Top 300 Finishes in College Football History (250-201)

250. Oct. 19, 1985-#1 (10) Iowa 12, #2 (2) Michigan 10 (Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa)

               The Build Up: Entering October, Iowa rose to #1 in the AP poll for the first time since 1961.  They won a thriller over Michigan St. and handled Wisconsin on the road to retain their #1 ranking heading into this matchup.  Meanwhile, Michigan opened the season with 3 straight wins over ranked opponents as they rose the ranks to #2 to set up this much-hyped game between the #1 and #2 teams in the AP poll. 

The Game: Iowa dominated statistically (422-182 yards; 38:05-21:55 time of possession), yet they could not find the end zone (an apparent TD pass to Scott Helverson was called out of bounds although replays showed he was inbounds).  Chuck Long out-dueled Jim Harbaugh with 268 passing yards to just 55 for Harbaugh, but the latter had the only TD of the game with a 6-yard TD pass to Gerald White to give Michigan a 7-6 lead at halftime.  After Rob Houghtlin gave Iowa a 9-7 lead early in the 4^th, Mike Gillette answered with a FG of his own for a 10-9 Wolverine lead with 10:55 left.  Houghtlin missed a 44-yarder with 7:33 left, but he would have a chance to redeem himself. 

The Finish: Iowa got the ball back at their own 22 with over 4 minutes left.  Long led the Hawkeyes down the field with big passes to Mike Flagg, Fred Bush, and Ronnie Harmon.  With 2 seconds left, Houghtlin was sent out for a 29-yard FG attempt that separated the #1 and #2 teams in the country.  Houghtlin made up for his earlier miss when he sent this one through the uprights as time expired to give Iowa one of the biggest wins in school history to retain their #1 ranking. 

How they ended up: Iowa kept their #1 ranking for another 2 weeks before they were upset at Ohio St in the rain.  However, this win was enough to propel them to an outright Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth.   For the Wolverines, this wound up being their only loss all season and ended up costing them not only the Big Ten title, but what would’ve been Bo Schembechler’s only national title.  This was as close as Schembechler got to winning it all as they finished #2.  Iowa became the only Big Ten team besides Ohio St. to beat a Schembechler Michigan team in consecutive seasons.

249. Oct. 27, 1962-#8 (UPI #14) Washington & Oregon tied at 21 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)

               The Build Up: After opening the season with a tie against then #7 Purdue, Washington had won 4 straight to sit at 4-0-1 and #8 and a big game against #3 USC looming.  Meanwhile, Oregon was on a 4-GW streak of their own after opening with a loss at then #2 Texas.

The Finish: In one of the most controversial finishes in this or any rivalry’s history, Oregon’s Larry Hill was tackled by Washington fans who had rushed the field while he was trying to catch the tie-breaking, GW TD on the last play of the game to cost Oregon a chance at a win to leave this game tied. 

How they ended up: Oregon finished 6-3-1.  The controversial finish and tie cost the Huskies a spot in the next AP poll as they fell to #9 for their top ten showdown against #3 USC.  They got shut out by the Trojans but then won out to finish 7-1-2.

248. Oct. 22, 1994-(11) Oregon 31, #9 Washington 20 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)

               The Build Up: Washington came into this game on a 5-GW streak at 5-1 and ranked #9 in the AP.  Meanwhile, Oregon sat at a pedestrian 4-3.

The Finish: Oregon was clinging to a 24-20 lead with Washington driving and less than a minute left when freshman Kenny Wheaton picked off a Damon Huard pass and returned it 97 yards for the game-sealing pick-six. 

How they ended up: The play is known as “The Pick” in Oregon circles and has since gone on to become the defining play in Oregon football history and is shown before every Ducks’ home game at Autzen Stadium.  It signaled a shift in dominance in this rivalry and national prominence in the Pacific northwest from Washington to Oregon.  In 1994 it also helped the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl in 37 years as this was the 2^nd in a 6-GW streak to end their regular season as outright Pac-10 champs.  The win ended a 5-GL streak to the Huskies, and Oregon has since gone on to dominate the series since “The Pick.”  As for the 1994 Huskies, they only won 2 of their last 5 games to finish 7-4 and out of the polls.

247. Oct. 19, 1985-Oregon St. 21, (once #12) Washington 20 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)

               The Build Up: Washington came into this game as 38-point favorites against an Oregon St. team that was 2-4 and just lost their last 2 games by a combined score of 97-0.  The Beavers also lost their last 10 games against Washington by an average of 24 points and were without their starting QB and leading receiver.

               The Game: Oregon St. shocked the Huskies with a 43-yard TD pass from Rich Gonzales to Darvin Malone for a 7-3 lead.  After Washington took a 10-7 lead, they had a chance to extend their lead with a short field, but an interception in the end zone led to an 80-yard Beaver drive capped with Gonzales’ 20-yard TD scamper to give Oregon St. a surprising 14-10 halftime lead.  The Huskies reclaimed a 17-14 lead and had another chance to extend that lead with 1^st & goal at the Beaver 1.  After stuffing 2 runs, Beaver LB Osia Lewis forced a fumble to end the threat.  However, Washington eventually took a 20-14 lead with Jeff Jaeger’s 2^nd FG of the game with 7:59 left. 

The Finish: With less than 2 minutes left, the Huskies were punting from their own end zone.  The Beavers sent the rush and blocked the punt, which appeared to be going out of the end zone for a safety, but the ball just happened to bounce back in the end zone and was recovered by Lavance Northington for a Beaver TD to give them the 21-20 lead for what was at the time the largest point spread ever covered in college football history. 

How they ended up: The shocking upset ended a 4-GW streak for the Huskies and cost them a trip to the Rose Bowl with them having the tie-breaker against eventual Rose Bowl champion UCLA.  Meanwhile, Oregon St. went just 3-8 with this representing their only win in their final 9 games.  Since this game, only 2 games have surpassed the 38-point spread: the 41-point spread covered in Stanford’s shocking upset of #2 USC in 2007 (more on that later), and UNLV’s loss to Howard in 2017 as 45-point favorites.

246. Sept. 17, 1988-#10 (3) Florida St. 24, #3 (9) Clemson 21 (Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina)

               The Build Up: Florida St. opened the season #1 in the AP before they were blasted by rival Miami 31-0 to drop to #10.  Meanwhile, Clemson won their first two game to climb up to #3.

The Game: Highlights included a 76-yard punt return for a TD from future Hall of Famer Deion Sanders to tie the game at 14. 

The Finish: With the game tied at 21, Florida St. was forced to punt deep in their own territory with 1:31 left when coach Bobby Bowden dialed up a play that would go down in Seminole lore.  The play was the ‘Puntrooskie,’ a fake where LeRoy Butler lined up in front of the punter, with his hands between his legs. The snap went to an upman who handed Butler the ball from under his legs before taking off to the right.  With everyone thinking the ball had gone to the right, Butler took off for 78 yards before the Tigers finally pulled him down for not only a 1^st down, but also to put them in range for the GW FG. 

How they ended up: The Seminoles won the remainder of their games to finish 11-1 and #3 in the final AP poll.  Meanwhile, Clemson only lost once more on their way to the outright ACC title, a win over Oklahoma in the Citrus Bowl, and a #9 final ranking.

245. Oct. 19, 1991-#11 (24) NC St. 15, Marshall 14 (Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina)

               The Build Up: NC St. came into this game 5-0 and ranked #11, while Marshall was still in Division I-AA and was not expected to be a threat. 

The Game: Trailing 14-3, NC St. scored on an Aubrey Shaw 1-yard TD run to cut it to 14-9 after a failed 2-pointer. 

The Finish: The Wolf Pack then recovered a pooch kick to give them the ball right back.  Geoff Bender threw the GW 34-yard TD pass on 4^th down with 24 seconds left to allow NC St. to survive a scare. 

How they ended up: The Wolf Pack ended up going 9-3, while Marshall went all the way to the Division I-AA National Championship Game before they lost to Youngstown St.

244. Nov. 25, 1999-#18 (13) Mississippi St. 23, #23 (22) Ole Miss 20 (Scott Field, Starkville, Mississippi)

               The Build Up: MSU started their season 8-0 before losing 2 straight heading into this game to fall to #18 in the AP.  Meanwhile, Ole Miss was 7-3 and ranked #23.

The Game: Ole Miss took a 20-6 lead with 8:27 left in the 3^rd quarter.  Mississippi St. scored their second TD of the game with 12:49 left to play to cut it to a 20-13 deficit.  That held as the score until Mississippi St. got the ball back at their own 11 with 2:10 remaining. 

The Finish: Wayne Madkin led an 89-yard drive finished off with a 38-yard TD pass with 27 seconds left when he scrambled and found CJ Sirmones wide open who raced all the way to the end zone, diving past the last would-be tackler for the game-tying score.  Starting the ensuing drive from their own 24 and all 3 timeouts left, Ole Miss opted to go for the win rather than settle for OT, but that strategy backfired, as a deep pass was deflected off a Bulldog defender’s foot and right into the arms of another MSU defender, who returned it all the way to the Ole Miss 26 with 8 seconds left.  Scott Westerfield nailed the GW 44-yard FG with 3 seconds left to steal the Egg Bowl. 

How they ended up:  The game and finish has since gone on to be referred to as “The Pick and the Kick,” in MSU circles.  The Bulldogs finished their regular season 9-2 and #15, while Ole Miss dropped their 2^nd in a row to finish their regular season 7-4 to fall out of the rankings.  Both teams won their bowl games as the Rebels moved back into the polls in the final rankings.

243. Nov. 13, 1965-#3 (5) Nebraska 21, Oklahoma St. 17 (Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma)

               The Build Up: Nebraska came into this game 8-0 and ranked #3 in the AP, while Oklahoma St. was just 1-6 over a tough schedule, with their sole win over a Tulsa team that would finish ranked in the final Coaches poll.

The Game: Nebraska took a 14-7 lead into the 4^th, but Oklahoma St. kicked a 45-yard FG to cut it to 14-10, and then with 5:19 left, Glen Baxter went in for a 3-yard TD run to put the Cowboys up 17-14. 

The Finish: Harry Wilson came up big for the Huskers on their GW drive with a diving 11-yard catch, an 11-yard run, and a leaping plunge to convert a 4^th down at the OSU 5.  It would be Pete Tatman who would finally take it in with a 2-yard GW TD run with just 38 seconds left.  Oklahoma St. still mounted a threat in the closing seconds, finally being stopped at the Husker 5-yard line on the last play of the game to allow Nebraska to survive and clinch the Big 8 title and Orange Bowl trip. 

How they ended up: Nebraska remained unbeaten and untied to hold onto their #3 ranking heading into the Orange Bowl where they had a chance to clinch their first national championship ever.  However, they lost to #4 Alabama 39-28 as the Tide instead won the natty.  Meanwhile the Cowboys won their last 2 games to finish 3-7.

242. Oct. 14, 1972-Miami 24, (once #18) Tulane 21 (Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida)

               The Build Up: Miami came into the game 0-3 having been outscored 70-27 in those games.  Meanwhile, Tulane came into the game 3-1 with a signature win over then #16 Georgia, while their only loss came at #8 Michigan.

The Finish: Miami was accidentally awarded a 5^th down, and the resulting play was a 32-yard TD pass with 1:05 left to give the Canes the upset win. 

How they ended up: Tulane argued that Miami should forfeit the result due to the illegal down.  Instead, Miami kept the win, their first of the season as they went on to finish 5-6, while Tulane had to settle for a 3-2 record on their way to a 6-5 season that ended in heartbreaking fashion against rival LSU (see #261).

241. Jan. 1, 1969-#3 (2) Penn St. 15, #6 (7) Kansas 14 (Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida)

               The Build Up: Penn St. came into this game a perfect 10-0 and ranked #3, but they were not considered a contender for the national title with #1 Ohio St. and #2 USC playing each other in the Rose Bowl.  The Nittany Lions had a noticeably weaker schedule than either team meeting in the Rose Bowl, so they were eager to prove themselves against a top team in Big 8 champ Kansas, which came into this game 9-1. 

The Game: Penn St. moved the ball well in the 1^st half, but 4 turnovers cost them points.  Kansas scored a 1^st quarter TD only for Charlie Pittman to answer with his own TD to tie the game at 7 at halftime.  The Jayhawks’ John Riggins scored a TD in the 4^th to put Kansas up 14-7, and later they had the ball at the Penn St. 14 where they faced 4^th & 1 and decided to go for it rather than attempt what would have been a game-sealing FG.  However, Riggins was stopped short to keep the Nittany Lions alive.

               The Finish: With just over a minute to go, Penn St. partially blocked a punt to get the ball near midfield.  On the next play, a long pass went to the Kansas 3-yard line.  Three plays later the Nittany Lions were in for a TD to force Joe Paterno to make a decision.  He opted to go for 2 and the win, but the pass was knocked down, and Jayhawk players began celebrating only for an official to throw a flag for 12-men on the field for Kansas.  Thus, Penn St. had another chance.  The Nittany Lions ran it in from there for the GW points for the 15-14 win.  Penn St. outgained Kansas 361 to 241 but the 4 turnovers forced them to pull out a narrow win.

               How they ended up: Penn St. finished a perfect 11-0 under 3^rd year coach Joe Paterno, and the next season they went 11-0 again.  However, a national title eluded them both years due to a perceived weaker schedule than Ohio St. (1968) and Texas (1969) (although their 1969 team deserves some consideration for a national title claim).  Meanwhile, Kansas finished 9-2.

240. Nov. 10, 1928-Notre Dame 12, Army 6  (Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York)

The Build Up: Notre Dame came into this game an uncharacteristic 4-2 by their standards of the time under Knute Rockne.  Wisconsin had gone as far as to refuse to mow the field the week leading up to their game with the Irish to slow their vaunted offensive attack.  The tactic work, and the Badgers pulled off the upset.  Georgia Tech also got the better of the Irish, but Rockne’s squad’s 4 wins came by a combined margin of 60-12.  Meanwhile Army was a perfect 6-0.  A crowd of 78,118 showed up in Yankee Stadium to see this showdown.

The Game: With the game a scoreless tie at halftime, Knute Rockne delivered his famous “win one for the Gipper” speech, which is credited to lifting the Irish to the 2^nd half victory. 

The Finish: Army drove to within a foot of the goal line before time expired and the Irish won it for the Gipper.

How they ended up: Notre Dame’s season collapsed after this as they got soundly defeated in their final two games to finish a disappointing 5-4.  However, they would not lose again under Rockne, going a combined 19-0 with 2 national titles over the next two seasons before Rockne was tragically killed in a plane crash.  Meanwhile, Army finished 8-2 and ranked #9 in the Dickinson System ratings.

239. Oct. 11, 1969-#4 (3) USC 26, #16 (19) Stanford 24 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

               The Build Up: USC came into the game 3-0 and ranked #4, while Stanford was 2-1 after a 1-point loss to #8 Purdue to sit at #16.

The Game: Jim Plunkett led Stanford to a 12-0 2^nd quarter lead, but USC came back with a Mike Berry TD and a Tyrone Hudson pick-six for a 14-12 Trojan lead heading into halftime.  By the late 4^th quarter Stanford trailed 23-21, but a 67-yard pass from Plunkett to Randy Vataha set up a FG for a 24-23 Stanford lead with about 3 minutes left. 

The Finish: USC faced 4^th & 5 at their own 20, and with no timeouts, they shocked everyone with a handoff to Clarence Davis who picked up the 1^st down on the ground.  Jim Jones hit passes to Gerry Mullins, Sam Dickerson, and Mullins again to put the Trojans inside the Stanford 20.  With the clock running USC had to hurry the FG unit out and kicker Ron Ayala ran onto the field and kicked the GW FG as time expired for his 2^nd consecutive GW FG in back-to-back years over Stanford to give the Trojans another dramatic win over Stanford. 

How they ended up: USC rose a spot to #3 for their matchup with #11 Notre Dame, but they would have to settle for a tie against the Irish that may have cost them a national title.  They went on to win the Pac-10 outright and won the Rose Bowl on their way to a 10-0-1 season to finish #3.  Meanwhile, Stanford went on to a 7-2-1 season to finish #19 in the AP poll.

238. Sept. 9, 1995-#21 (7) Kansas St. 23, Cincinnati 21 (Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio)

The Build Up: Kansas St. beat Temple in their opener to move into the rankings, while Cincinnati lost a heartbreaker to Kansas.

The Finish: Matt Miller threw the GW 22-yard TD pass to Kevin Lockett as time expired to give Kansas St. the closer than expected win. 

How they ended up: K-State would win their next 3 games by a combined 141-0 on their way to a 10-2 season, their first 10-win season since 1910.  Meanwhile, the Bearcats went 6-5.

237. Sept. 9, 1995-#13 (21) Alabama 24, Southern Miss 20 (Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama)

               The Build Up: Alabama needed a comeback to fend off Vanderbilt in Week 1, which dropped them from #11 to #13 heading into this game.  Southern Miss wasn’t expected to be a threat, but they had pestered the Tide in recent years making this seem like less than a gimme. 

The Game: Southern Miss took a stunning 17-3 lead in the 2^nd half before Alabama came back

The Finish: The Tide cut it to 20-17, but they faced 4^th & 17 with mere seconds remaining.  Needing a big play, Brian Burgdorf threw the GW 35-yard TD pass to Toderick Malone with 5 seconds left to bring Alabama back from a deficit for the 2^nd consecutive week. 

How they ended up: Southern Miss went on to just a 6-5 season.  Meanwhile, Alabama went 8-3 without a bowl appearance due to being on probation.

236. Sept. 18, 1999-(once #25) Louisiana Tech 29, #18 (8) Alabama 28 (Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama)

               The Build Up: Alabama had SEC title aspirations in 1999 and came into this game 2-0 and #18 in the AP poll.  Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech was 1-2 with both of their losses being blowouts to #1 Florida St. and #6 Texas A&M.

The Finish: Backup QB Brian Stallworth threw the GW 28-yard TD pass to Sean Cangelosi with 2 seconds left to give Louisiana Tech an upset win over Alabama for the 2^nd time in 3 years.  Starting QB Tim Rattay went out of the game 2 plays earlier with an injury. 

How they ended up: This ended up being the second of an 8-GW streak the Bulldogs had on their way to an 8-3 season.  Meanwhile, Bama won their next 3 games over ranked competition on their way to the SEC title and a 10-3 season.

235. Jan. 1, 2018-#3 (2) Georgia 54, #2 (3) Oklahoma 48 (((2OT))) (CFP Semifinal, Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

               The Build Up: Georgia had a 12-1 record and came into the CFP semifinal game having just avenged their only loss to Auburn by beating the Tigers in the SEC title game to earn a spot in the playoff.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma was also 12-1 having won 8 straight since their lone loss to Iowa St.  Georgia was making their first Rose Bowl appearance since the 1942 season where they beat #13 UCLA and claimed part of a national championship.  This was also the first ever meeting between these storied programs. 

The Game: First half highlights included a 75-yard TD run from Sony Michel and a double reverse that led to Baker Mayfield’s first catch for a TD as Oklahoma took a 31-17 lead into halftime.  Rodney Anderson also had 2 TD runs for OU as the Sooners led by as much as 17 in the 1^st half.  However, Georgia tied the game heading into the 4^th behind TD runs of 50 yards from Nick Chubb and 38 yards from Michel.  The Dawgs then took the lead early in the 4^th on a 4-yard touchdown from Jake Fromm to Javon Wims for a 38-31 lead.  The Sooners tied it back up with an 11-yard touchdown from Mayfield to Dimitri Flowers to tie the game at 38.  Then OU quickly took the 45-38 lead on Steven Parker’s 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown. 

The Finish: After trading 3-and-outs, Georgia put together a 7-play, 59-yard drive where Fromm converted a 3^rd & 10 with a 16-yard pass to Terry Godwin to set up Chubb’s 2-yard touchdown run on a direct snap with 55 seconds left to send the game to OT tied at 45.  Thus, this became the first Rose Bowl to go to OT.  The teams traded FGs in the 1^st OT to set up a 2^nd OT.  Oklahoma had the ball first in the 2^nd OT and had to settle for a 27-yard FG attempt from Austin Seibert, but Lorenzo Carter blocked it to keep OU off the board.  Two plays later, Michel took a direct snap 27 yards for the GW, walk-off TD to send the Dawgs to the national championship game. 

How they ended up: The game set a record for most points scored in the Rose Bowl with 102 beating 101 scored in the previous year’s Rose Bowl.  Georgia went on to lose the CFP National Championship Game to rival Alabama in a classic (more on this later), while Oklahoma’s season ended at 12-2.

234. Sept. 22, 1990-#1 (6) Notre Dame 20, #24 (16) Michigan St. 19 (Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan)

               The Build Up: Notre Dame had just retained their #1 ranking by beating #4 Michigan.  Meanwhile, the Spartans were coming off a tie at Syracuse in their opener.

The Game: Michigan St. jumped out to a shocking 19-7 lead before Notre Dame cut it to a 19-14 deficit. 

The Finish: With the Irish at the MSU 26 with less than a minute left, Rick Mirer fired a pass that bounced off the facemask of DB Todd Murray who somehow didn’t make the interception, and it bounced straight up into the air where WR Adrian Jarrell made a diving catch at the 2-yard line to set up Rodney Culver’s GW TD run with 34 seconds left to give Notre Dame the 20-19 win. 

How they ended up: The key play has gone on to be known as the “Immaculate Deflection” in Notre Dame circles (see later for another finish with the same moniker).  The Irish held the #1 ranking for another 2 weeks before they were upset by Stanford.  However, they climbed back up to #1 only to get upset again by #18 Penn St.  They finished 9-3 after losing the Orange Bowl to eventual AP national champion Colorado (more on that later).  Michigan St. went on to a 4-way tie for the Big Ten title on their way to an 8-3-1 season.

233. Nov. 26, 2010-#19 (11) Nevada 34, #3 (9) Boise St. 31 (((OT))) (Mackay Stadium, Reno, Nevada)

               The Build Up: Boise St. came into this game with not only BCS hopes but possible national championship hope if they could run the table.  They had already passed their toughest tests with wins over ranked BCS teams Virginia Tech and Oregon St.  At 10-0 they just needed to win their last 2 games to clinch at least a BCS bowl berth if not more.  This would be their last tough test.  Nevada came into this game 10-1 with their only loss coming out in the Hawaiian Islands. 

The Game: Boise St. jumped out to a 17-0 lead and looked to be on their way to another dominant win.  They also led 24-7 at halftime.  However, Nevada came back and tied it on a 7-yard TD pass from Colin Kaepernick to Rishard Matthews with 13 seconds left.  There was confusion on the play from Nevada which barely got the snap off in time. 

The Finish: After a good kick return, Kellen Moore threw a deep pass to Titus Young to suddenly give the Broncos the ball at the Wolfpack 9-yard line with 2 seconds left.  Veteran kicker Kyle Brotzman was brought in for the potential GW 26-yard FG, but he shanked it to send the game to OT.  Then on the first possession of OT Brotzman missed a 29-yarder to give Nevada a chance to win with a FG, which they did when Anthony Martinez nailed his 34-yarder to give the Wolfpack the dramatic upset win to end the Broncos 24-GW streak and keep them out of a BCS bowl. 

How they ended up: Nevada improved to 11-1 and #14 with one of their biggest wins in school history.  They went on to a 13-1 record to finish #11.  Meanwhile the loss cost Boise St. millions of dollars of a BCS bowl payout as they had to settle for the Las Vegas Bowl where they dominated #20 Utah 26-3 to finish 12-1 and #9.

232. Oct. 1, 1960-#17 (4) Navy 15, #3 (6) Washington 14 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)

               The Build Up: Washington came into this game a 13-point favorite in this top 20 showdown.

The Game: The Huskies outgained Navy by 68 yards, but mistakes cost them the win.  UW took an early 7-0 lead, but the Midshipmen mounted a TD drive of their own only to miss the PAT to make it a 7-6 Washington lead.  Early in the 2^nd, the Huskies scored on a 5-yard TD pass on 4^th down only for a penalty to negate the TD.  The next play was stopped at the 1-yard line to keep Washington off the scoreboard.  Late in the 1^st half Washington drove to the Navy 9 and were in position to add a FG before the halftime buzzer, but the Husky coaches decided they had time for one more play to the end zone, but QB Bob Schloredt didn’t see a wide-open back in the end zone, and he didn’t throw the ball away either and was tackled at the 4 as time ran out for a 7-6 Washington lead at halftime.  Washington took a 14-6 lead early in the 3^rd, but Navy answered right back with a drive mostly through the air with completions of 15, 12, and 26 yards for a TD to cut it to a 14-12 deficit.  That remained the score until late in the 4^th. 

The Finish: The Huskies could have run out the clock, but on 3^rd & 4 with open field ahead of him, Schloredt tripped and fell to force a Washington punt.  Then the snap on the punt was low and Schloredt couldn’t handle it to give Navy the ball at the Washington 24 with the clock winding low.  The Midshipmen had a TD called back by a penalty, but they were able to kick the GW FG with 14 seconds left for the dramatic 15-14 win. 

How they ended up: Navy jumped all the way up to #6, while Washington fell to #12.  This would be the Huskies’ only loss all season.  They won the AAWU title outright and beat AP and Coaches #1 Minnesota in the Rose Bowl to make a claim at a mythical national championship despite this loss to Navy.  Meanwhile, The Midshipmen went 9-1 in the regular season before losing the Orange Bowl to Missouri to finish 9-2.

231. Dec. 30, 1995-#18 (16) Virginia 34, Georgia 27 (Peach Bowl, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia)

               The Build Up: Virginia came into this game 8-4 and co-ACC champs with Florida St. whom they had beaten earlier (more on that later), while Georgia was 6-5.

The Game: Georgia rallied from a 24-6 deficit and miraculously tied the game at 27 on a 10-yard fumble return for a TD from Jason Ferguson with 1:09 left.

The Finish: However, after an excessive celebration penalty, Pete Allen returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for the GW TD with 57 seconds left to give Virginia the wild Peach Bowl win. 

How they ended up: The Cavaliers finished a memorable ACC championship season 9-4, while Georgia settled for a 6-6 finish.

230. Oct. 3, 1998-#14 (4) Arizona 31, #20 Washington 28 (Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington)

               The Build Up: Arizona came into this game 4-0 and ranked #14, while Washington was 2-1 coming off a blowout loss to #2 Nebraska.

The Finish: Trailing 28-24 Ortege Jenkins ran for the GW 10-yard TD run, where he leaped towards the end zone and was flipped upside down by a defender and landed in the end zone with 4 seconds left for the winning score. 

How they ended up: The play became known as the “Leap by the Lake” in Arizona circles.  The Wildcats went on to one of their best seasons ever, finishing 12-1 and ranked #4.  Meanwhile, Washington went on to just a 6-6 season.

229. Nov. 28, 1963-#1 (1) Texas 15, Texas A&M 13 (Kyle Field, College Station, Texas)

               The Build Up: Texas came into this game 9-0 and #1 in the AP poll since they knocked off then #1 Oklahoma in a #1 vs. #2 showdown in October.  Meanwhile, Texas A&M was a miserable 2-6-1 and was not expected to be a threat.

The Game: Texas A&M took a stunning 13-3 lead into the 4^th quarter, but Texas rallied to save their national title hopes with 2 4^th quarter TDs. 

The Finish: The GW score came with just over a minute left to keep the Longhorns undefeated and the consensus national champion.

How they ended up: Texas justified their #1 ranking in the final AP and Coaches polls by soundly beating Heisman winner Roger Staubach and #2 Navy in the Cotton Bowl.  Meanwhile, the Aggies’ season ended with this defeat to finish 2-7-1.

228. Nov. 25, 1971-#7 (7) Georgia 28, Georgia Tech 24 (Grant Field, Atlanta, Georgia)

               The Build Up: Georgia came into this game 9-1 having just lost their only game to rival #6 Auburn.  Meanwhile, after Georgia Tech started 2-4, they turned it around to win 4 straight to sit at 6-4.

The Finish: Trailing 24-21, Georgia got the ball back at their own 35 after a huge Georgia Tech punt from their own end zone.  After Andy Johnson ran for 22 yards, he completed an 18-yard pass to TE Mike Green on 4^th & 10 with 48 seconds left to keep the drive alive.  The Dawgs drove all the way to the 1 where Jimmy Poulos plunged in for the GW TD with 14 seconds left to end a brief 2-GW streak for Georgia Tech in this series and get back to Vince Dooley’s usual dominance in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.

How they ended up: The Dawgs won the Gator Bowl to finish 11-1, while the Yellow Jackets lost the Peach Bowl to finish 6-6.

227. Sept. 6, 1990-#6 (1) Colorado 21, Stanford 17 (Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado)

               The Build Up: A season with national title aspirations got off to a shaky start for Colorado as they had to settle for a tie against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic.  This was the opener for Stanford.

The Game: Stanford jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and it took the entire game for Colorado to finally come back and take the lead.

The Finish: The Buffs finally came out on top with Eric Bieniemy’s 1-yard 4^th down TD run with only 12 seconds left.  However, there was controversy over whether or not Bieniemy had actually scored on the play.  Cardinal coach, Dennis Green, stated after the game that if the game had been played at Stanford, he would have been ruled short. 

How they ended up: This was not the last time that controversy would surround a Colorado win in 1990.  Despite the win, the Buffaloes fell to #9 for a trip to #21 Illinois, which they would lose to get off to a shaky 1-1-1 start.  However, Colorado won the rest of their games against a brutal schedule to claim the AP national title for their first ever national title in football.  Meanwhile, Stanford went on to just a 5-6 season.

226. Nov. 3, 1990-#16 (2) Georgia Tech 41, #1 (23) Virginia 38 (Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia)

               The Build Up: Virginia came into this game 7-0 and ranked #1 in the AP.  Meanwhile, Georgia Tech was 6-0-1 and ranked #16.

The Game: This ended up being one of the great football games in ACC history.  Virginia led 10-0 in the 1^st and took a 28-14 lead into halftime.  However, 2 turnovers led to Georgia Tech scores to tie the game, including an interception at the Yellow Jackets’ 10-yard line, which led to a Shawn Jones 26-yard TD pass to Emmett Merchant to tie the game at 28.  The teams traded TDs for a 35-all tie late in the 3^rd.  Georgia Tech took their first lead on a 35-yard Scott Sisson FG with 7:17 left for a 38-35 lead.  However, a 48-yard pass from Shawn Moore to Herman Moore set up the Cavaliers with 1^st & goal.  But 2 penalties, including one that wiped out an Aaron Mundy TD catch forced Virginia to settle for a game-tying FG with 2:30 left. 

The Finish: Georgia Tech drove 56 yards in 5 plays to set up Sisson’s GW 37-yard FG with 7 seconds left to ruin the Cavaliers’ national title hopes while keeping the Yellow Jackets’ hopes alive. 

How they ended up: Virginia QB Shawn Moore set a Virginia school record with 344 passing yards but in vain.  Georgia Tech went on to an 11-0-1 season to win a share of a national championship, their last to date and first since 1952.  Meanwhile, Virginia never recovered and lost their final 3 games to finish 8-4 and ranked #23.

225. Dec. 31, 1993-#23 (23) Clemson 14, Kentucky 13 (Peach Bowl, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia)

               The Build Up: Clemson came into the Peach Bowl 8-3, while Kentucky was 6-5.

The Game: Kentucky QB Pookie Jones threw a pass to Alfonzo Browning who appeared to stretch the ball over the goal-line for a score, but the officials ruled that he fumbled.  With instant replay still not in effect at the time, the Wildcats had no choice but to accept the ruling.  Clemson then marched 99 yards for a 7-0 lead.  The Wildcats were again stopped at the Tiger 1-yard line before they were forced to settle for a FG to cut it to a 7-3 deficit.  A 5-yard TD pass from Jones to Mark Chatmon gave Kentucky their first lead at 10-7.  Nicky Nickels added his 2^nd FG to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead.  A 57-yard screen pass from Patrick Sapp to Emory Smith put Clemson in good position to win the game with less than a minute left. 

The Finish: Sapp was picked off by Marty Moore to seemingly end the game.  However, Moore tried to return the ball instead of just falling down, and Moore fumbled the ball back to Clemson.  Sapp then threw the GW 21-yard TD pass to Terry Smith with only 20 seconds left to give the Tigers the wild win. 

How they ended up: Clemson finished 9-3, while Kentucky finished 6-6.

224. Oct. 8, 1977-#7 (2) Alabama 21, #1 (13) USC 20 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

               The Build Up: USC came into this game 4-0 and #1, while Alabama had bounced back with 2 straight wins since losing at Nebraska to sit at 3-1 and #7.

The Game: This was a defensive slugfest through 3 quarters with Alabama taking a 7-6 lead into the 4^th.  From there they traded TDs.

The Finish: USC’s  final TD came with 35 seconds left to pull within 1-point.  John Robinson chose to go for 2 and the win.  Rob Hertel rolled to his right on a play action play, but Wayne Hamilton blasted by 2 blockers and blasted Hertel too, just as Hertel attempted a feeble pass into the end zone that was picked off to seal the win for Bama. 

How they ended up: The Tide moved up to #4 and then won the rest of their games to finish 11-1.  Alabama took a #3 ranking into the Sugar Bowl where they beat #9 Ohio St.  At the same time #5 Notre Dame upset #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.  Later that night #6 Arkansas beat #2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to make Tide fans think they would be selected national champions. However, they were controversially selected #2 in the final AP and Coaches polls behind Notre Dame, which had leapfrogged the Tide for the #1 spot.  Meanwhile the Trojans fell to #6 and never recovered that #1 mojo again as they finished 8-4.

223. Nov. 18, 1961-Notre Dame 17, #10 (14) Syracuse 15 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)

               The Build Up: Syracuse had won 3-straight to move to 6-2 and back in the top ten, while Notre Dame was 4-3. 

The Game: Notre Dame held a 14-0 lead late in the 3^rd when Syracuse faced 4^th & 1 from their own 43.  QB Dave Sarette faked a handoff to eventual Heisman winner Ernie Davis and instead threw to TE John Mackey who went 57 yards for a TD.  The Orangemen went for 2 and succeeded with a pass to Dick Easterly to cut it to a 14-8 deficit.  On Syracuse’s next possession, Sarette led them to the Notre Dame 10 only to be knocked unconscious by a hit to force him to leave the game.  Bob Lelli came in to replace him and threw a TD pass to Easterly for a 15-14 Orange lead with 10 minutes left.  An interception from Syracuse’s John Snider seemed to seal the game with 1:35 left. 

The Finish: However, Lelli made two crucial mistakes by running out of bounds and throwing an errant pass to stop the clock both times.  Then Davis ran out of bounds and came up short of a 1^st down on 4^th down to give the Irish the ball at their own 40 with 17 seconds left.  They quickly moved to the Syracuse 39 with 3 seconds left and sent out kicker Joe Perkowski for a 56-yard FG attempt, but his attempt was wide and short.  As reported by the Post-Standard, 10 seconds after the play and as Easterly held up the victory ball, referee F.G. Skibbie threw a flag for a roughing the holder penalty.  The ball was moved 15 yards closer and the Irish given another chance.  However, in those days, when a team kicked the ball, the defending team became the offensive team, so they should not have been given an untimed down.  But they were given one more try and Perkowski hit it this time from 41 yards for the GW kick to send Notre Dame Stadium into a wild celebration. 

How they ended up: This effectively ended Syracuse’s Orange Bowl hopes and knocked them out of the top ten.  This represented their only loss in their last 6 games as the Orange finished 8-3 and #14 in the final 20-team AP poll (the regular season in 1961 was only a top ten).  Meanwhile, Notre Dame would not win again in 1961 and finished 5-5.

222. Oct. 17, 1964-#9 (2) Arkansas 14, #1 (5) Texas 13 (Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)

               The Build Up: Both teams were 4-0 coming into this game with the national championship hopes for both teams.

The Game: Ken Hatfield returned a punt 81 yards for a TD to give Arkansas a 7-0 lead at halftime and heading into the 4^th.  Texas tied the game early in the 4^th, but Arkansas caught a break when they had to punt only for the Longhorns to get called for 12-men on the field.  From there the Razorbacks went 75 yards for the TD, scoring on a 34-yard TD pass from Fred Marshall to Bobby Crockett. 

The Finish: Texas drove 70 yards and scored another TD with 1:27 left to cut it to a 14-13 deficit.  Darrell Royal opted to go for the win and went for 2, but the try failed, and Arkansas escaped with the 14-13 win to remain undefeated.

How they ended up: The Razorbacks jumped up to #4 in the next poll, while Texas fell to #6.  Arkansas shut out the rest of their opponents in the regular season to finish #2 in the AP top ten.  In those days the AP and Coaches national champions were selected before the bowl games.  Both selectors chose Alabama at #1 ahead of Arkansas despite identical 10-0 records.  However, these Texas Longhorns went on to beat #1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, while #2 Arkansas beat #6 Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl to lead to most post-bowl national selectors picking Arkansas at #1.  In effect, this rivalry game was for the national championship in 1964.  This led to the AP experimenting with a post-bowl national championship the next year in 1965 before permanently switching to post-bowl selection for the 1968 season.

221. Jan. 1, 1980-#8 (5) Houston 17, #7 (9) Nebraska 14 (Cotton Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas)

               The Build Up: Both teams came into the Cotton Bowl 10-1 with Houston being co-SWC champ, and Nebraska losing to rival Oklahoma with the Big 8 title on the line the last game of the regular season.

The Game: Nebraska HB Jarvis Redwine opened the scoring with a 9-yard TD run to cap an 85-yard drive for an early 7-0 Husker lead.  Houston answered midway through the 2^nd with QB Terry Elston capping a 71-yard drive with a TD run of his own to tie the game at 7 heading into halftime.  After a scoreless 3^rd quarter, Kenny Hatfield kicked a FG to give Houston a 10-7 lead with 8:25 left.  However, a Cougar fumble led to a 6-yard TD pass from Jeff Quinn to TE Jeff Finn for a 14-10 Husker lead with 3:48 left. 

The Finish: Elston drove Houston to the Nebraska 6-yard line with 19 seconds left.  On 4^th & 1 Elston scrambled and threw a pass through 2 Husker defenders to Eric Herring for the GW TD with 12 seconds left to give the Cougars the dramatic win for their 2^nd Cotton Bowl win in the last 3 years. 

How they ended up: Houston finished 11-1, while Nebraska finished 10-2.

220. Jan. 1, 1972-#16 (10) Stanford 13, #3 (6) Michigan 12 (Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

               The Build Up: Michigan came into this game #3 and a perfect 11-0 but were still considered a long shot for the national championship with #1 Nebraska playing #2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl later in the evening.  The Wolverines were stuck with #16 and 8-3 Stanford for the Rose Bowl matchup, which would likely not impress pollster enough to jump them ahead of the winner of the Orange bowl.  This was the first Rose Bowl meeting between these schools since the inaugural Rose Bowl in 1902 that Michigan won 49-0.  The Wolverines were 10 ½-point favorites coming in.

               The Game: Just like Michigan’s previous game against Ohio State, the only scoring of the 1^st half was a Dana Coin FG for a 3-0 Wolverines lead.  On the first drive of the 2^nd half, Stanford stopped Michigan on 4^th & 1 at the Stanford 4-yard line and then drove in range for a 42-yard FG to tie the game.  The Wolverines reclaimed the lead with a 1-yard Fritz Seyferth TD run early in the 4^th for a 10-3 lead.  Later, when Stanford faced 4^th & 10 from their own 33, they ran a fake punt with Jim Kehl receiving the snap and handing the ball forward to Jackie Brown through Brown’s legs.  Brown ran 33 yards for the 1^st down and would later follow it up with a 24-yard TD run to tie the game.  Late in the 4^th, a Michigan 42-yard FG fell short, and Jim Ferguson tried to run it out of the end zone only to get knocked back into the end zone for a safety to suddenly put Michigan up 12-10 with just over 3 minutes left.  The call was controversial because it appeared that Ferguson’s forward progress was out to at least the 3-yard line.  On top of the lead, Michigan received the ball due to the safety.  However, Michigan went 3-and-out and Stanford got the ball on their own 22 with 1:48 left. 

The Finish: Stanford QB Don Bunce completed 5 straight passes to move to the Michigan 17-yard line with 22 seconds left.  Stanford ran twice to set up a FG, where Rod Garcia kicked the GW 31-yard FG with 12 seconds left to stun the Wolverines and hand Michigan their only loss of the season.

How they ended up: Stanford finished 9-3, while Michigan settle for 11-1.

219. Oct. 2, 1965-(1) Alabama 17, (UPI #17) Ole Miss 16 (Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama)

               The Build Up: This was the first time these border rivals met in the regular season since 1944.  Alabama was 1-1 after they lost a heartbreaker to open their season against Georgia (more on that later).  Ole Miss also sat at 1-1. 

The Game: Ole Miss kicked a FG and scored a TD, but they missed the PAT to leave them ahead 9-0.  That missed PAT ended up being the difference.  Alabama scored a TD late in the 1^st half to cut it to a 9-7 halftime deficit.  A Rebel interception set up a TD for a 16-7 4^th quarter lead.  However, the Tide got in range for a David Ray FG to cut it to a 16-10 deficit. 

The Finish: Bama got the ball back at their own 11 and they drove 89 yards with QB Steve Sloan carrying it in for the GW TD and PAT with just over a minute left for a dramatic 4^th quarter comeback win.

How they ended up: Alabama went 8-1-1 in the regular season to take a #4 ranking into the Orange Bowl against #3 Nebraska.  This was the first and only time prior to 1968 that the AP poll would take their final poll after the bowl games.  Due to #1 Michigan St. losing the Rose Bowl, and #2 Arkansas losing the Cotton Bowl, the late night matchup between #4 Alabama and #3 Nebraska ended up being for the national championship.  The Tide won 39-28 to claim their 2^nd straight AP national championship. They would not have gotten it without this win over Ole Miss.  As for the Rebels, they got off to a 1-3 start before they won 6 of their final 7 games to finish 7-4.

218. Oct. 26, 1996-#25 (14) Miami 10, #12 West Virginia 7 (Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, West Virginia)

               The Build Up: Miami was having an off year by recent standards and sat at 4-2 after back-to-back losses and were looking to avoid a third.  Meanwhile, West Virginia was off to a 7-0 start to climb up to #12.

The Finish: Tremaine Mack blocked Brian West’s punt and Nathaniel Brooks returned it 20 yards for the GW TD with 29 seconds left to allow Miami to avoid 3 consecutive losses. 

How they ended up: Instead, the Canes improved to 5-2 on their way to a 9-3 season, while West Virginia lost 4 of their final 5 games to finish 8-4.

217. Oct. 19, 1996-#14 (15) Northwestern 34, Wisconsin 30 (Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin)

               The Build Up: Northwestern came into this game having won 5 straight since dropping their opener.  Meanwhile, Wisconsin had dropped 2 straight against #3 Penn St. and #2 Ohio St. to sit at 3-2.

The Finish: The Wildcats’ Brian Gowins missed a 55-yard FG to leave Wisconsin ahead 30-27 to seemingly end the game.  All the Badgers had to do was run out the clock.  They handed off to Ron Dayne twice, but Joe Reiff disrupted the second handoff causing a fumble, which Northwestern recovered to suddenly give them another chance with 49 seconds left.  That led to Steve Schnur’s GW 20-yard TD pass to D’Wayne Bates with 37 seconds left to give Northwestern the miraculous win. 

How they ended up: The Cardiac Cats won their 6^th straight to improve to 6-1 and #11 on their way to becoming co-Big Ten champs for their 2^nd straight Big Ten title after decades of futility.  Meanwhile, Wisconsin went 8-5.

216. Jan. 1, 1998-#1 (1) Michigan 21, #8 (9) Washington St. 16 (Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

               The Build Up: Michigan was perfect at 11-0 and was #1 in the AP and Coaches Poll, but #2 Nebraska was also perfect and had a better resume building matchup against #3 Tennessee the next day in the Orange Bowl.  The Wolverines were stuck with a matchup with #8 WSU, which came into the Rose Bowl 10-1 behind Heisman finalist Ryan Leaf.

The Game: WSU had a chance to go up by double digits after Leaf threw a TD pass, and the Cougars were threatening again, but newly crowned Heisman winner, Charles Woodson, intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the threat.  This also ensured that Woodson had a pick in every game of his Heisman season.  Later a 53-yard TD pass from Brian Griese to Tai Streets tied the game at 7, which would hold as the score heading into halftime.  In the 3^rd quarter, WSU took a 13-7 lead when Shawn Tims took a reverse for a TD, but the PAT was blocked, and later Griese and Streets connected on another long TD pass to give #1 Michigan a 14-13 lead heading into the 4^th.  Early in the 4^th Griese threw another TD pass, this time to TE Jerame Tuman for a 23-yard score and a 21-13 lead.  WSU answered with a 48-yard Rian Lindell FG to cut it to a 21-16 deficit with 7:25 left.  Michigan was able to run out much of the rest of the clock and lined up for a long FG attempt, but instead the snap went to the kicker to pooch punted it down to the WSU 7-yard line with only 29 seconds left and the Cougars out of timeouts. 

The Finish: After 2 incompletions, WSU had only 16 seconds left and were 93 yards from their goal.  Leaf threw essentially a Hail Mary that was caught by Nian Taylor when he pushed Woodson out of the way for a 46-yard gain to the Michigan 47 with 9 seconds left.  WSU then executed a hook and lateral play for 26 yards to the Michigan 26.  With the 1^st down the clock was stopped with 3 seconds left, and seemingly WSU would have a chance at a miracle, but another second mysteriously ticked off the clock to put it at 2 seconds left.  Leaf then appeared to spike the ball with 1-second left, but the remaining second mysteriously ticked away and Michigan stormed the field to celebrate their first national championship since 1948. 

How they ended up: Michigan finished 12-0 to claim the AP national title, but Nebraska’s more convincing 42-17 win over Tennessee was enough to give them the Coaches poll national title.   Meanwhile WSU finished 10-2.  Fans can only imagine what could have happened if the Cougars had one more play.

215. Sept. 22, 1962-(UPI #16) Oregon St. 39, Iowa St. 35 (Multnomah Stadium, Portland, Oregon)

The Build Up: This was the opener for Oregon State, while Iowa St. was 1-0.

The Finish: Terry Baker got his Heisman campaign off to a great start when he threw the GW 43-yard TD pass to Jerry Neil with 29 seconds left.   He finished with 317 total yards and 6 total TDs. 

How they ended up: After starting 2-2 Oregon St. won out the rest of the way to finish 9-2, while Baker won the Heisman.  Iowa St. went just 5-5.

214. Sept. 19, 1964-(other) Boston College 21, #9 (UPI #12) Syracuse 14 (Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts)

               The Build Up: Syracuse had high expectations starting at #9 in the AP poll.

The Finish: Larry Marzettie threw a 45-yard TD pass to Bill Cronin with only 12 seconds left for the miraculous GW to stun and upset the heavily favored Orangemen. 

How they ended up: Syracuse went in and out of the AP top 10 much of the year before finishing #12 in the final Coaches poll at 7-4.  Meanwhile, BC went 6-3.

213. Oct. 5, 1974-(20) Tennessee 17, (UPI #19) Tulsa 10 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee)

               The Build Up: Tennessee was desperate for a win after getting shut out 21-0 at Auburn the week before to start 1-1-1.  Meanwhile, Tulsa sat at 1-2 having just been obliterated 60-0 at Arkansas.

The Game: Tulsa came back and tied the game with a 3-yard TD pass from Ken Dickerson to Steve Largent in the 3^rd. 

The Finish: Stanley Morgan had the GW 48-yard punt return for a TD with 42 seconds left to give Tennessee the victory. 

How they ended up: The Vols lost their next 2 games to start 2-3-1 but didn’t lose again all year to finish 7-3-2.  Meanwhile, this loss put Tulsa at 1-3, but they won the remainder of their games to finish 8-3 and ranked in the final Coaches poll.

212. Nov. 7, 2009-#13 Houston 46, Tulsa 45 (Chapman Stadium, Tulsa, Oklahoma)

               The Build Up: Houston came into this game 7-1 with two wins against Big 12 teams and a win against an SEC team.  Meanwhile, Tulsa was in the midst of a 3-GL streak to sit at 4-4. 

The Game: Tulsa managed a surprising 8-point lead late in the game.

The Finish: After scoring a TD to pull within 2 with 21 seconds left, Case Keenum was sacked on the 2-point try to apparently end the game.  However, Houston recovered the onside kick and Keenum completed quick passes of 14 and 13 yards to set up Matt Hogan’s GW 51-yard FG as time expired to give Houston the miracle win.  Hogan had never made a FG of more than 34 yards before that kick.

How they ended up: The win was the 5^th in a row for the Cougars, which improved to 8-1 but they lost their next game to UCF on their way to a 10-4 season.  Meanwhile, this was the 4^th of 6-GL streak for Tulsa on their way to a 5-7 season.

211. Oct. 7, 2022-(once #24) Houston 33, Memphis 32 (Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee)

               The Build Up: Houston began the season ranked but dropped from the polls after a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech (more on that later).  They sat at 2-3 heading into this game.  Meanwhile, Memphis was on a 4-GW streak after losing their opener at Mississippi St.

The Game: After Memphis took a 29-13 lead, Jayce Rogers returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a TD to cut it to 29-19 with a failed 2-pointer.  Chris Howard added a 39-yard field goal for a 32-19 Tiger lead with 4:04 left. Clayton Tune converted a 4th & 11 with a scramble before he threw a 13-yard touchdown to KeSean Carter to cut it to 32-26 with 1:17 left. 

The Finish: Houston recovered an onside kick and Tune completed passes of 21, 15, and 13 yards to set up his GW 2-yard touchdown to Carter with 18 seconds remaining to give the Cougars the win. 

How they ended up: Houston improved to 3-3 on their way to an 8-5 season.  Memphis went 7-6.

210. Sept. 20, 1969-#11 (6) Missouri 19, (once #19) Air Force 17 (Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri)

               The Build Up: This was the opener for Missouri, while Air Force was 1-0.

The Game: Missouri took a 16-7 halftime lead with 3 FGs and a TD, while Air Force got on the board with a 14-yard pick-six.  It would be a 16-10 Tiger lead late when the Tigers missed a FG that could’ve put the game away. 

The Finish: With 1:27 left Air Force faced 4^th & 21 from their own 20, and they found a miracle with a 59-yard bomb.  Two plays later, Gary Baxter completed another pass to Charley Longnecker for what seemed like the GW TD with just 32 seconds left for a 17-16 Air Force lead.  However, Missouri found their own miracle with a 56-yard bomb to set up Henry Brown’s GW 33-yard FG to allow the Tigers to escape what would have been a huge upset to maintain their #11 ranking.

How they ended up: Missouri went on to a 9-2 season where they were co-Big 8 champs and earned the Orange Bowl bid.  Air Force went 6-4.

209. Oct. 21, 1995-(other) Utah 22, (once #21) Air Force 21 (Rice Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah)

               The Build Up: Utah came into this game with back-to-back losses to sit at 3-4.  Meanwhile, Air Force was on a 3-GW streak to sit at 5-2.

The Finish: Utah was down 21-7 with a little over a minute left and the ball at their own 36.  Mike Fouts led the Utes down the field and threw a 17-yard TD pass to Rocky Henry with 41 seconds left.  Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala ran in the 2-point conversion to cut it to a 21-15 deficit.  Still, it was as good as over until Utah recovered the ensuing onside kick.  Then Fouts threw the GW 50-yard TD pass to Kevin Dyson with 31 seconds left for the shocking comeback win.

How they ended up: This was the first of a 4-GW streak to end the Utes season as they finished 7-4 and in a 4-way tie for the WAC title, which also included Air Force which finished 8-5.

208. Oct. 2, 1965-(UPI #10) Texas Tech 20, Texas A&M 16 (Jones Stadium, Lubbock, Texas)

               The Build Up: Both teams came into this game 1-1 with their losses coming against top ten teams.

The Finish: Trailing 16-13 late in the 4^th, Texas Tech ran a GW 51-yard hook and lateral for a TD for the dramatic 20-16 win.

How they ended up: This was the first of a 7-GW streak for the Red Raiders, but they lost their last two to finish 8-3.  Meanwhile, the Aggies went just 3-7.

207. Sept. 24, 2016-(once #15) North Carolina 37, (once #23) Pitt 36 (Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

               The Build Up: Both teams came into this early season game 2-1.

The Game: Chris Blewitt’s 40-yard FG with 11:03 left gave Pitt a 36-23 lead.  However, Mitch Trubisky threw a 2-yard TD pass to Bug Howard with 5:24 left to cut it to 36-30.

The Finish: Trubisky led a 17-play, 63-yard drive where he converted three 4^th down of at least 6 yards and then he threw the GW 2-yard TD pass to Howard with 2 seconds left to give North Carolina the tense win. 

How they ended up: Trubisky finished with career highs of 453 yards and 5 touchdowns in a performance that helped him end up the #2 overall pick in the ensuing NFL draft.  Both teams finished 8-5.

206. Oct. 8, 1983-(UPI #17) Penn St. 34, #3 (15) Alabama 28 (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)

               The Build Up: Alabama came into this game 4-0 and ranked #3 in the AP poll, although they had yet to face any tough competition.  Meanwhile Penn State’s season got off to a disastrous start, losing their first 3 games, including a loss to a Cincinnati team that went 4-6-1.  They squeaked by a Temple team that went 4-7 and picked up an 11-point victory against a Rutgers team that went 3-8 for a 2-3 record.

               The Game: Penn St. took a surprisingly dominant 34-7 lead into the 4^th quarter before Alabama rallied and cut it all the way to 34-28. 

The Finish: Alabama drove all the way to the Nittany Lion 4-yard line with 8 seconds left.  Bama QB Walter Lewis, who had a miserable 1^st half but led the rally, evaded a blitz and threw up a high pass for backup TE Preston Gothard in the back of the end zone for what appeared to be the potential GW, or at least game-tying TD with 1-second left.  One official ruled TD, but the back judge overruled him and called it an incomplete pass with Gothard being out of bounds.  Replays showed that Gothard’s foot was down in the end zone for a TD before his body fell out of bounds, but with instant replay review still well over a decade away, the call stood, and Penn St. escaped with the win after stopping a Bama run on the final play. 

How they ended up: The Nittany Lions only lost once more all year to finish 8-4-1, while the Tide went on to an 8-4 season.

205. Nov. 22, 1969-#5 (3) USC 14, #6 (13) UCLA 12 (LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California)

               The Build Up: For the 3^rd time in 5 years (not counting 1966 when the loser was controversially given the Rose Bowl berth), this game would again decide the Pac-8 title and the Rose Bowl berth with both teams 8-0-1 overall with both teams undefeated coming into this game for the first time since 1952. 

The Game: UCLA scored midway through the 4^th for a 12-7 lead.  Bruin coach Tommy Prothro had UCLA go for 2 after each TD knowing that a tie would cost them the title since their previous tie was in-conference and USC’s was non-conference.  However, they failed on each of their 2-point tries. 

The Finish: USC went on a drive that was aided 2 controversial calls.  The first on a “dubious” pass interference call on 4^th & 10.  Also, on the winning TD, USC’s Sam Dickerson appeared to be out of bounds, but it was ruled a USC TD with 1:38 left for the 14-12 win.    Prothro would later say this defeat was harder to take than the “Game of the Century” loss to USC 2 years earlier.  For UCLA fans, the controversial officiating resembled their loss to Tennessee in 1965 (more on that later). 

How they ended up: The Bruins finished 8-1-1 and settled for #13 in the final AP poll, while USC went on to beat #7 Michigan in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-0-1 and #3 in the final AP poll.

204. Nov. 25, 1944-#3 (2) Ohio St. 18, #6 (8) Michigan 14 (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)

               The Build Up: This was the first time that The Game would decide the Big Ten Title, but it certainly would not be the last.  Ohio St. came into The Game a perfect 8-0, while Michigan was 8-1.  This was just a couple of years before the Big Ten was tied to the Rose Bowl, so a Rose Bowl berth was not on the line and both teams’ seasons would end here with the Big Ten not participating in bowl games yet.

The Game: Michigan’s Dick Culligan scored with 22 seconds left in the 1^st half to put Michigan up 7-6 at halftime.  A Michigan fumble set up an Ohio St. TD, but after another missed PAT, the Buckeyes led just 12-7.  Culligan scored a second TD to put Michigan back up 14-12 with just over 8 minutes left. 

The Finish: However, the ensuing kickoff went only 12 yards and set the Buckeyes up just 52 yards away from the end zone.  They methodically drove down field, using up most of the clock before Horvath went in for the GW TD, his second of the game, with just 16 seconds left to cap a perfect 9-0 season for the Buckeyes.

How they ended up: Ohio State finished 9-0 and #2 in the AP poll only behind #1 Army, which would beat #2 Navy by season’s end and blew out then #5 Notre Dame 59-0.  Michigan finished 8-2 and #8 in the final AP.

203. Nov. 3, 2018-#13 (20) West Virginia 42, #17 (9) Texas 41 (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)

               The Build Up: West Virginia came into this game 6-1, while Texas was 6-2 just coming off a heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma St.

The Game: Martell Pettaway had a 13-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 34 for West Virginia with 5:40 left.  Sam Ehlinger responded with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Devin Duvernay to give Texas a 41-34 lead with 2:34 left. 

The Finish: The Mountaineers drove in range for Will Grier’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Gary Jennings to seemingly tie the game with 16 seconds remaining.  However, Dana Holgerson opted to go for 2 and the win.  After one successful conversion was wiped out by a Texas timeout before the snap, Grier ran it in for the GW points to give West Virginia the win. 

How they ended up: The Mountaineers improved to 7-1 and went on to 8-1 before they lost their final 3 games to finish 8-4.  Meanwhile Texas fell to 6-3 with back-to-back losses to drop to #19, but they fought their way into the Big 12 title game only to lose to rival Oklahoma.  However, they earned a bid to the Sugar Bowl where they upset #5 Georgia to finish 10-4.

202. Nov. 29, 1947-(3) SMU & TCU tied at 19 (Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas)

The Build Up: SMU came into the game a perfect 9-0, while TCU was 4-4-1.

The Game: Trailing 13-12, TCU ran in a TD for a 19-13 lead with 1:30 left. 

The Finish: After a good return from Doak Walker, Gil Johnson somehow snuck a pass to Sid Halliday at the goal line for the game tying 10-yard TD with 25 seconds left.  But Walker missed the PAT to leave the game tied.

How they ended up: SMU’s regular season ended at 9-0-1, but they still won the outright SWC title and Cotton Bowl berth where they took their #3 ranking against #4 Penn St.  Again, they had to settle for another tie (13-13) to finish 9-0-2.  Meanwhile, TCU’s season ended at 4-5-2 after they lost the Delta Bowl to Ole Miss.

201. Oct. 2, 2010-#12 (8) LSU 16, Tennessee 14 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

               The Build Up: LSU came into this game 4-0, while Tennessee was 2-2 under first year coach Derek Dooley.  The Vols’ 2 losses came at the hands of top ten teams, but in their last game they barely survived UAB in 2OT.

The Finish: LSU faced 3^rd & goal from the 1 with time ticking dangerously low.  The players seemed confused a late substitution led to the clock nearly running out before a errant snap past the QB led to a huge lost as time expired. This seemingly ended the game as Vols players stormed the field.  UT first year coach Derek Dooley jumped and celebrated as the final score graphic flashed across the screen as everyone seemed to think the game was over as Vols players had time to celebrate and were even getting ready to leave the field until referees revealed that Tennessee had not only 12 but 13 players on the field to give the Tigers one more untimed down.  Stevan Ridley fought his way into the end zone for the GW, walk-off score to give LSU a stunning win and the Vols a devastating loss after going minutes thinking they had won.

How they ended up: Les Miles was criticized despite the win for his clock management down the stretch as this went down as another case of the “Mad Hatter” doing his thing.  The Tigers went on to a 10-2 season, while the Vols went 6-7.