I watched it. It is hyperbole to call it the greatest game ever. Penn State should have won it, but the PS coach tried not to lose the game rather than trying to win it. He should have worried less about making USC use up its timeouts and tried to win the game by aggressively going after first downs on the the penultimate drive. He had third and six and still ran the ball to use up USC's lst timeout.
There was lots of offense and very little defense. It makes for an entertaining game, but not necessarily a great game.
15 greatest college football finishes
College football's best title games I think the Texas-USC game was the best ever. Here are the top five:
1. Texas 41, USC 38
BCS National Championship: Jan. 4, 2006
Few games live up to the hype, but this one did -- and then some. Vince Young delivered a performance for the ages in a back-and-forth thriller at the Rose Bowl, capping an unbeaten 2005 season for the Longhorns and giving them their first undisputed national championship in 36 years. Young passed for 267 yards, ran for 200 more yards and scored three touchdowns, including the game winner with 19 seconds to play when he darted into the end zone from 8 yards out on fourth down. The game produced more than 1,100 yards of total offense, but it was a fourth-down stop by Texas that set up the winning drive. The Trojans, boasting both the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, Reggie Bush, and the 2004 Heisman winner, Matt Leinart, had their 34-game winning streak snapped and were denied a third straight national title.
2. Miami 31, Nebraska 30
Orange Bowl: Jan. 2, 1984
Miami opened the floodgates on its spree of national championships with its first in the 1983 season. The Howard Schnellenberger-led Hurricanes were playing in only their second bowl game since 1967 and looked right at home (on their home turf) with the upset of the No. 1-ranked Huskers, who entered the game as a 10-point favorite. Nebraska battled back from a 17-0 deficit and pulled within 31-30 with 48 seconds left and could have tied the game with the extra point. That was before overtime was introduced in college football, and the Huskers could have still possibly been voted national champion in the polls had the game ended in a tie. But coach Tom Osborne elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Miami's Ken Calhoun broke up Turner Gill's pass, and the legend of The U was born.
3. Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)
BCS National Championship: Jan. 3, 2003
A controversial pass interference call in the end zone is what a lot of people remember about how the 2002 season ended, but the title game featured one twist after another, dramatic turnovers, a bunch of lead changes and a true freshman, Maurice Clarett, scoring the game-winning touchdown. The Hurricanes, an 11½-point favorite, had their 34-game winning streak snapped, and to this day feel they were robbed. They thought they had won it in the first overtime when Craig Krenzel 's fourth-down pass from the 5 fell incomplete. The Miami players had already spilled onto the field to celebrate, but a late pass interference flag came flying out from the back of the end zone on Glenn Sharpe, who was covering Chris Gamble on the play. The Buckeyes had new life and took advantage to win their first national title since the Woody Hayes era.
4. Penn State 14, Miami 10
Fiesta Bowl: Jan. 2, 1987
Who could forget the Hurricanes famously showing up at the bowl site that year wearing military fatigues? They were loaded with future NFL talent and had outscored foes by a 420-136 margin en route to a perfect regular season under Jimmy Johnson. But the Nittany Lions spoiled Miami's party by forcing seven turnovers and winning what would be Joe Paterno's last national title. Penn State was held to just 162 total yards (with the Hurricanes gaining 445), but the Nittany Lions intercepted Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde five times. The final one came with 18 seconds to play, when linebacker Pete Giftopoulos picked off Testaverde's fourth-down pass at the goal line, scrambled around for a few seconds and then dropped to his knees.
5. Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23
Sugar Bowl: Dec. 31, 1973
In the first meeting ever between the two storied programs, Notre Dame held off Alabama to win the Sugar Bowl and finish undefeated in what was also a matchup of legendary coaches -- Notre Dame's Ara Parseghian and Alabama's Bear Bryant. The game was played on New Year's Eve, and Notre Dame led 14-10 at the half thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return. But Alabama rallied to go ahead 23-21 on a halfback pass for a touchdown to quarterback Richard Todd. The extra point was missed, however. Notre Dame answered with a field goal, the sixth lead change of the game. Bryant elected to punt late, and Alabama pinned the Irish at the 2. But on third down, Sugar Bowl MVP Tom Clements hit Robin Weber with a 36-yard pass with 2:12 left to seal the Irish victory.
Very nice post. And yes, you are probably right about the game being "entertaining" but maybe not "the best". So maybe it was the most entertaining of all time. Who knows?
In any case you have a nice list. But at least an Honorable mention should go to the 1963 Rose Bowl game between USC and Wisconsin.
HERE is a link to the Wikipedia article on the game. The Badgers were down 42 to 14 at the end of the 3rd quarter and were driving for the wining touchdown as the game ended. Final Score: USC 42 Wisconsin 37.
Ron Vander Kelen, the Wisconsin quarterback led his team to one of the greatest-almost comebacks that I've ever seen . A great game. Yet another lesson in why you should never play Prevent Defense.
And note this from the Wiki article: "Due to the historic #1 versus #2 bowl match-up, the number of Rose Bowl records set, and the furious fourth quarter rally by Wisconsin, this game frequently appears on lists of "greatest bowl games of all time."".