Top 300 Finishes in College Football History (300-251)
- Michael Miller
- Oct 29, 2025
- 46 min read
Updated: Oct 31, 2025
First some preliminaries #1 means they were ranked #1 at the time. (1) means they finished the season ranked #1. (once ranked #1) means that they weren't ranked at the time and didn't finish ranked but reached as high as #1 during the season. GW=game-winning; FG=field goal
300. Sept. 14, 2013-(2) Auburn 24, Mississippi St. 20 (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)
The Build Up: Auburn was coming off a 3-9 season the previous year that saw the ouster of Gene Chizik, while Gus Malzahn became head coach. So far the Tigers were 2-0 under Malzahn. MSU was 1-1.
The Finish: Nick Marshall threw an 11-yard TD pass to C.J. Uzomah with 10 seconds left to give Auburn the dramatic win in a season filled with them.
How they ended up: Auburn improved to 3-0 to already equal their win total from the previous year. They ended up having one of the most memorable years in college football history with 3 more classic finishes (more on each much later). None of those finishes would have been as dramatic (or even would’ve happened) without this crucial win. The Tigers lost their next game at LSU, so without this win, their national title hopes would’ve ended with a 2-GL streak. Meanwhile, Mississippi St. went 7-6.
299. Nov. 8, 2008-(20) Iowa 24, #3 (8) Penn St. 23 (Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa)
The Build Up: Penn St. came into this game 9-0 with national title hopes. Meanwhile, Iowa was 5-4.
The Game: Iowa took a quick 7-0 lead on a Shonn Greene 11-yard TD run after Penn St. only moved backwards. However, Penn St. seemed to get their groove going on a 19-play, 71-yard drive that ate up 9:43, but they had to settle for Kevin Kelly’s FG to cut it to 7-3. An Evan Royster 2-yard TD run put the Nittany Lions up 10-7, and Kelly added another FG for a 13-7 Penn St. lead at halftime. Another Kelly FG put the Nittany Lions up 16-7 before Iowa finally got something going on offense as Ricky Stanzi threw a 27-yard TD pass to Darrell Johnson-Koulianos to bring it to 16-14. Derrick Williams put Penn St. back up 9 with a 9-yard TD run for a 23-14 lead heading into the 4th. A Greene 6-yard TD run cut it to a 23-21 Iowa deficit, and then when Penn St. was driving, Tyler Sash came up with an interception to set up the Hawkeyes’ last gasp drive starting at the Iowa 15.
The Finish: With the help of 2 pass interference penalties, Iowa drove downfield to set up a 31-yard FG in the closing seconds. Daniel Murray hadn’t kicked since September after losing his starting job after starting 1-for-3. However, Ferentz opted to go with Murray over freshman Trent Mossbrucker due to his experience. Murray was sent out and sent the 31-yarder through with 1-second left to give Iowa the huge upset win and crush Penn State’s national title hopes.
How they ended up: This indeed crushed the Nittany Lions’ national title hopes as they won their last two game, and without this loss would’ve likely gone to the BCS National Championship Game. However, they had to settle for a trip to the Rose Bowl where they lost to #5 USC to finish 11-2. For Iowa, this was the beginning of a 4-GW streak to finish 9-4, winning 6 of their last 7, and ranked in the final polls.
298. Dec. 1, 2018-#1 (2) Alabama 35, #4 (7) Georgia 28 (SEC Championship Game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
The build-up: This was a rematch of the previous national championship game (more on that later). Alabama came into the game 12-0 and #1 and could still potentially make the playoff with a loss, but Georgia needed a win to make it at 11-1 and #4.
The Game: In a reversal of the National Championship Game from the previous year, this time Jalen Hurts relieved Tua Tagovailoa and led Alabama to the win over Georgia. The Dawgs had taken a 28-14 lead before Tua threw a 51-yard touchdown to Jaylen Waddle to cut it to 28-21 heading into the 4th. But Tua was knocked out of the game and replaced by Hurts who threw a 10-yard touchdown to Jerry Jeudy to knot the game at 28 with 5:19 left.
The finish: On their next drive, Hurts converted a 3rd & 8 with a 19-yard pass to Irv Smith, and then 2 plays later, Hurts ran in for the GW 15-yard TD with 1:04 left to give Alabama another tense win over Georgia.
How they ended up: The Tide took a 13-0 record and #1 ranking into the playoff where they faced #4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. They blew out the Sooners to advance to the CFP National Championship Game. However, the ride ended there as they got smoked 44-16 by Clemson in the title game. Meanwhile, the Dawgs fell to 11-2 and #5 heading into the Sugar Bowl against #15 Texas where they were upset by the Longhorns to finish 11-3 and tied for the #7 ranking in the final AP poll.
297. Jan. 1, 1980-#3 (2) USC 17, #1 (4) Ohio St. 16 (Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)
The Build Up: Both teams came into the Rose Bowl undefeated, with Ohio St. being unblemished at 11-0 and the #1 team in the country. Meanwhile, USC was 10-0-1 with their only blemish being a 21-all tie against Stanford where the Trojans blew a 21-0 halftime lead and had a 39-yard FG blocked on the final play. Without that blemish, this matchup very well could’ve been for the national championship for both teams. However, with #2 Alabama having already won the Sugar Bowl earlier in the day to finish 12-0, only the Buckeyes were looking for a national championship with a win.
The Game: OSU’s Art Schlichter threw a 67-yard TD pass to Gary Williams to tie the game at 10 heading into halftime. Vlade Jankievski kicked FGs in the 3rd and 4th quarters to give the Buckeyes a 16-10 lead.
The Finish: Newly crowned Heisman trophy winner, Charles White showed why he earned the award running for 71 of the Trojans’ 83 yards on the 8-play GW drive starting with 5:21 left to play. White finished off the drive with the GW 1-yard TD run with 1:32 left to end the Buckeyes’ national title hopes and give Alabama a consensus national title.
How they ended up: White ran for 242 yards in the win. USC finished #2, while Ohio State finished #4.
296. Oct. 23, 1971-Washington St. 24, #10 (10) Stanford 23 (Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California)
The Build Up: Stanford came into this game 5-1 and ranked #10 in the AP. Meanwhile, WSU sat at just 2-4 and was not expected to be a threat.
The Game: WSU managed to hang around with #10 Stanford and trailed 23-21 with 1:10 left and the Cougars at their own 15-yard line.
The Finish: TE Jim Forrest had a spectacular one-handed catch to keep the drive alive to set up Don Sweet’s GW 27-yard FG as time expired to give WSU a victory that was voted among the program’s 10 best in 1993.
How they ended up: This was Stanford’s 2nd consecutive home upset loss, which dropped them to #17. However, it would be their only conference loss as Stanford went on to win the outright Pac-8 title and the Rose Bowl. Meanwhile, the Cougars went just 4-7.
The Build Up: Northwestern was 6-2, while Minnesota was 7-1.
The Finish: With the game tied at 17, Minnesota was looking to drive for the winning score. However, Brendan Smith picked off a pass and weaved in and out of traffic on his way to a 48-yard pick-six with just 12 seconds left to give Northwestern the win.
How they ended up: Both teams moved to 7-2 as Minnesota dropped from the polls for good. The Wildcats ended up going 9-4, while this was just the first of a 5-GL streak for the Gophers to end their season, which included a 55-0 beatdown at the hands of Iowa in their last ever game in the Metrodome.
294. Nov. 24, 2017-#13 (6) UCF 49, #22 (21) USF 42 (Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, Florida)
The build up: UCF came into this game 10-0 and ranked #15, while USF was 9-1 and ranked #22. The AAC East title was on the line and a possible New Year’s Six Bowl was on the line as these two I-4 rivals met in Orlando.
The Game: The game did not disappoint and turned into a wild shootout. McKenzie Milton threw a 32-yard touchdown to Otis Anderson to put UCF up 42-34 with 2:21 left.
The Finish: Quinton Flowers threw an 83-yard touchdown to Darnell Salomon and then threw the 2-pointer to D’Ernest Johnson to suddenly tie the game at 42 with 1:41 left. On the ensuing kickoff Mike Hughes returned it 95 yards for the GW TD with 1:28 left as the Knights held on from there for the dramatic win.
How they finished: UCF improved to 11-0 and #14 heading into the AAC Championship Game against #20 Memphis, which the Knights won in another wild shootout to earn a spot in the New Year’s Six. UCF went on to beat an Auburn team that had beaten both teams that were playing for the national championship to give the Knights a claim at a national title. Meanwhile, USF fell to 9-2 and #23 heading into the Birmingham Bowl, which they won in another thriller over Texas Tech.
293. Nov. 26, 1976-#8 (5) Oklahoma 20, #10 (9) Nebraska 17 (Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska)
The Build Up: Both teams were having off years by their lofty standards at the time as each sat at 7-2-1.
The Game: Nebraska clung to a 17-13 lead with less than 4 minutes left before Oklahoma hit 2 trick plays to move them in position for the winning score.
The Finish: The first came when Woodie Shepard took a handoff and then threw a 47-yard bomb to Steve Rhodes to move the ball from the OU 16 to the Husker 35. Then on 3rd & 19 QB Dean Blevins passed to Rhodes who lateraled to Elvis Peacock who took it all the way to the 2-yard line. On the next play, Peacock took it in for the GW TD with 38 seconds left to give the Sooners their 5th straight win over Nebraska, the Huskers last beating Oklahoma in the 1971 “Game of the Century” (more on that later).
How they ended up: It was also Barry Switzer’s 4th consecutive win over Tom Osbourne. The Sooners retained their #8 ranking heading into the Fiesta Bowl and won a share of the Big 8 title with Colorado and rival Oklahoma St. Meanwhile, the loss cost the Huskers a share of the Big 8 title as they fell to #13 and had to settle for the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. Both teams won their bowl games as OU finished 9-2-1 and Nebraska finished 9-3-1.
292. Nov. 28, 2015-#13 (3) Stanford 38, #4 (11) Notre Dame 36 (Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California)
The Build Up: Notre Dame came into this game 10-1 and ranked #4 in the AP poll, but a close call against Boston College dropped them to #6 in the CFP. They would need a win here to make it into the playoff. Meanwhile, Stanford was 9-2 and was already heading into the Pac-12 title game next week but was looking for a win to improve their New Year’s Six standing.
The Game: Notre Dame answered Stanford’s opening TD with a 93-yard kickoff return for a TD to immediately tie the game again at 7. Kevin Hogan threw a second short TD for a 14-7 Cardinal lead heading into the 2nd. Notre Dame had to settle for 2 short FGs, but DeShone Kizer threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller to give the Irish a 20-14 lead with 2:15 left in the half. However, a long Hogan pass to Devon Cajuste set up Hogan’s 14-yard TD pass to Michael Rector who broke a tackle to make it to the end zone and make it a 21-20 Cardinal lead at the half. Kizer broke a long run to give Notre Dame a chance to reclaim the lead before halftime, but he fumbled the ball away on the next snap to end the half.
Justin Yoon added a 3rd short FG to give Notre Dame a 23-21 lead early in the 3rd. Another long hookup from Hogan to Cajuste set up Remound Wright’s second TD run to put Stanford up 28-23, but shortly afterwards Josh Adams broke a 62-yard TD run to put Notre Dame up 29-28 with a failed 2-point try. On the first play of the 4th quarter, Hogan threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Austin Hooper to give Stanford a 35-29 lead.
The Finish: After an exchange of punts, Notre Dame went on a 15-play, 88-yard drive that ate up over 6 minutes. They converted a 3rd & 10 and a 4th & 1 on their way to Kizer’s seeming GW 2-yard TD run with 30 seconds left. The TD run controversially stood even though it appeared Kizer was down short of the goal line. Christian McCaffrey had a decent return to give Stanford the ball at their own 27 with 25 seconds left. A facemask penalty gave the Cardinal 15 free yards. An incompletion left 15 seconds left. Hogan then completed a 27-yard pass to Cajuste to give Stanford the ball at the Notre Dame 30 with 10 seconds left. A 2-yard run from McCaffrey set up Conrad Ukropina from 45 yards for the GW FG as time expired to end Notre Dame’s playoff hopes.
How they ended up: Both teams moved to 10-2 as Stanford moved up to #7 against #20 USC for the Pac-12 Championship Game. They easily won 41-22 to clinch a spot in the Rose Bowl where they steamrolled #5 Iowa to finish 12-2 and #3 in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, the Irish had to settle on a trip to the Fiesta Bowl where they took their #8 ranking against #7 Ohio St and lost 44-28 to finish 10-3.
291. Nov. 3, 2012-#1 (1) Alabama 21, #5 (14) LSU 17 (Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
The Game: LSU trailed 14-3 but came back and took a 17-14 lead early in the 4th.
The Finish: That held until Alabama got the ball back at their own 28 with 1:34 left. They only needed 5 plays and 43 seconds to score as AJ McCarron threw a screen pass to T.J. Yeldon who took it 28 yards for the GW score with 51 seconds left to allow the Tide to escape “Death Valley” with a huge win.
How they ended up: Bama improved to 9-0 and remained #1 but were stunned at home by #15 Texas A&M the next week to put their national title hopes in jeopardy. However, they won their next two games 49-0 to clinch the SEC West (thanks in large part to this win over LSU) to set up a matchup with #3 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, with Bama ranked #2 for a virtual national semifinal with a spot in the national title game on the line. The Tide took a thriller that just barely missed out on making this list. They went on to beat #1 Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game to claim their 3rd national title in 4 years. Meanwhile LSU fell to 7-2 and #9 as they went on to finish 10-3 and #14.
290. Nov. 4, 1933-Michigan 7, Illinois 6 (Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois)
The Build Up: Michigan came into this game on an 18-game unbeaten streak and was 4-0, winning those games by a combined 101-6 margin. Meanwhile, Illinois was 3-1 having just lost their first game to Army.
The Game: The difference in the game was Willis Ward’s block of an Illinois PAT attempt to keep the Illini up 6-0 in the 1st. In the 2nd, Herman Everhardus scored an end run TD and kicked the PAT for the winning margin.
The Finish: Illinois had a chance at a potential GW 31-yard FG in the final 15 seconds, but Barton Cummings sent it wide as Michigan hung on to keep their unbeaten streak alive.
How they ended up: Michigan (7-0-1) went on to the national championship. Illinois finished 5-3.
289. Jan. 5, 2009-#3 (4) Texas 24, #10 (9) Ohio St. 21 (Fiesta Bowl, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)
The build up: Texas came into this game 11-1 having been controversially left out of not only the Big 12 Championship Game, but the BCS National Championship Game in favor of rival Oklahoma whom the Longhorns had beaten earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Ohio St. was 10-2 having won a share of the Big Ten title, but was left out of the Rose Bowl due to their head-to-head loss to co-Big Ten champ Penn St.
The Game: Todd Boeckman threw a 5-yard TD pass to fellow QB Terrelle Pryor to cut the Texas lead to 17-15 with just over 7 minutes left after an incompletion on the 2-pointer from Pryor. Then Dan Herron had a 15-yard TD run with 2:05 left to give Ohio St. a 21-17 lead.
The Finish: Colt McCoy calmly led an 11-play drive without calling a timeout capped with his short pass to Quan Cosby who broke a tackle and went in for the GW 26-yard TD with only 16 seconds left to give the Longhorns the win.
How they ended up: Texas capped their great season at 12-1 and #3. Their only loss came with 1-second left (keep reading to see this one). Meanwhile, Ohio State finished 10-3 and #9.
288. Nov. 29, 2008-(once #11) Kansas 40, #12 (19) Missouri 37 (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri)
The build up: The previous year’s matchup between these border rivals had more importance with Missouri handing Kansas their only loss of the season for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. This year, the Tigers were 9-2 and #12, looking to take a 5-GW streak into the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks were 6-5 having lost 4 of their last 5 and 2 in a row but were eager for revenge for their loss the previous year.
The Game: This turned out to be a classic game in the sleet and snow in Arrowhead Stadium. There were 4 lead changes in the final 7 minutes. Kansas led 26-10 in the 3rd before Missouri scored 20 unanswered points for a 30-26 lead with 6:52 left. KU went 49 yards in 5 plays for a 33-30 lead with 4:26 left. Derrick Williams had a 6-yard touchdown run to give Mizzou a 37-33 lead with 1:50 left.
The Finish: The Jayhawks faced 4th & 7 when Todd Reesing found Kerry Meier for a 26-yard touchdown with only 27 seconds left for the 40-37 KU lead. Jeff Wolfert had a chance to tie the game with a 54-yard FG, but Philip Stozier blocked it to end this thriller.
How they ended up: Kansas went on to beat Minnesota in their bowl game to finish 8-5, while Missouri finished the regular season 9-3 and #19 heading into the Big 12 Championship Game against #4 Oklahoma. They lost the Big 12 title game to the Sooners for a 2nd straight year, but beat Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl in OT to finish 10-4.
287. Dec. 7, 1963-#2 (2) Navy 21, Army 15 (Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Build Up: This took place just 2 weeks after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Many college games were canceled or delayed in the aftermath, and this game only took place after widow Jackie Kennedy insisted that the game take place. The circumstances made this annual rivalry game as important as ever, but the stakes were even higher for Navy being 8-1 and ranked #2 in the country. Meanwhile Army was no slouch either and sat at 7-2.
The Game: The game lived up to all the hype as the underdog Cadets hung with the favored Midshipmen and found themselves at the Navy 2-yard line in the waning moments trailing 21-15.
The Finish: With time winding down, Army QB Rollie Stichweh couldn’t call the signals over the roar of the 102,000 fans in attendance. He called for time, which was granted but after Army rehuddled, Stichweh was unaware that the clock had started again, and time ran out on the Cadets as Navy hung on to retain their #2 ranking.
How they ended up: Star Navy QB Roger Staubach won the Heisman trophy on Navy’s way to the site of their only loss of the regular season (and the city where Kennedy was assassinated), the Cotton Bowl where they faced #1 Texas for a virtual national championship game. Texas dominated 28-6. Meanwhile, Army’s season ended there in Philadelphia at 7-3.
286. Sept. 5, 1998-#10 (1) Tennessee 34, #17 (25) Syracuse 33 (Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York)
The build up: Tennessee was about to experience life without Peyton Manning at the helm for the first time since the 1994 season. Hopes of a national championship weren’t as high as they had been, but they were still expected to be contenders in the SEC East…if they could ever get past Florida, which held a 5-GW streak over the Vols. Syracuse was expected to have a good season behind Sr. QB Donovan McNabb.
The Finish: Jeff Hall kicked the GW 27-yard FG as time expired to get Tennessee’s national title season off to a dramatic start.
How they ended up: The Vols moved up to #6 for a matchup with #2 Florida, and then finally beat the Gators in OT on their way to the SEC East title, the SEC title, the national title, and a perfect 13-0 season, their first in 60 years. Meanwhile Syracuse fell to #19 on their way to an 8-4 season and #25 final AP ranking.
285. Nov. 29, 1986-#14 (6) Auburn 21, #7 (9) Alabama 17 (Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama)
The Build Up: Both teams came into this game with only 2 losses heading into this regular season finale with a trip to the Sugar Bowl on the line for Bama.
The Game: Alabama led 17-7 before Brent Fullwood ran in a 26-yard TD to cut it to a 17-14 deficit on the first play of the 4th quarter. With 4:54 left Auburn would have perhaps their last chance at their own 33.
The Finish: On 4th & 3, Trey Gainous made a diving catch of a Jeff Burger pass for 9 yards and a 1st down. Fullwood broke a 19-yard run, and Tommie Agee added an 11-yard burst for 1st & goal at the 10. After moving to the 7, Pat Dye dialed up a reverse but had the wrong personnel in the game. Unable to call timeout, Lawyer Tillman had to take the pitch from Tim Jessie, and despite not being the usual runner on a reverse play, Tillman took it in for the GW TD with 32 seconds left to snap a 2-GL streak in the Iron Bowl to Alabama and to cost Bama the Sugar Bowl bid.
How they ended up: Auburn jumped up to #10 at 9-2 for their Citrus Bowl matchup with USC, while the Tide fell to 9-3 and #13 for the Sun Bowl against #12 Washington. Both teams won their respective bowl games.
284. Nov. 15, 1997-#19 (21) Syracuse 32, Pitt 27 (Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
The Build Up: Syracuse was in the midst of a 6-GW streak with a 7-3 record. Meanwhile, Pitt was 4-4.
The Game: Syracuse took a 19-0 lead into halftime before Pitt rallied for 27 4th quarter points to take a 27-26 lead with less than 2 minutes left.
The Finish: Donovan McNabb led an 8-play 65-yard drive towards his GW 24-yard TD pass to Quint Spotwood with 28 seconds left to allow Syracuse to escape with the win despite one of the greatest comebacks in Pitt history.
How they ended up: The win was the 7th in a row for the Orange, which went on to a 9-4 season for a #21 final ranking in the AP poll. Meanwhile, Pitt finished 6-6.
283. Oct. 21, 2006-#10 (17) Notre Dame 20, (other) UCLA 17 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
The Build Up: Notre Dame came into this game 5-1 and #10, while UCLA was 4-2.
The Game: It looked like Notre Dame had lost their last chance when Brady Quinn was stuffed on a 4th & 1 attempt from their own 35 with 2:25 left and trailing 17-13. However, the Irish forced a 3-and-out and got the ball back at their own 20 with 62 seconds left.
The Finish: Quinn completed a 21-yard pass to Jeff Samardzija and a 14-yarder to David Grimes to move to the UCLA 45. That’s when Quinn threw to Samardzija who cut inside S Dennis Keyes who was only able to knock Samardzija off balance as he was able to keep his feet and went all the way to the end zone for the GW 45-yard TD pass with only 27 seconds left. At the time it was only the third time in Notre Dame’s storied history that they had won a game with a TD in the final 30 seconds (1992 Snow Bowl and 1978/9 Chicken Soup Game more on both later). Samardzija tied the school record of 22 career TD catches held by Derrick Mayes in 1995.
How they ended up: The win was the 4th in a row for the Irish which improved to 6-1 but moved back to #11. They went on to extend that winning streak 8 in a row before they got blown out in their last 2 games by #3 USC and #4 LSU to finish 10-3 and #17. Meanwhile, UCLA went 7-6 in 2006 pulling off a memorable upset of rival #2 USC to end their regular season to cost the Trojans a chance at a national championship.
282. Sept. 19, 2009-#13 (10) Virginia Tech 16, #19 (14) Nebraska 15 (Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Virginia)
The build up: Virginia Tech’s only loss was to eventual national champion Alabama, while Nebraska was 2-0.
The Finish: Virginia Tech had the ball at their own 16 trailing 15-10 with 1:26 left. Facing 2nd & 4, Tyrod Taylor found Danny Coale on the right sideline who went all the way to the Nebraska 3 before he was finally forced out of bounds. After a sack and incompletion, the Hokies faced 3rd & goal from the 11 where Taylor scrambled for 9 seconds before finding Dyrell Roberts in the back of the end zone for the GW TD with just 21 seconds left.
How they ended up: Virginia Tech improved to 2-1 and #11 with #9 Miami coming to town, while Nebraska fell to 2-1 and #25. The Hokies ended 10-3 and #10, while Nebraska went 10-4 on their way to the Big 12 Championship Game.
281. Dec. 29, 2006-(once #24) Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41 (((OT))) (Insight Bowl, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona)
The Build Up: Both teams were hoping to end their season with a bowl win.
The Game: Minnesota took a 38-7 lead with 7:47 remaining in the 3rd quarter before Texas Tech mounted the biggest comeback in bowl game history. A 43-yard TD pass from Graham Harrell to Joel Filani cut it to a 38-14 deficit heading into the 4th. Then the Red Raiders scored on the first play of the 4th on an 8-yard TD pass from Harrell to Robert Johnson to cut it to 38-21. The Gophers managed to drive inside the Tech 30, but facing 4th & 7, Glen Mason opted to go for it instead of kicking a FG and Bryan Cupito was sacked. That led to another Tech TD drive on a 1-yard Harrell run to cut it to 38-28. Minnesota went 3-and-out, and Danny Amendola returned the punt 40 yards to give the Red Raiders good field position. Nine plays later, Shannon Woods ran in his 2nd TD to cut it to 38-35 but only 2:39 remained.
The Finish: Tech tried an onside kick, but the Gophers recovered. However, the Tech defense forced another 3-and-out to give the Red Raiders a glimmer of hope, but they had to go from their own 7 with time running low. Harrell completed 5 of 7 passes to move in range for Alex Trlica’s game-tying 52-yard FG as time expired to miraculously send this game into OT. Minnesota had the ball first in OT and had to settle for Joel Monroe’s 32-yard FG for a 41-38 lead. From there, Tech won it on Woods’ GW walk-off 3-yard touchdown run to complete the unlikely comeback.
How they ended up: The historic 31-point bowl comeback has only been equaled by TCU against Oregon in the 2016 Alamo Bowl. Texas Tech finished 8-5, while Minnesota finished 6-7.
280. Sept. 18, 2004-#13 (13) Tennessee 30, #11 (UPI #25) Florida 28 (Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee)
The build up: Both teams came into this early season meeting undefeated with the winner having a leg up on the SEC East race.
The Game: An Erik Ainge interception led to a Florida TD to give the Gators a 21-14 lead at halftime. After a 23-yard TD pass from Ainge to Bret Smith tied the game, Florida took the lead right back on a career-long 81-yard TD pass from Chris Leak to Chad Jackson to make it 28-21 Gators with 7:43 left. Tennessee answered right back with Ainge’s 3rd TD pass of the night, this one from 13 yards to Jayson Swain. However, James Wilhoit missed the PAT to leave the Vols behind 28-27 with 3:25 left.
The Finish: By the time Tennessee got the ball back, they were at their own 39 with 43 seconds left. Ainge completed 2 passes to Chris Hannon to give Wilhoit a chance to redeem himself, but this would be much longer than an extra point. He would need to connect from 50 yards to clear his name. He kicked it through with 6 seconds left to give the Vols a thrilling win in front of a Neyland Stadium record 109,061 fans.
How they ended up: Tennessee improved to 2-0 and #11, while Florida fell to 1-1 and #16. The Vols ended up winning the SEC East, while the Gators went a disappointing 7-5 on Ron Zook’s way out of Gainesville opening the door to hire Urban Meyer.
279. Sept. 22, 1984-#20 Georgia 26, #2 Clemson 23 (Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia)
The Build Up: Clemson came into this early season game with high expectations and ranked #2 in the AP. The previous year these teams had to settle for a tie when neither team could convert on 60+ yard field goals in the final 10 seconds.
The Game: Clemson played like the #2 team in the 1st half, taking a 20-6 lead at halftime. However, Georgia came back and tied the game at 20 and then took a 23-20 lead on a Kevin Butler FG. Clemson finally found the scoreboard in the 2nd half and tied the game at 23.
The Finish: The Dawgs took over at their own 20 with just over 2 minutes left. They barely made it past midfield before they sent out Butler to attempt a 60-yard FG. Legendary Georgia radio announcer Larry Munson described it as Butler having to kick the ball “100,000 miles.” When Butler kicked the ball through the uprights with 11 seconds left, Munson described the stadium as ‘worse than bonkers.’
How they ended up: The kick effectively ended Clemson’s national title hopes. Both teams would finish with 7 wins and 4 losses.
278. Nov. 5, 1988-#8 (14) Oklahoma 31, #12 (11) Oklahoma St. 28 (Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma)
The Build Up: Oklahoma came into Bedlam on an 11-GW streak against the Cowboys, but if there was ever a time for OSU to break the streak it was now with Barry Sanders in the midst of a Heisman season. The Pokes were 6-1 and ranked #12, while OU was 7-1 and #8.
The Game: Mike Gaddis broke off TD runs of 50 and 44 yards less than 5 minutes into the game for an early 14-0 Sooners lead. But eventual Heisman winner, Barry Sanders, broke a 67-yard run to set up a Cowboys TD just before halftime to cut it to 14-7. The Pokes would cut it to a 24-21 deficit in the 4th before Sanders took in a TD run for a 28-24 lead on a 3rd & goal run. OU drove to the OSU 35 where they survived 2 near fumbles before barely converting a 4th & 1. Three plays later, QB Charles Thompson took an option 18 yards for the go-ahead TD with 2:33 left for a 31-28 Sooners lead.
The Finish: OSU drove right down the field, but Garrett Limbrick was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct to make a 4th & 1 situation a 4th & 16. Pat Jones could’ve sent Cary Blanchard out for a 51-yard FG attempt to tie the game, but instead Jones opted to go for the win to keep their Big 8 title hopes alive. QB Mike Gundy saw his best receiver, Hart Lee Dykes, covered, but he found Brent Parker open in the end zone, but Parker dropped it to allow the Sooners to hang on for the win to keep their streak against the Cowboys going now with 12 consecutive wins over OSU in the Bedlam series.
How they ended up: OU improved to 8-1 to retain their #8 ranking, while OSU fell to 6-2 and #14. However, the Cowboys would not lose again all season as they finished 10-2 and #11, while OU lost their last 2 games to finish 9-3 and #14.
277. Dec. 28, 2005-(24) Nebraska 32, #20 Michigan 28 (Alamo Bowl, Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)
The Build Up: Both teams were looking to end their season with a bowl win. Also these teams still held a grudge against each other ever since they had to settle for a shared national title in 1997.
The Game: Chad Henne had a TD run early in the 4th to give Michigan a 28-17 lead. Nebraska answered with a 31-yard TD run from Cory Ross and a Zac Taylor to Todd Peterson 2-pointer to cut it to 28-25. Later, Taylor threw the eventual GW 13-yard TD pass to Terrence Nunn with 4:29 left to give the Huskers the 32-28 lead.
The Finish: Michigan’s last gasp attempt to win the game on the final play ended up as a highlight reel play that came up just short. In a play similar to the Cal/Stanford “Play” Michigan tried to pull off a miracle with a play that featured 7 laterals. Henne threw a pass to Jason Avant at midfield who immediately lateraled to Steve Breaston. Breaston threw backwards to Mike Hart who lateralled back to Avant. Avant threw the ball across the entire length of the field to Mario Manningham who was being tackled as he caught it and attempted another lateral. The ball hit the ground before C Mark Bihl picked it up and lateraled to TE Tyler Ecker. After the ball hit the ground, members of both teams and the media entered the field of play thinking the game was over, while Ecker ran downfield. Even officials began to leave the field, and some Nebraska players gave their coach Bill Callahan a Gatorade bath. Ecker was finally pushed out of bounds at the Nebraska 16 long after the clock had expired. If Ecker had looked behind him, he would have seen that he had teammates behind him that he could have attempted to lateral to.
How they ended up: Nebraska finished 8-4, while Michigan finished 7-5.
276. Oct. 28, 1989-(24) Ohio St. 41, Minnesota 37 (Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
The Build Up: Both of these teams came into this game 4-2.
The Game: Minnesota took a shocking 31-0 lead in the 2nd quarter before Carlos Snow ran in a TD and Greg Frey threw a 2-point pass to Jeff Graham just before half to cut it to a 31-8 halftime deficit. The Buckeye defense then held the Gophers to just 6 2nd half points, while Frey and Snow mounted a comeback. Snow had 278 all-purpose yards and 3 scores, while Frey passed for 362 yards and 3 TDs, while running for another score as Ohio St. cut it to a 37-34 deficit with 3:04 left.
The Finish: After forcing a punt, OSU had the ball on their own 27 with 1:52 left and no timeouts. Frey completed passes of 18 and 19 yards before he was sacked for a 13-yard loss. However, Frey hit Jim Palmer for a 34-yard gain to get down to the Minnesota 15. Frey then found Graham for the GW 15-yard TD in the final minute to complete the incredible comeback, tying the margin that Maryland came back from against Miami in 1984, although the Terps did it in less time.
How they ended up: The win was the 3rd of 6 in a row for Ohio St. as they went on to an 8-4 season, while Minnesota finished 6-5.
275. Nov. 11, 2006-#6 (1) Florida 17, South Carolina 16 (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida)
The Build Up: Florida came into this game 8-1 and ranked #6 having won 2 straight since their lone loss to Auburn. Meanwhile, South Carolina was 5-4 under 2nd year coach and Gator legend Steve Spurrier.
The Game: A 14-yard TD run from Mike Davis gave South Carolina a 16-10 lead, but Jarvis Moss blocked Ryan Succop’s PAT to leave it that score. A tough 12-yard TD run from freshman Tim Tebow and successful PAT gave Florida the 17-16 lead.
The Finish: The Gamecocks drove in range for a 48-yard FG attempt in the closing seconds, but Moss again came up with the GW block with 8 seconds left to preserve the Gators’ 1-point lead.
How they ended up: Florida improved to 9-1 and moved up to #3 after losses from #3, 4, and 5. The Gators ended up winning out to sneak into the BCS National Championship Game where they stunned #1 Ohio State 41-14 to claim the national championship. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks also won out to finish 8-5.
274. Oct. 24, 2009-#1 (1) Alabama 12, Tennessee 10 (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
The Build Up: Alabama came into the game 7-0 and the newly ranked #1 team in the AP. Meanwhile, Tennessee was a pedestrian 3-3 under first year coach Lane Kiffin.
The Game: It looked like Alabama had the game sealed when they led 12-3 and had the ball with 3:43 left, but S Eric Berry forced a Mark Ingram fumble, setting up an 11-yard TD catch from Gerald Jones to cut it to 12-10 with 1:19 left.
The Finish: The Vols recovered an onside kick and moved into FG range on a 23-yard pass to TE Luke Stocker. However, Terrence Cody blocked Daniel Lincoln’s 44-yard FG attempt as time expired to preserve the Bama win. Just like Moss in the previous entry, it was his second blocked kick of the day.
How they ended up: Alabama’s undefeated season remained intact as they improved to 8-0, but the close call dropped them to #3 with #9 LSU coming to town. However, they won the remainder of their games, including the BCS National Championship Game against #2 Texas to claim their first national championship since 1992. Meanwhile, Tennessee finished 7-6 in their only season under Kiffin.
273. Nov. 27, 2009-#2 (1) Alabama 26, (once #17) Auburn 21 (Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama)
The Build Up: Alabama came into the Iron Bowl 11-0 and #2 hoping to keep their national title hopes alive. Meanwhile, Auburn was 7-4 under first year coach Gene Chizik.
The Game: Auburn jumped out to a surprising 14-0 lead before Alabama came back and tied it. The Tigers reclaimed a 21-14 lead before the Tide added 2 FGs to cut it to 21-20 heading into the 4th.
The Finish: Alabama got the ball back with 8:34 left. They proceeded to go on a 16-play, 78-yard drive with 4 1st down passes to Julio Jones. On 3rd & goal from the 4, Greg McElroy found Roy Upchurch on a play action pass to give Bama the lead with 1:24 left to complete what became known in Tide circles as “The Drive”. Coach Nick Saban called it one of the best drives he’d ever seen.
How they ended up: Alabama completed their 2nd straight 12-0 regular season and took their #2 ranking into the SEC Championship Game against #1 Florida for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. Bama went on to pull away from the Gators to take the #1 ranking into the BCS National Championship Game against #2 Texas where the Tide won again to claim their first national title since 1992. Meanwhile, Auburn fell to 7-5 on their way to an 8-5 finish.
272. Dec. 6, 2014-(once #15) Oklahoma St. 38, #20 Oklahoma 35 (((OT))) (OK Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma)
The Build Up: Oklahoma came into this game 8-3 and ranked #20. Meanwhile, OSU came into Bedlam on a 5-GL skid and 5-6 just hoping to become bowl eligible.
The Game: Aaron Ripkowski had a 1-yard TD run to put Oklahoma up 35-21 with 7:54 left, but OK St. came back. Mason Rudolph threw a 43-yard TD pass to Brandon Sheperd with 4:51 left to cut it to a 35-28 deficit.
The Finish: Oklahoma punted but after the Cowboys were flagged for running into the kicker, Bob Stoops opted to re-kick. He soon regretted that decision when Tyreek Hill returned the ensuing punt 92-yards for the game-tying TD with only 45 seconds left to miraculously send the game to OT. OU’s Michael Hunnicutt missed a 44-yard FG on the first possession of OT, and then Ben Grogan kicked the GW, walk-off 21-yard FG to give the Cowboys the upset win.
How they ended up: OSU improved to 6-6 to get a bid to the Cactus Bowl where they beat Washington to finish 7-6 with a winning record. Meanwhile, OU got blown out against Clemson in their bowl game to finish 8-5.
271. Sept. 23, 2017-#4 (8) Penn St. 21, (once #25) Iowa 19 (Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa)
The Build Up: Both teams came into this early season game undefeated with Penn St. having national championship aspirations and ranked #4, while Iowa was hoping to upset a top 5 team at home for a 2nd consecutive year.
The Game: After Penn St. took a 15-7 lead into the 4th quarter, Akrum Wadley took a Nathan Stanley pass 70-yards for a TD, but the 2-point attempt failed to leave Iowa behind 15-13 with 10:02 left. Later Wadley broke a 35-yard TD run and again the 2-pointer failed to leave Iowa up 19-15 with 1:42 left.
The Finish: Penn St. converted a 4th & 2 with a 6-yard pass from Trace McSorley to Saeed Blacknall on the ensuing drive as they drove to the Iowa 7 where they faced 4th down with 4 seconds left. With one play left, McSorley threw the GW, walk-off 7-yard TD to Juwan Johnson to give the Nittany Lions the dramatic win.
How they ended up: Penn St. went on to 7-0 and ranked as high as #2 before they lost a classic to Ohio St. 39-38 that ended up determining the Big Ten East. The Nittany Lions went on to a Fiesta Bowl win and an 11-2 record. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes had to wait a couple of months before they finally got their top 5 upset at home when they stunned Ohio St. 55-24 on their way to an 8-5 season.
270. Sept. 10, 1988-#13 (1) Notre Dame 19, #9 (4) Michigan 17 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
The Build Up: This was the opener for both teams with hopes as high as national championships for both squads.
The Game: Notre Dame’s offense failed to score a TD, but Ricky Watters returned a punt 81 yards for a TD, and walk-on K Reggie Ho kicked 4 FGs, including the GW 26-yarder with 1:13 left.
The Finish: Michigan drove in range for a Mike Gillette potential GW 48-yard FG, but he narrowly missed as time expired to allow the Irish to escape with a win.
How they ended up: Notre Dame went on to a perfect season to win the national championship, their last to date. Meanwhile, Michigan blew a big lead against Miami the next week (see next entry) to start 0-2 but would not lose again all year on their way to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl win. The two teams they lost to finished #1 and #2 in the AP poll, while the Wolverines finished #4.
269. Sept. 17, 1988-#1 (2) Miami 31, #15 (4) Michigan 30 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
The Build Up: Miami came into this season with hopes of back-to-back national titles. Their hopes only took off after a 31-0 drubbing of rival and then #1 Florida St. in their opener. Meanwhile, Michigan came into this game having lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame and was looking to get back on track.
The Game: Miami took a 14-6 lead behind 2 Cleveland Gary TDs, but then Michigan went on a 24-0 run from the 2nd to 4th quarters to take a 30-14 lead. Miami got back into the game with a 7-yard TD pass from Steve Walsh to TE Rob Chudzinski and a 2-point pass from Walsh to Dale Dawkins to cut it to a 30-22 deficit with 5:23 left. The Canes defense got them the ball back, and then Walsh connected with his 2nd TD pass to Gary for 48 yards, but the 2-point try failed, so Miami still trailed 30-28 with 2:58 left.
The Finish: Walk-on K Carols Huerta kicked a perfect onside kick to give the Canes the ball right back. After Walsh led Miami into FG range, Huerta came in and hit the GW 29-yarder with 43 seconds left to give the Canes the huge comeback win to keep their national championship hopes alive.
How they ended up: Miami retained their #1 ranking until they lost the Catholics vs. Convicts game against Notre Dame (more on that later). That would be their only blemish on their way to a #2 ranking in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, the Wolverines opened their season 0-2 for the first time since 1959. However, they would not lose again on their way to an outright Big Ten title and Rose Bowl win.
268. Nov. 29, 2003-#9 (11) Florida St. 38, #11 (24) Florida 34 (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida)
The Build Up: Florida St. came into this game 9-2 and ranked #9, while Florida was 8-3 having won 5 straight.
The Game: This went on to be known as the “Swindle in the Swamp” by Florida fans due to controversial officiating calls. The controversy started right from the opening kickoff when officials ruled Antonio Cromartie down to negate a fumble recovery by the Gators. This exact scenario played out again on another kick return from Cromartie. Then to make matters worse for Gator fans, when FSU’s Pat Watkins returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown, there was no call. Then there was another FSU fumble near the goal line that was negated by officials ruling the play dead. The game itself was wild in its own right and Chris Leak gave the Gators a 34-31 lead with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ben Troupe with 2:55 left.
The Finish: Florida St. won it on Chris Rix’s GW 52-yard TD pass to P.K. Sam with just 55 seconds left to give Florida St. a thrilling win over their rival. After the game, there was a postgame brawl that police had to break up with pepper spray.
How they ended up: The Noles improved to 10-2 and remained at #9 for a rematch with rival #10 Miami in the Orange Bowl, while Florida fell to 8-4 and #17 heading into the Outback Bowl against #13 Iowa. Both lost their bowl games.
267. Nov. 29, 1997-#14 (10) Georgia 27, (25) Georgia Tech 24 (Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
The Build Up: Georgia came into Clean, Old Fashioned Hate 8-2 and #14, while Georgia Tech was 6-4.
The Finish: Mike Bobo hit Corey Allen for the GW TD with 8 seconds left to give Georgia the win.
How they ended up: The Dawgs improved to 9-2 and #11 heading into the Outback Bowl. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech fell to 6-5 heading into the Carquest Bowl. Both teams won their bowl games to finish ranked with Georgia ranked in the top 10.
266. Nov. 21, 1953-#1 (2) Notre Dame & #20 (9) Iowa tied at 14 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
The Build Up: Notre Dame came into this game 7-0 and the clear #1 team in the country after having gone unblemished through a difficult schedule. Meanwhile, Iowa was 5-3 but had snuck into the rankings by winning their last two games by a combined 53-0 margin including a 27-0 drubbing of rival and then #15 Minnesota.
The Game: Iowa led 7-0 late in the 1st half when QB Ralph Gugliemi was sacked to seemingly end the half. However, Frank Varrichione suddenly fell to the turf and faked an injury to stop the clock with 2 seconds left. That allowed a Gugliemi 12-yard TD pass to Dan Shannon to tie the game as time expired on the half. Later, Iowa reclaimed a 7-point lead with 2 minutes left in the 4th.
The Finish: Gugliemi marched the Irish to the Hawkeye 9-yard line. This time not one but two Notre Dame linemen faked injuries to stop the clock with 25 seconds left. After two incompletions Gugliemi found Shannon in the end zone for a 9-yard TD to tie the game with 6 seconds left to salvage a tie and keep Notre Dame undefeated.
How they ended up: The tie and the tactics Notre Dame used to salvage it ultimately cost the Irish the national championship as they dropped to #2 in the next poll. The Irish went on to hammer USC and SMU by a combined score of 88-28 but remained #2 in the final poll despite their stronger resume compared to #1 Maryland, which went on to lose in the Orange Bowl. Notre Dame’s tactics at stopping the clock were condemned not only by Hawkeye faithful, but by sports writers including Grantland Rice who was criticized for having a pro-Irish bias and was the one who had dubbed the 1924 Irish backfield as the “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.” Rice called Notre Dame’s tactics “disgraceful.” For Iowa, their performance was enough to convince voters to place Iowa in the AP top ten despite the tie.
265. Nov. 2, 1991-(21) Tulsa 13, Southern Miss 10 (Skelly Stadium, Tulsa, Oklahoma)
The Build Up: Tulsa came into this game 5-2 with their only losses coming against then #2 and eventual national champion Miami and the Big 8’s Kansas. Meanwhile, Southern Miss was 4-4 with the highlight being an upset at then #16 Auburn.
The Game: This game was played on a snowy, icy field. Tulsa fell behind 10-0, but they managed to tie the game in the 4th.
The Finish: With 16 seconds left, Southern Miss lined up for a potential GW FG, but K Lance Nations slipped, and the ball barely made it to the line of scrimmage. Tulsa now had possession and T.J. Rubley threw up a desperation Hail Mary pass that Chris Penn caught at the Southern Miss 30. Another play got them in range for Eric Lange’s 33-yard FG attempt. His teammates helped clear the snow for the spot. He slipped and missed wide left, but there was a flag for too many men on the field from the Golden Eagles. Lange’s try from 28 yards with no time left was good, and Tulsa escaped with a win.
How they ended up: Tulsa won the remainder of their games to finish the season on a 7-GW streak to finish 10-2 and ranked #21 in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, Southern Miss lost their remaining games to finish 4-7.
264. Sept. 30, 1989-#11 (8) USC 18, #19 Washington St. 17 (Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington)
The Build Up: WSU came into this game 4-0 and ranked #19, while USC had won 2 straight since losing their opener, including a 42-3 dismantling of then #20 Ohio St. the week before.
The Finish: USC redshirt freshman QB Todd Marinovich engineered a GW 91-yard drive in the final 3 and a half minutes with the Trojans trailing 17-10. Marinovich converted 2 separate 4th downs with completions to keep the drive alive. Then he threw a 2-yard TD pass to Ricky Ervins in the left flat with 4 seconds left to pull USC to within a point at 17-16. Coach Larry Smith and the Trojans only had 1 timeout left and used it after the TD to set up a 2-pointer to go for the win. Marinovich floated a pass to Gary Wellman deep in the end zone who barely caught it inbounds for the GW 2-point conversion to give USC the thrilling win.
How they ended up: It was the 3rd straight win for the Trojans on their way to the outright Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl win. Meanwhile WSU fell to 4-1 on their way to a 6-5 season.
263. Oct. 27, 2018-#12 (12) Kentucky 15, (once #24) Missouri 14 (Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri)
The Build Up: Kentucky was having one of their best seasons in decades having finally put an end to their 31-GL streak to Florida, entered the AP poll for the first time since 2007, and came into this game with a 6-1 record and #12 ranking. Meanwhile, Missouri sat at 4-3.
The Game: Missouri took a 14-3 lead into halftime and into the 4th quarter before Lynn Bowden had a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown to cut it to 14-9 with a failed 2-pointer with 5:18 left. After forcing a 3-and-out, Terry Wilson threw an interception, but the Wildcat defense forced another 3-and-out to give Kentucky the ball back at their own 19 with 1:41 left.
The Finish: A Sack from Tre Williams immediately put Kentucky back at their own 12. However, Wilson completed passes of 12, 16, 27, and 13 yards to move to the Missouri 20. A Terez Hall sack pushed Kentucky back to the 27, but Wilson completed a 17-yard pass to Bowden to move to the 10, and then a pass interference penalty in the end zone moved UK to the 2 for an untimed down with the clock at zeroes. Wilson found C.J. Conrad for the GW, walk-off TD to give Kentucky the wild win.
How they ended up: Kentucky improved to 7-1 and #9 before losing back-to-back games to Georgia and Tennessee to fall back to #17. However, they won their last 3 games, including an upset of #12 Penn St. in the Citrus Bowl to finish with 10 wins and their highest ranking since 1977. Missouri won their next 4 games to enter the rankings for their Liberty Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State, but they lost to finish 8-5 and unranked.
262. Sept. 11, 1993-#7 (5) Florida 24, Kentucky 20 (Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky)
The Build Up: Florida came into this early season game with high expectations being ranked #7 in the AP. The same expectations could not be had of Kentucky in 1993 which had lost 6 straight to the Gators.
The Game: Florida survived 7 interceptions thrown by Gator QBs and still had a chance to win trailing 20-17 late in the game.
The Finish: Future Heisman winner Danny Wuerffell threw the GW 28-yard TD to walk-on Chris Doering with 3 seconds left to keep Florida’s historic streak against Kentucky alive by the slimmest of margins.
How they ended up: Without this win Florida would not have won the SEC East and would not have won the SEC title, which they did and plastered #3 West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl to finish #5 in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, Kentucky went on to a 6-6 season.
261. Dec. 2, 1972-#11 (11) LSU 9, (once #18) Tulane 3 (Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Build Up: Back in these days, this was an annual rivalry game usually played at the end of the season. And at this point it was one of the most lopsided rivalries in college football. Tulane had not beaten LSU since 1948 as the Tigers took a 23-game unbeaten streak against the Green Wave into this game. As for the 1972 season, LSU had only lost once at then #2 Alabama as they took an 8-1-1 record into this game. Meanwhile, Tulane was not expected to be a threat as they took a 6-4 record into this game.
The Game: A week after missing 7 FGs, LSU kicked 3, including 2 in the 4th, the last coming with 1-minute left for a 9-3 lead.
The Finish: QB Steve Foley, who hadn’t done anything thus far in the 2nd half, suddenly completed 3 straight passes to get to the Tiger 45. Then he scrambled for 40 yards and got out of bounds at the 5 with 5 seconds left. The Green Wave were now 5 yards away from ending a 24-year winless streak against the Tigers. Foley dropped back and found FB Bill Huber at the 2. Huber turned and raced LSU S Frank Racine to the corner of the end zone, but Racine caught him just inches short to extend the Tigers’ win streak over Tulane to 17 games and 24 games unbeaten.
How they ended up: LSU moved up to #10 for their matchup with #11 Tennessee in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, but would lose 24-17 to finish 9-2-1. The Green Wave’s season ended here at 6-5. Tulane finally beat LSU the next season 14-0.
260. Nov. 16, 1940-Dartmouth 3, #2 Cornell 0 (Memorial Field, Hanover, New Hampshire)
The Build Up: Cornell came into this game 6-0 and on an 18-GW streak and had been ranked #1 for four straight weeks before slipping to #2 for this game. Meanwhile, Dartmouth sat at 3-4 behind coach Earl Blaik in his last year in New Hampshire before leaving for Army.
The Finish: Cornell originally won the game 7-3 after scoring a TD with seconds remaining after being awarded a 5th down.
How they ended up: Observers of the game noted the illegal 5th down, so film footage of the game was developed and reviewed by officials who found that indeed Cornell had been awarded an illegal 5th down. Due to the obvious error, Cornell agreed to forfeit the game to end their 18-GW streak, and Dartmouth has since been credited with the win at 3-0. This is the first of three 5th down games mentioned in this list and the only one that was later forfeited. The result dropped the Big Red to #5 for their matchup at #12 Penn, which they lost 22-20 to end their season 6-2 and ranked #15 in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, Dartmouth beat Brown in their last game helmed by Blaik to salvage a 5-4 winning season.
259. Oct. 14, 1995-#22 (15) Texas A&M 20, SMU 17 (Kyle Field, College Station, Texas)
The Build Up: Texas A&M came into this game 2-2 having lost their last 2 games. Meanwhile, SMU was enduring one of the worst stretches in program history, still feeling the impact of the death penalty dealt to them in the 80s.
The Game: For the 2nd consecutive year, Texas A&M struggled with 1-win SMU. The Mustangs led 10-0 and 17-13 with less than a minute left.
The Finish: Not known for their passing attack, Corey Pullig led A&M down the field and threw the GW 25-yard TD pass to Albert Connell who went up and caught the pass high over the defender for the winning TD with just 8 seconds left.
How they ended up: The Aggies went on to a 9-3 season and finished ranked #15. Meanwhile, SMU went 1-10 in 1995 including 0-7 in the final season of SWC play.
258. Jan. 1, 2015-#7 (5) Michigan St. 42, #4 (7) Baylor 41 (Cotton Bowl, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas)
The Build Up: Baylor felt like they had been snubbed by the CFP sitting at 11-1, but still being left out of the playoff ranked #5 in the CFP but #4 in the AP. Meanwhile, Michigan St. was 10-2 having won 3 straight since their loss to Ohio St. that kept them out of the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Game: Baylor answered Michigan St. TDs with long TD strikes from Bryce Petty to knot the game at 14. The Spartans attempted a fake FG but were stopped short to leave the game tied at 14. After Baylor took a 24-14 lead into halftime, their lead stretched to as much as a 41-21 heading into the 4th after a Petty TD pass to a DL. The Bears intercepted MSU near their own goal line and drove into FG range, but the kick missed off the upright to leave it a 20-point lead. Connor Cook cut into the deficit with a TD pass to Josiah Price to cut it to 41-28 still early in the 4th. Then Michigan St. recovered a surprise onside kick to give them possession right back, but Cook threw a costly pick to give the ball right back to Baylor. The Spartan defense came up with a key defensive stop and then drove to a 1-yard TD run from Langford to cut it to 41-35 deficit with 4:55 left.
The Finish: Baylor drove into FG range, but Chris Callahan had his 44-yard attempt blocked and Michigan St. returned it to the Bears’ 45 with 1:05 left. The Spartans faced 4th & 10 from the 27 when Cook completed a pass down to the 10 with 33 seconds left. On 3rd down, Cook found Keith Mumphrey for the GW TD pass with 17 seconds left to give Michigan St. the dramatic comeback win.
How they ended up: Both teams finished 11-2.
257. Oct. 13, 1990-(16) Michigan St. 28, #1 (7) Michigan 27 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
The Build Up: Michigan lost their opener to then #1 Notre Dame, but with a crazy 1990 season, the Wolverines ended up #1 heading into this game at 3-1. Meanwhile, Michigan St. sat at 1-2-1.
The Game: The Spartans not only hung in there with the favored Wolverines, but they held a 28-21 lead late in the game.
The Finish: Elvis Grbac threw a TD pass to Derrick Alexander with 6 seconds left to pull Michigan to within a point at 28-27. First-year Michigan coach Gary Moeller opted to go for 2 and the win. Grbac threw to Desmond Howard who appeared to be tripped by defender Eddie Brown. As Howard stumbled to the ground, he dropped the ball to leave the Wolverines down 28-27. No flags were thrown for interfering. Michigan recovered the ensuing onside kick but the Hail Mary from Grbac was unsuccessful, so the Spartans pulled off the upset of their #1 archrival.
How they ended up: Michigan St. used this game to turn their season around as they finished 8-3-1 for a #16 ranking in the final AP poll. Meanwhile, Michigan lost their next game to Iowa to fall to 3-3, but they won out from there to finish 9-3 and #7.
256. Oct. 22, 1960-#2 (2) Ole Miss 10, #11 (7) Arkansas 7 (War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas)
The Build Up: Ole Miss climbed as high as #1 but had dropped back to #2 heading into this game 5-0. Meanwhile, Arkansas was 4-1 having just beaten then #11 Texas.
The Game: Arkansas took a 7-0 lead with a short TD pass in the 2nd, but Ole Miss tied it up with a 57-yard TD pass late in the 3rd from Jake Gibbs.
The Finish: In the closing minutes of the game Gibbs drove the Rebels in range for a 39-yard FG on the last play of the game. The kick was hooking left but was called good for the GW score to keep Ole Miss undefeated and untied.
How they ended up: Arkansas fans will still swear the kick was no good. Tommy Bell the referee who signaled it was good right off the kick was an SEC ref, which did not sit kindly with Hog coach Frank Broyles who remained bitter about it for decades. Rioting broke out in the stands immediately after the kick was signaled good. Frank Broyles was so upset about the call that he cancelled the series with Ole Miss, which had been going on since 1913 and played annually since 1937. In their next game, Ole Miss rallied to tie nemesis LSU and won out from there to finish 10-0-1 for perhaps their best claim to a national championship. The Hogs went 8-3. The series between these two programs ended the next year, and besides two Sugar Bowl meetings, would not meet again in the regular season until 1981 when the series resumed and continued to this day.
255. Dec. 5, 2009-#3 (2) Texas 13, #21 (14) Nebraska 12 (Big 12 Championship Game, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas)
The Build Up: Texas came into this game 12-0 and ranked #3 behind Alabama and Florida who played for the SEC crown earlier in the day to determine one spot in the BCS National Championship Game. A win for Texas would put them in the national title game against the SEC champion, but a loss would create chaos in the BCS for the #2 spot.
The Game: Colt McCoy, who had never been sacked more than 4 times in a game, was sacked 9 times, including 4 ½ from Ndumakong Suh. The “black shirts” kept Nebraska in the game, and they took a 12-10 lead on Alex Henery’s 42-yard FG with 1:44 left, his 4th FG of the game.
The Finish: Nebraska sent the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to give the Longhorns the ball at their own 40. McCoy led Texas to the NU 26 where they moved backwards and faced 3rd & 13 at the 29. Hoping to put the ball closer, McCoy looked to throw but couldn’t find a receiver and started scrambling with time running dangerously low. Finally, he threw the ball downfield and out of bounds and the clock hit all zeroes to signal the game was over. Nebraska started celebrating thinking they had just won the Big 12 title before the referees signaled that they had to review the clock. After review, they found that the ball hit a railing in the stadium with still 1-second on the clock, so one second was put back on the clock much to the dismay of the Huskers. Hunter Lawrence then came in and sent the GW 46-yard FG just through the upright as time officially expired to not only give Texas the Big 12 Championship but also give them a trip to Pasadena to play for the BCS National Championship.
How they ended up: Had Lawrence not made that FG, or had the referees not awarded the Longhorns that extra secon, the BCS would have been thrown into disarray with TCU or Cincinnati possibly getting a shot or even Florida getting a rematch against Alabama in the national championship game. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini declared after the game that the decision to put one more second on the clock was a BCS conspiracy. Indeed, the matchup that many wanted to see between the two logical best teams in the country went down between #1 Alabama vs. #2 Texas. Texas improved to 13-0 with their 17-GW streak still intact, while Nebraska fell to 9-4 but moved up to #20 for their Holiday Bowl matchup with #22 Arizona. The Longhorns’ 17-GW streak and national title hopes ended in the Rose Bowl against Alabama, while Nebraska blew out the Wildcats to finish 10-4 and #14.
254. Sept. 1, 2007-Appalachian St. 34, #5 (18) Michigan 32 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
The Build Up: Michigan was returning a stacked lineup, including 4th year starting QB Chad Henne, star RB Mike Hart, and LT Jake Long who would go on to be the #1 overall pick in the ensuing NFL draft. They were expected to contend for not only a Big Ten title, but also a national title. Meanwhile, App St. was still in FCS, but they were coming off back-to-back national championships, although they lost by a combined margin of 83-18 in their 3 games against FBS opponents over that stretch. This was the opening game for each team and was the first game ever broadcast on the new Big Ten Network. Las Vegas was so sure of a Michigan win that they did not even set a betting line for this game.
The Game: Appalachian St. took a stunning 28-17 lead into halftime. Michigan came back and a Mike Hart 54-yard TD run gave Michigan a 32-31 lead with 4:36 left but they couldn’t convert a 2-pointer to remain ahead by 1 point. Armanti Edwards was intercepted on the first play of the next drive, but…
The Finish: App St. blocked the Wolverines 43-yard FG attempt to give the Mountaineers the ball back with 1:37 left. Edwards led App St downfield to set up for Julian Rauch’s go-ahead 24-yard FG with 26 seconds left for a shocking 34-32 App St. lead. However, Michigan wasn’t done and got a 46-yard pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham to set up a 37-yard FG attempt with 6 seconds left. However, Corey Lynch blocked the FG attempt to give Appalachian St. one of the biggest upsets of all time.
How they ended up: Michigan fell from #5 to out of the polls completely for one of the most drastic tumbles in the history of the AP poll. The Wolverine season got even worse the next week when they suffered their worst home loss since 1968 to Oregon. This all but assured Lloyd Carr’s departure as Michigan head coach. They turned the season around and finished 9-4 and ranked #18 in the final AP poll, notably sending Carr out a winner in the Capital One bowl in an upset of Florida and newly crowned Heisman winner Tim Tebow. Meanwhile, App St. went on to win their 3rd straight FCS national championship.
253. Nov. 1, 1997-(once #12) Notre Dame 21, Navy 17 (Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana)
The Build Up: This was not the same Notre Dame team of the early to mid 90s as they came into this game just 3-5, but the Irish still took a 33-GW streak against Navy into this game.
The Finish: Notre Dame held a 21-17 lead with 3 seconds left and Navy at their own 29-yard line with only 3 seconds left. Surely the streak would continue despite a less than stellar effort by Notre Dame standards. Navy had no choice but to fling a pass up that two Irish defenders tried to intercept at the ND 23. However, the ball deflected off both of them and was caught by Navy WR Pat McGrew at the 25 and for a moment appeared to have a path to the end zone. However, Allen Rossum knocked him out of bounds at the 1-yard line on a 69-yard pass as time expired to keep the streak alive.
How they ended up: This was the 2nd of a 5-GW streak to end Notre Dame’s regular season to salvage a bowl berth. Meanwhile, this was the last loss for Navy in 1997 as they ended their season on a 4-GW streak including a 39-7 win over Army.
252. Sept. 25, 1999-Arizona 30, Washington St. 24 (Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington)
The Build Up: Arizona was just coming off a loss to Stanford to fall to 2-2 and out of the polls. Meanwhile, WSU was still looking for their first win at 0-3.
The Finish: Keith Smith threw the GW 42-yard Hail Mary to Bobby Wade as time expired to give Arizona the walk-off win.
How they ended up: Despite the win Arizona never found the rankings again in 1999 on their way to a 6-6 season. Meanwhile, WSU went on to just a 3-9 season.
251. Oct. 20, 1962-#1 (4) Texas 7, #7 (6) Arkansas 3 (Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)
The Build Up: Both teams came into this game 4-0 with national title hopes.
The Game: Arkansas held a 3-0 lead in the 3rd quarter, and they drove to the brink of the Texas end zone, but a fumble into the end zone resulted in a touchback to end the Razorback threat. Eventually, late in the game, the Longhorns found themselves on their own 10-yard line with time running out.
The Finish: Duke Carlisle led Texas down the field for Tommy Ford’s GW 3-yard TD run with only 36 seconds left.
How they ended up: This kept the Longhorns’ national title hopes alive while simultaneously crushing the national title hopes of the rival Razorbacks. Darrell Royal won his 2nd in a row against Frank Broyles. However, a national title would have to wait another year for Texas as they had to settle for a tie against Rice in their next game and they lost the Cotton Bowl to LSU to finish 9-1-1. Meanwhile, Arkansas went 9-2. The feud between Royal and Broyles was just heating up.
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