Top 10 College Football Games in the Past Decade

I thought I would give my list of the top 10 college football games of the decade. There are tons of games that could make the list, but if I had to narrow it down this is my top 10.

10. LSU 28, Florida 24 (October 6, 2007)- Tensions were high between the two SEC teams, especially after LSU students got a hold of Tebow's Cell Phone number and were prank calling him.  Florida jumped out to a 10-0 lead and kept a 10 point lead (24-14) going into the fourth quarter. LSU then scored a touchdown with 10 minutes left. After forcing Florida to punt, LSU then drove down and scored the go ahead touchdown with 1 minute remaining. The drive took over 8 minutes, and was filled with a bunch of 4th down situations.

9. Cincinnati 45, Pittsburgh 44 (December 5, 2009)- Playing for the Big East title game at Heinz Field, Cincinnati completed an incredible comeback to remain undefeated for the complete regular season.  Down 31- 10 in the first half, the clawed back little by little. Then down 38-24 again they came back and tied it up. With 1:36 left in the Fourth Quarter, Pitt scored to take a 6 point lead.  The extra point was botched.  Cincinnati then went down and scored the game winning touchdown on a great pass from QB Tony Pike. The extra point was good, and Cincinnati went on to win the Big East and stay undefeated.

8. Arkansas 58, Ole Miss 56 (November 3, 2001)- How could this game not be in my top 10.  This game was not a high scoring game...in regular time.  The game ended 17-17.  7 overtimes later, the score was 58-56 with Ole Miss going for two.  Ole Miss ended two yards short of the goal line in their two point conversion, giving Arkansas the win.

7. Texas Tech 39, Texas 33 (November 1, 2008)- For Texas, this was the game that destroyed their hopes for a shot at the BCS Title Game. It started off all Texas Tech as they were leading 22-6 at halftime. But Texas' touchdown with 1:26 left game them a 33-32 lead. Texas Tech marched down the field to the 27 (which was not a certain field goal with their kicker- it was someone who had won an in game contest earlier during the year). With 8 seconds left, Michael Crabtree caught a Graham Harrell pass, spun around a defender and scored the touchdown. Texas Tech pulled the upset.

6. Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 (September 1, 2007)- The Wolverines with Offensive Stars like Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Jake Long, and Mario Manningham were predicted to win the Big 10 and compete for the National Championship. Appalachian State, a school who can not even play in a Bowl game, destroyed all BCS hopes for Michigan in the first game.  The game went back and forth. After the first quarter Michigan was winning 14-7. At halftime, it was 28-17 Appalachian State. Then at the end of 3 quarters, it was 31-26 Appalachian.  Michigan however, scored to take a 32-31 lead with 4:36. Appalachian State drove down the field in a 1:11 and scored a go ahead field goal to make it 34-32 with 26 seconds left.  However, Henne threw a 46 yard pass to Manningham to put Michigan at the Appalachian State's 20 and in close field range. However, the field goal was blocked and Appalachian State held on for one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

5. Ohio State 42, Michigan 39 (November 18, 2006)- This is one of the classics from this decade- Number 1 ranked Ohio State vs Number 2 ranked Michigan. These two rivals battled it out.  Michigan was playing for their legendary coach Bo Schembechler, who passed away a day before the game.  Michigan opened the game up with a touchdown, but then Ohio St cam eon strong and scored 3 unanswered touchdowns.  The Buckeyes led by as many as 14, but Michigan responded with some scores of their own.  After Ohio State took a 42-31 lead with 5 minutes left. Michigan closed the gap to 3 after a touchdown and a successful 2 point conversion. However, Ohio State recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to win the game.

4. USC 34, Notre Dame 31 (October 11, 2005)- This was one of those games where "IT'S OVER, WAIT IS IT? NO IT'S NOT, NOT IT'S NOT!! Notre Dame and USC battled back and forth in this epic game.  USC took the lead, but then the Fight Irish fought their way back to the end zone, taking a 31- 27 lead. Then with two minutes left, it was USC's turn.  Matt Leinart, on 4th and 9, threw a 61 yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett down to the Notre Dame 13. Then with 7 seconds left, Leinart fumbled at the ND 1 the ball rolled out of bounds. Officials first signaled that the game was over, but as Charlie Weis had his hands in the air, Pete Carroll was running down the field to plead his case.  The game was not over and USC had another chance. This time, Leinart ran it himself, and when it looked like he was going to be stuffed before the goal line, Reggie Bush pushed him into the end zone. USC's unbeaten streak of 23 games remained intact as they won the game 34-31.

3. Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (January 3, 2003)- In this 2003 Fiesta Bowl, #1 Miami faced off against #2 Ohio State. Both teams had players that are now stars in the NFL today: OSU- Chris Gamble, Michael Jenkins, Will Allen and others.  Miami- Andre Johnson, Roscoe Parrish, Willis McGahee, Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, and several others. The game was close throughout, and going into the fourth quarter, Ohio State led just 17-14.  Throughout the entire quarter the game remained 17-14, until Miami kicked a field goal as the clock expired at 0 to send the game straight into overtime.  In OT, Miami got the ball first and marched down for a touchdown. Then it was Ohio State's turn. On fourth down, OSU threw an incomplete pass that landed on the floor of the endzone. Game Over.  Well for 3 seconds, and then in the corner of the end zone a flag was thrown- Defensive Pass Interference was the call. This is one of the most controversial penalties in sports histories, below is the video of the play.  Ohio State then scored to tie the game up at 24-24 with a whole new set of downs.  In Double OT, OSU got the ball first and scored a touchdown in 5 plays.  Miami, needing a touchdown to send it into triple OT, marched down to the one yard line.  On 4th and Goal, ohi State blitzed, forcing Dorsey, the Miami QB to throw up a prayer which was batted down by Ohio State linebackers, ending the game, and giving Ohio State its first national championship since 1968.

2. Texas 46, USC 38 (Janurary 4, 2006)- This game that made Vince Young famous. Powerhouse USC led by a cast of Offensive stars- Dwayne Jarrett, Steve Smith, Patrick Turner, Fred Davis, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and Lendale White vs the also undefeated Longhorns(this BCS title game took place at the Rose Bowl). The game began with just one touchdown in the first quarter, and that came from USC's first drive. At Halftime, Texas was winning 16-10.  The second half is what made this game so incredible. By the time the clock hit the 6:42 mark in the fourth quarter, USC had out scored Texas 28-10, with an overall lead of 38-26. With 6:42 left, Texas got the ball on their own 31. The drive took 2:30 and ended with a 17 yard Touch Down run by Vince Young.  Texas then kicked to USC who got one first down, but then was stopped on the next set of downs and had to punt. The score was now 38-33 USC, but Texas had the ball.  The Longhorns marched down the field and got all the way inside the USC 10. But USC showed some red zone resilience as they forced Texas to a 4th and Five from the 8 yard line. With less than 25 seconds, Vince Young, noticed an opening on the right, took the ball himself, ran around his line, rushed to the corner, and won the race to the goal line. Touchdown TEXAS!! To make things a little more secure, Vince Young then successfully rushed it again for the two point conversion. Vince Young, had rushed for now 200 yards, and three touchdowns to lead the Longhorns to being National Champions.

1. Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (January 1, 2007)- The number one college game of the decade has to go to the Broncos win over the Sooners.  This game was just a game that people will talk about forever.  Boise State started the game on fire. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and then led 21-10 at halftime.  The game looked like it was going to be a blowout when Boise State took a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.  But then "All Day" Adrian Peterson, ran for a touchdown t narrow the lead to 11.  Then the lead was 8 with an Oklahoma field goal.  With 1:26 left, Oklahoma completed the amazing comeback by tying it up with another touchdown- and then three attempts for the two point conversion. The first one was unsuccessful but BSU got called for Pass Interference. Then Oklahoma scored but it got called back for Illegal Motion. Finally, on the third play Oklahoma converted the two point play.  Then, to make things worse for the Broncos, Oklahoma returned an interception for a touchdown 20 seconds later. Things looked pretty bad for the Broncos, but then the Magic happened. From the 50 yard line, Boise State's Qb Zabranski threw a 15 yard pass underneath Oklahoma's prevent defense. As the receiver ran inside, he flipped it to his teammate who was running to the outside. The player had  daylight and ran it all the way into the end zone with 7 seconds left. The game was going into OT.  Oklahoma, who's offense really came on strong in the second half, took only 1 play for AP to rush 25 yards for a touchdown.  It was Boise State's turn. Down to 4th and 2, on the Oklahoma 5, the broncos ran another trick play.  This time, in wildcat formation, and Zabranski lined up as a receiver, with Back Up wide receiver Vinny Perretta took the snap. He rolled right, and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Derek Schouman, Touchdown Boise! The Broncos, instead of taking the extra point, decided to go for two. Running the third trick play of the night, Boise lined up with three receivers on the right. Zabranski took the snap, pretended to throw the pass but in reality held the ball with his left hand behind him. Ian Johnson, Boise's running back, instead took the handoff and ran left.  The play completely fooled Oklahoma as Johnson ran untouched into the end zone of the left side of the field. The best game of the decade was over.  Not that this game wasn't special enough, but right after the game, while being interviewed by Fox, running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girlfriend, and head cheerleader, Chrissy Popadics. Of course, she said yes.

Click Here For The Highlights of this Amazing Game

Lane Kiffin New USC Coach

It is official- Lane Kiffin is the new head coach of USC. He is bringing over Ed Orgeron and his father Monte Kiffin, and it is rumored that Norm Chow might be going over too.  Norm chow, the USC offensive coordinator from 2001-2004, was currently at UCLA.  This is a very intriguing situation with USC and a whole new coaching staff, along with the fact that Tennessee is now without a head coach, and UCLA is possibly without its Offensive Coordinator.

Pete Carroll's Departure Continued

With Pete almost fleeing the scene to avoid any problems that might have come with the entire Reggie Bush scandal, USC looks like it is hurting more than it wanted to. Recruits are backing out as they are now looking at other schools they were interested in. So who is benefitting the most form all this- UCLA. A couple of the recruits who were committed to USC have now changed their mind and headed over to UCLA. One of them is Edison H.S.'s (Hunnington Beach) Jordan Zumwalt. Another huge commit, who changed his mind from USC to UCLA is Xavier Grimble, the number one tight end in the country. With UCLA gaining momentum in this last month before signings, do not be surprised if any other USC verbal commitments are broken, to make the cross town rivalry switch. If USC doesn't land someone like Mike Riley, they might be in trouble, as numerous other players are only hanging onto their verbal statements to see if USC finds someone worth staying for. Troy might start to burn.

Xavier Grimble

Jordan Zumwalt

BCS is BS, Time for NCAA Football Playoffs

I think it is fair to say that America as a whole loves playoffs and we love the exciting thrill of do or die games. We love March Madness for that reason. We love the NFL Playoffs for that reason. More so, we love champions, we love honoring the team that beats out every other team to claim that top spot. And no longer can we sit here and let the BCS dominate the college football postseason. Members of a House subcommittee in Washington are pushing for a change. One proposal is a 4 team play off. Personally, I think an 8 team playoff is the answer. Let the 4 bowl games (Orange, Fiesta, Rose, and Sugar Bowls) keep their name, add a semifinals, and then a championship. IT IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED.

People against this change are arguing that there are flaws with a playoff system. Some, like the TCU coach thinks the BCS helps out schools from smaller Conferences such as TCU and Boise State. What is he saying! You think Boise State who went 14-0 does not want a shot at winning the championship. Bill Hancock, the executive director of the BCS argues that the Regular Season is like a single game playoff system. No it is not. Because if it was, how did Boise State, TCU, and Cincinnati go undefeated and not have a chance to be number one?

Here is an excerpt from The BCS Chief : "The BCS has given teams like the Horned Frogs and the Boise State Broncos the chance to play in major bowl games, earn significant revenue, and become national powerhouses in college football. But more than that, the BCS has given such teams the chance to win a national title. Here is how Patterson explains it: "Is it easier to win one game for a championship? Or to have to win four? If you have a playoff, you practice and get on a plane and play. And if you lose, it's over. If you go to a bowl game, you're there seven days, and the kids can enjoy a place and get rewarded."

So how would a Playoff system not create revenue for these schools. Especially if they can even play more than one game- such as 2 or 3. Also, the BCS did not give such teams a chance to win a national title. Patterson the coach of TCU, is also clearly misguided. Yes winning a BCS bowl game means a lot to programs, but, why would winning a playoff game mean less? And who said winning a championship should be easy- you should have to beat the best teams in the country to earn the title.

All I know is that the BCS should be thrown out because it makes no sense, it hurts a lot more teams then it helps, and it only causes problems. Like in 2004- when USC and LSU were both champions. THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN, IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!

Boise State, Chris Petersen, and a time for change

In the past 4 years, I have become a huge Boise State Fan. I am even a bigger Chris Petersen fan. Beginning with the famous statue of liberty play against Adrian Peterson and Oklahoma 4 years ago, all the way to the fake punt in the 4th quarter with 4th and 10 on their own 30 against TCU, that man has guts. This leads me to my main point- Boise State very well could have been the best football team this year. They went undefeated, with a solid win over an undefeated TCU team in their bowl game. This team and their situation (going undefeated with a perfect 14-0 season) is the reason why college football needs a change.

With Pete Carroll off to Seattle, Who will Replace him?

USC Football has been one of the most dominant programs during the 9 year reign as Pete Carroll led in charge. They were 97-19 under him, and had two National Championships, 7 Pac 10 championships, and 9 straight bowl game appearances- winning 7 of them. Now, he is gone- off to the Pros, where he will serve as President an coach of the Seattle Seahawks. With USC finishing with a dismal 5-4 record in the Pac 10 and tied for 5th place finish- what is their future going to look like. The first part to this question is who will be their new coach. Rumors are that they might snag Mike Riley from Oregon State. Another possible candidate is Lane Kiffin. Kiffin served as assistant coach to Carroll from 2001-2006, then headed to the Raiders where he coached there for just over a year. Currently, Kiffin is the head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers, and seems like a strong candidate for the position. If he were to come over, this could be a huge blow to the Tennessee football organization, as he has helped rebuild there program.

It will be interesting to see how this drastic change to the USC organization will play out. I will update this article as the story develops, and USC gets closer to finding their next head coach.