1 Texas, it opened the door to Alabama and Oklahoma to possibly take the #1 spot.  But the Sooners lost the Orange Bowl to #6 Arkansas to eliminate them from contention (the Irish ended up leapfrogging #3 Alabama for the final #1 spot).  Meanwhile, Ohio St. beat their next 7 opponents by a combined score of 255 to 35 to take a 9-1 record into the Michigan game.  However, they lost to the rival Wolverines to end their Rose Bowl and national title hopes.  The Buckeyes lost to that Bama team in the Sugar Bowl to finish 9-3.

58. Sept. 2, 1985-(13) Alabama 20, (once #12) Georgia 16 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)

The Build Up: This was a Labor Day season opener for both teams.

The Finish: Georgia blocked a punt for a TD with just 50 seconds left for a 16-13 lead.  However, an unsportsmanlike celebration cost the Dawgs field positioning that turned out to be crucial.  Mike Shula completed 4 quick throws to move to the Georgia 17 where Shula found Al Bell for the GW TD with 15 seconds left to give Bama the dramatic win. 

How they ended up: Alabama went on to a 9-2-1 season.  Georgia wouldn’t lose again in the next 8 games climaxing with a 24-3 win over then #1 Florida.  But they wouldn’t win again as they lost to both rivals Auburn and Georgia Tech to finish 7-3-2.

57. Jan. 2, 1987-#2 (1) Penn St. 14, #1 (2) Miami 10 (Fiesta Bowl, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona)

The Build Up: Both teams ended their season with perfect 11-0 records.  The fact that the #1 and #2 teams were independents meant that in order to have a national championship meeting, they couldn’t go to any of the four traditional big bowl games: Cotton, Rose, Orange, and Sugar, because all of those Bowls are bound to conference champions.  Thus, a bidding war between the Fiesta, Citrus, and Gator Bowls broke out and the Fiesta Bowl with NBC pulled off the matchup held in prime time the day after the other major bowls.  Notably, the entire Miami team changed into military fatigues on the flight to the game. 

The Game: Statistically, Miami dominated the game.  Miami outgained Penn St. 445 yards to just 162, with 22 1^st downs to just 8 for Penn St.  But the difference was 7 Hurricane turnovers, including 5 picks thrown by newly crowned Heisman winner, Vinny Testaverde.

Miami’s only TD came after a John Shaffer fumble that gave the Canes the Ball at the Nittany Lion 23.  Four plays later, Melvin Bratton went in for the 1-yard TD run.  Penn St. answered right back with their only sustained drive of the night, going 74 yards in 13 plays finished off with Shaffer’s 4-yard TD run.  That tied the game at 7, which held as the score heading into halftime.

Miami kicked a FG for a 10-7 lead and got the ball back, but Testaverde threw his 2^nd interception to Shane Conlan who returned it 39 yards to the Canes’ 5.  On 1^st down, the snap was fumbled, but Penn St. recovered.  The next play was a D.J. Dozier 6-yard TD run to put Penn St. up 14-10 for their first lead of the night.  Miami still had over 8 minutes left, but they fumbled on their next possession.  With Penn St. unable to drive, the Canes got the ball back at their own 23 with 3:07 left. 

The Finish: Miami faced 4^th down but Testaverde found Brian Blades who broke for a 31-yard gain to move into Nittany Lion territory.  With a minute left, Testaverde fired a pass to Michael Irvin to get down to the 10.  Those same two connected again to get down to the 5 with the clock ticking under 45 seconds.  On 2^nd & goal, Tim Johnson dropped Testaverde for a sack forcing Jimmy Johnson to call timeout with 25 seconds left and the ball now on the 12.  On 3^rd down Testaverde threw incomplete into the flat.  With 4^th & goal for the national championship, Testaverde threw to the end zone, but LB Pete Giftopoulos intercepted his 2^nd of the night and Testaverde’s 5^th to seal the national championship for Penn St.

How they ended up: Penn St. finished 12-0 for their 2^nd consensus national title of the 80s, and the only 2 claimed national titles in program history.  Meanwhile, Miami settled for an 11-1 finish for their only loss between 1985 and the 1988 Catholics vs. Convicts game (more on that later).

56. Nov. 25, 1978-#3 (2) USC 27, #8 (7) Notre Dame 25 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

The Build Up: Notre Dame came into the game 8-2 having won 8 straight since dropping their first 2, while USC was 9-1 having won 5 straight since an upset loss to Arizona St to win the outright Pac-10 title and earn their trip to the Rose Bowl with a national championship still a possibility.  For 3 quarters, USC moved the ball at will and took a 24-6 lead before Irish QB Joe Montana found his touch in the 4^th quarter. 

The Finish: The “Comeback Kid” engineered a spectacular comeback for a 25-24 lead with 45 seconds left.  Notre Dame was stopped on a 2-point try after the go-ahead TD, which proved to be crucial.  On the ensuing USC drive, the Irish appeared to recover an apparent fumble to seemingly win the game, but it was ruled an incomplete pass.  With new life, the Trojans drove into FG range with 4 seconds left.  They sent out Frank Jordan who nailed the GW FG for the win to keep USC’s national title hopes alive.

How they ended up: USC beat Hawaii on the islands and then beat #5 Michigan 17-10 in the Rose Bowl to finish 12-1 and ranked #1 in the final Coaches poll.  Alabama finished #1 in the final AP poll despite the Trojans’ head-to-head win at #1 Alabama at Legion Field 24-14 in September.  For Notre Dame, the myth of the “Comeback Kid” was still not over…

55. Jan. 1, 1979-#10 (7) Notre Dame 35, #9 (10) Houston 34 (Cotton Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas)

The Build Up: The loss to USC put Notre Dame at 8-3.  Meanwhile, Houston had won the SWC outright with a 9-2 record.

The Game: “The Chicken Soup Game.”  On an unusually cold day, the day after the worst ice storm Dallas had experienced in 30 years, QB Joe Montana had to leave the game with not only the flu, but his body temperature had dropped to the point where he was in danger of hypothermia.  In the locker room, Notre Dame medical staff warmed Montana by feeding him chicken soup and covering him with warm blankets.  In the meantime, Houston built a 34-12 lead by the time Montana returned to the game with 7:37 left to play.  A strong 30mph wind played a part in the game as all but 7 of the game’s 69 points were scored in the north end zone. 

The Finish: Notre Dame scored on a blocked punt returned 33 yards for a score, and then Montana threw the 2-point conversion to cut it to 34-20.  Later, Montana scored on a tough 2-yard TD run and threw another 2-point pass to cut it to a 34-28 deficit.  With about 30 seconds left, Houston faced 4^th & 1 from their own 29 and Bill Yeoman decided to go for it, perhaps fearing another blocked punt.  However, the Cougars were stopped, and the Irish had a chance with a short field.  Montana drove the Fighting Irish to the 8 with 6 seconds left.  Montana threw a quick pass that went out of bounds leaving only 2 seconds left.  On the last play of the game, Montana rolled right and threw to the right corner of the end zone where Kris Haines made the catch while falling out of bounds for the TD as time expired.  Joe Unis would have to kick the PAT twice because of an Irish penalty, but he made them both to give Notre Dame the dramatic comeback win.

How they ended up: This was Montana’s final game playing for Notre Dame, which reinforced his image as “The Comeback Kid,” which he carried into his pro career in becoming one of the greatest QBs of all time.  Both teams finished 9-3.

54. Nov. 14, 1998-(25) Syracuse 28, #16 (23) Virginia Tech 26 (Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York)

The Build Up: The year before the Hokies went to the national championship game, they were 7-1 with only an inexplicable loss to hapless Temple marring their record.  Syracuse was 5-3 with one of their losses coming to eventual national champion Tennessee (see #286).

The Game: What took place was a quintessential 5-star classic that college football fans should seek out.  Virginia Tech took a 21-3 lead in the 1^st half behind a long TD run, a blocked punt for a TD, and a fumble return for a TD.  However, Donovan McNabb connected on a Hail Mary to set up a FG on the last play of the half to cut it to a 21-6 Syracuse deficit at the break.  In the 2^nd half Syracuse came back and took a brief 22-21 lead only for McNabb to have his 2-point pass attempt picked off.  It looked like Loren Johnson was on his was for 2 points the other way, but McNabb chased him down and tackled him short of the goal line only for Johnson to fumble into the end zone where his teammate Jamel Smith recovered it for a defensive 2-point conversion to give Tech immediately back a 23-22 lead.  (This scenario playing out late in a game may be the only miracle finish that college football has yet to unveil).  Virginia Tech added a FG for a 26-22 lead with over 4 minutes left. 

The Finish: Syracuse began the ensuing drive from their own 17 but drove all the way to the Hokie 1-yard line, highlighted by a 41-yard scramble from McNabb who vomited a couple of times during the drive.  However, at the 1, Syracuse faked a handoff and tried to have McNabb roll out, but Corey Moore dropped McNabb for a huge loss, pushing Syracuse back to the 13.  By the time McNabb spiked it they had only 5 seconds left.  With time for only one play, McNabb scrambled to his right and threw across the field to the TE Stephen Brominski in the end zone for the GW TD as time expired. 

How they ended up: This result helped determine the Big East title.  The win propelled the Orange back into the rankings at #24 with a 6-3 record.  They went on to win their final 2 regular season games, including a 66-13 thrashing of #19 Miami to win the Big East title outright.  However, they lost the Orange Bowl to #7 Florida 31-10 to finish 8-4.  Meanwhile, the Hokies won 2 of their final 3 games to finish 9-3 and tied for 2^nd in the Big East standings, one-game behind Syracuse. 

53. Nov. 7, 2015-(once #18) Arkansas 53, #18 (10) Ole Miss 52 (((OT))) (Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi)

The Build Up: Ole Miss came into this game 7-2 with only one conference loss and a win in Tuscaloosa against an Alabama team that would go on to win the national championship.  Meanwhile, Arkansas was looking to overcome a slow 2-4 start by winning 2 straight to sit at 4-4.

The Finish: Arkansas’ Brandon Allen threw the game-tying 17-yard TD pass to Dominique Reed with 53 seconds left to send the game to OT.  After Chad Kelly had an 8-yard touchdown run on the first possession of OT for a 52-45 Rebels lead, Arkansas faced 4^th & 25 with the game seemingly all but over.  Allen completed a pass to TE Hunter Henry, who was getting tackled well short of the line to gain, so he flung the ball backwards, and Alex Collins picked up the ball on the bounce and took it for a 31-yard gain and then fumbled and Reed recovered for a 1^st down.  The Hogs seemingly tied the game on a 9-yard TD pass from Allen (his 6^th) to Drew Morgan, but coach Bret Bielema opted to go for 2 and the win.  Arkansas’ first attempt failed, but Marquis Haynes was flagged for a facemask to give the Hogs another chance.  Allen then ran in the ensuing 2-pointer for the walk-off win to give Arkansas one of the wildest wins of the season in a season filled with them. 

How they ended up: This loss prevented Ole Miss from going to the SEC Championship Game.  This was their only loss in their final 6 games and if they had won here, they would have gone to the SEC title game due to their head-to-head win over Alabama.  Instead, the Tide won not only the SEC title but the national title, while the Rebels settled for a 10-3 finish.  Arkansas ended up losing only once over their final 7 games (the loss a 51-50 outing against Mississippi St.) to finish 8-5.

52. Oct. 22, 2011-#15 (11) Michigan St. 37, #4 (10) Wisconsin 31 (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)

The Build Up: Wisconsin got out to a 6-0 start to climb all the way up to #4.  Meanwhile, Michigan St. was 5-1 coming off a big win over rival #11 Michigan.

The Game: Wisconsin went on a long TD drive, and then Michigan St. fumbled to set up a Montee Ball TD for a quick 14-0 Badger lead.  The Spartans got on the board when Wisconsin was called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety to cut it to 14-2.  MSU’s ensuing drive went for a TD on Keshawn Martin’s 34-yard reverse to cut it to 14-9.  The Badgers drove in range for a 30-yard FG attempt, but the Spartans blocked it to leave it 14-9.  That led to Kirk Cousins’ 34-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham on 4^th & 2 to give Michigan St. a 16-14 lead, their first lead of the game.  Then in the final minute before halftime, the Spartans blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a 23-14 lead heading into the half.

Wisconsin added a 3^rd quarter FG, but Michigan St. scored on a 15-yard TD pass from Cousins to Martin and followed that up with a 2-point pass to Cunningham to give the Spartans a 31-17 lead with 10:58 left.  Russel Wilson broke a 22-yard scramble for a TD with 8:10 left to cut it to 31-24.  The Badgers got a stop but had to drive the length of the field.  A 42-yard pass from Wilson to Nick Toon moved Wisconsin to the MSU 15, which set up Wilson’s 2-yard TD pass to Ball to tie the game at 31 with 1:26 left.

The Finish: On the Michigan St. possession, Cousins was strip sacked, but an offensive lineman recovered to keep the drive alive, but they now faced 2^nd & 21 with 42 seconds left.  A couple of Cousins completions gained a 1^st down but the clock was getting low.  They got to the Badger 44 but only 4 seconds remained, so Cousins had to go for a Hail Mary.  He launched the ball towards the end zone and it came down in the end zone, deflecting off the facemask of Cunningham and bounced back out of the end zone where Keith Nichol grabbed the ball and fought his way just enough for the ball to barely cross the plane of the goal line before he was tackled by a group of Badgers.  The play was initially ruled short of the goal line, but after review, the referees awarded the Spartans the GW miracle TD to end Wisconsin’s hopes of an undefeated season.  It was Nichol’s only catch of the night. 

How they ended up: These teams would end up meeting again in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game.  Wisconsin got some measure of revenge with a 42-39 win for the Big Ten title in another classic.  The Badgers lost the Rose Bowl 45-38 to Oregon to finish 11-3.  Meanwhile, Michigan St. beat #18 Georgia in a 3OT thriller in the Outback Bowl to also finish 11-3.

51. Dec. 2, 1972-#9 (5) Auburn 17, #2 (7) Alabama 16 (Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama)

The Build Up: Alabama came into this game 10-0 and #2 in the AP poll with their national title hopes riding high.  Meanwhile, Auburn wasn’t too shabby either sitting at 8-1 and #9. 

The Game: Undefeated Alabama led 16-0 with less than 10 minutes left when Ralph “Shug” Jordan opted to kick a FG rather than go for it which elicited the boos of the Auburn faithful who knew a 16-point game was a 2-possession game with 2 TDs and 2 2-point conversions.  Nevertheless, they kicked and the Tigers now trailed 16-3.  Auburn forced an Alabama punt on the ensuing possession, and Bill Newton blocked it, and David Langner picked it up and ran it back 25 yards for a TD to suddenly cut it to a 16-10 deficit. 

The Finish: Several minutes later, Bama was forced to punt again.  This time Roger Mitchell blocked the punt and again Langner returned it 20 yards for the GW TD to suddenly give Auburn a 17-16 lead with the PAT.  With the clock winding down, Langner sealed the game with an interception. 

How they ended up: The game became known as “Punt Bama Punt,” and went down in not only Iron Bowl lore, but college football lore for the improbable outcome.  The Tigers went on to win the Gator Bowl to finish 10-1, while Alabama never recovered and lost the Cotton Bowl to #7 Texas to finish 10-2.