25 best bowl games of the last 25 years

The Huskies were looking for their third straight Rose Bowl title while Michigan was looking to avenge its defeat to Washington in the previous year's game. The game went back and forth as Mark Brunell's passing and Tyrone Wheatley's running (235 yards) set the tone. But it was Elvis Grbac's touchdown pass to Tony McGee in the fourth quarter that sealed the 38-31 win for the Wolverines. 

The Longhorns and Tar Heels exchanged blows all game and set up an epic fourth quarter. Carolina's Marcus Wall returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, and Octavus Barnes caught a 50-yard score to give the Heels a 31-21 lead. That's when Priest Holmes took over. Holmes scored two of his four touchdowns in the final six minutes to give the Horns the 35-31 win. Four years later, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown would leave to take the Texas job.

Florida State was a 17-point favorite over the unbeaten Cornhuskers and had Heisman winner Charlie Ward. Nebraska was game, though, holding the Seminoles to Scott Bentley field goals instead of giving up touchdowns. Florida State trailed late until Bentley's 22-yard field goal with 21 seconds left put the Noles on top. After a chaotic scene where the teams and fans thought time ran out on the Huskers (one second was placed back on the clock), Nebraska would miss what would have been the championship-winning field goal wide left. Bobby Bowden won his first title while Nebraska would go on to win the next two National Championships.

Remember the Bowl Alliance? Well, the chaos of it was on display after the 1996 season. No. 2 Arizona State faced No. 4  Ohio State in a Rose Bowl that featured two tough defenses (the Sun Devils were led by Pat Tillman; the Buckeyes had Mike Vrabel, Shawn Springs and Antoine Winfield). Late in the game, ASU quarterback Jake Plummer scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Sun Devils a 17-14 lead with over a minute remaining. Buckeyes quarterback Joe Germaine got the benefit of a couple of pass interference calls and hit David Boston for a 5-yard TD pass to win the game, 20-17. 

K-State was smarting from a Big 12 Championship Game loss to Texas A&M that gave the Wildcats their lone defeat and knocked them out of a shot at a National Championship. Needless to say, they were huge favorites over the 8-4 Boilermakers and their young quarterback Drew Brees. Brees, though, looked good by tossing for 230 yards and out-dueling Heisman runner-up Michael Bishop. Down 34-30 late, Brees tossed a 24-yard TD pass with 30 seconds remaining, and Purdue pulled off the huge upset.   . 

Two of the most historic programs faced off in the Orange Bowl with what turned out to be one of the best quarterbacks of all time notching the win. Alabama went up 14-0 early on the Wolverines after two Shaun Alexander TD runs. Tom Brady led Michigan back with two touchdown passes to tie the game. The two would trade scores in a high-scoring third quarter to tie the game at 28. After a scoreless fourth quarter, both teams would score in the first overtime game in BCS bowl history. After a Brady TD pass gave the Wolverines a 35-28 lead, the Tide scored. However, Bama kicker Ryan Pflugner missed the PAT, and Michigan escaped with the one-point win. 

You may look back and see the Seminoles' 46-29 victory over the surprising Hokies as an unlikely choice to make this list, but anyone who watched that game certainly remembers it. Peter Warrick and Florida State ran out to a 28-7 lead, and it looked as if the 'Noles were ready for their championship coronation. However, Michael Vick got to work, making some electric runs, while running back Andre Kendrick's two TD runs actually gave Virginia Tech a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, Heisman winner Chris Weinke would own the final quarter, tossing two scoring passes including a 43-yard bomb to Warrick. The wild swings and the great individual performances make this a memorable game. 

East Carolina jumped all over Marshall early and held a 38-8 halftime lead. Sadly, many fans left the stadium (or turned the channel) and missed one of the greatest comebacks in college football history. The Herd returned two David Garrard interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Pirates' lead would be cut to 41-36. Byron Leftwich threw a TD pass with seven seconds left to tie the game in regulation, but the missed extra point sent the game into overtime. In the second overtime, Leftwich hit Josh Davis for a touchdown an a 64-61 win. This GMAC Bowl is still the highest-scoring bowl ever and at the time was the biggest bowl comeback.

How about this young Cal quarterback named Aaron Rodgers, eh? Rodgers was 27-of-35 for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns — plus Rodgers ran in another two scores. Not to be outdone was Hokies signal caller Bryan Randall, who threw for 398 yards and 4 TDs. All that scoring led to huge momentum changes as Va Tech at one point led 21-7 before Cal went on a 35-7 scoring run. The Bears watched a 14-point lead vanish before kicker Tyler Fredrickson hit a 35-yarder as time expired to give Cal the 52-49 win. 

This game had everything. Both teams were undefeated and loaded with future NFL players. It was for the National Championship and went into double overtime. Add in a touch of controversy on a pass interference call that extended the drive that allowed Ohio State to win the game. Of the 43 different players who started this game, 37 went on to play in the NFL, as Ohio State won 31-24.

Both the Huskers and Wolverines traded jabs through the first three quarters, as Michigan took a 21-17 lead. Chad Henne's touchdown run extended the Wolverines' lead to 28-17 early in the fourth quarter. Nebraska would strike back with two touchdowns to take a 32-28 lead with under five minutes left. Michigan would attempt a desperate attempt of laterals as time expired, but Tyler Ecker was knocked out of bounds at the Nebraska 15-yard line. Controversy loomed as Nebraska's sideline and cameramen came onto the field after one of Michigan's laterals hit the ground, which should have resulted in a penalty. Nothing was called, and Nebraska hung on to the 32-28 win.

This game had a lot of attention as LSU's Nick Saban had announced he was leaving the defending champions to coach the Miami Dolphins. Saban would insert backup quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the fourth quarter, and Russell would lead the Tigers back with two TD passes to Skyler Green to give LSU a 25-24 lead. On the final play of the game, Iowa's Drew Tate lofted a Hail Mary that landed in Warren Holloway's hands for a 56-yard score and the win as time expired. 

Every remembers Vince Young's great performance in the 2006 BCS Championship Game, but he was awesome in the game a year earlier as well. He ran in four touchdowns (of 20, 60, 10 and 23 yards) and tossed another TD. The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter with Young driving the Longhorns down for a game-winning field goal as time expired. 

The final meeting between Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno came down to three overtimes and a plethora of mistakes. Both kickers missed two field goals, Florida State's kicker Gary Cismesia missed an extra point, the Seminoles were whistled for 13 penalties (Penn State had eight) and FSU's quarterback Drew Weatherford took an ill-advised safety late. The Nittany Lions would kick a game-winning field goal in the third overtime to give Paterno's team the 26-23 win.

The Sugar Bowl was moved to Atlanta due to the Superdome's unsuitability after damage sustained from Hurricane Katrina. The young Mountaineers shot to a 28-0 lead before Georgia got going. The Dawgs would start rolling before halftime and trailed 31-21 heading into the break. The two teams exchanged scores in the second half on long scoring drives. Up 38-35 with 86 seconds left in the game, West Virginia ran a gutsy fake punt to pick up a first down at midfield to seal the win. Mountaineers back Steve Slaton ran for 204 yards and three scores (including two 52-yard jaunts). 

This was one of the best college football games ever played, let alone one of the best bowl games or championship games ever. The game went back and forth with USC holding a 12-point lead with six minutes remaining. Texas quarterback Vince Young threw for 267 yards, rushed for 200 more and ran in 3 TDs — the last two to win the game — in one of the best individual performances in championship history as Texas won 41-38.

Oklahoma had title dreams dashed due to injuries while Boise State finished undefeated and got to play in a big boy bowl. It was the underdog versus the established power, and the underdog brought the fun in the game, running gadget plays to own the lead most of the game. A Sooners' pick-six would give Oklahoma the lead late, but the Broncos completed a successful hook-and-lateral play on fourth down for a TD that tied the game. After tying it up in overtime, Boise State went for two and the win using the Statue of Liberty play. It was successful as the Broncos made history, winning 43-42.

Florida was highly favored as the defending national champions and had Heisman winner Tim Tebow running the offense. This game was fast-paced as both teams scored early and often. Guys like Tebow, Percy Harvin, Mario Manningham and Andre Caldwell scored, and the lead went back and forth. Trailing 35-31 late in the game, Chad Henne found Adrian Arrington for an 18-yard touchdown and gave the Wolverines a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Michigan won this game despite turning the ball over four times and Tebow's four total touchdowns. 

Two storied programs faced off in the desert as the Longhorns (unhappy after missing out on a championship opportunity) took on a very talented Buckeyes squad. The first half was a bit of a snoozer with Ohio State holding 6-3 lead at the half, but the second half saw some fireworks. Colt McCoy ran and threw for touchdowns to give Texas a 17-6 lead going into the final quarter. Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes scored 15 unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead with two minutes remaining. McCoy would march the Horns down the field and hit Quan Cosby for a 16-yard score with 16 seconds left to win the game, 24-21.

TCU was at the time a Mountain West school that got into a BCS game due to its undefeated record. Going up against the 11-1 Badgers, the Horned Frogs matched Wisconsin as the two got going in the first quarter, taking a 14-10 lead. Late in the game, Wisconsin's Montee Ball scored a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-19, but Scott Tolzien's two-point conversion pass was knocked down by Tank Carder giving TCU the game. 

Two of the nation's best offenses didn't disappoint as the Badgers and Ducks traded scores throughout the game and were tied 28-28 at the half. Oregon would use big plays to eventually retake the lead and hold a 45-38 advantage with 16 seconds remaining. Wisconsin quickly drove the ball to the Ducks' 25-yard line, but Russell Wilson's attempt to spike the ball happened just as time expired. 

Florida State and Heisman winner Jameis Winston dominated all season long, so trailing Auburn 21-3 was stunning. To their credit, the Seminoles slowly crawled their way back and got to within 21-20. After an Auburn field goal with just over four minutes left in the game, the Noles took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and, finally, the lead. Auburn would strike back with a Tre Mason 37-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left, but Winston marched down the field and tossed a 2-yard score to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds remaining, giving Florida State a 34-31 and a National Championship. 

This was just an entertaining game. Both teams put up huge plays (there were TD scores of 75, 67, 51, 48, 36 and 21 yards), and they combined for 45 points in the first quarter. The fireworks continued in the second quarter as the Hokies held a 45-31 halftime lead. Tulsa would whittle away at Tech's lead but couldn't finish the comeback. Frank Beamer's final game ended with a wild 55-52 win.

This Rose Bowl was filled with wild momentum swings as USC jumped to an early 13-point lead before Penn State scored 28 unanswered points to take its own 15-point lead. The Nittany Lions would take a 49-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter but wouldn't score again. USC's Matt Boermeester hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired to give the Trojans the 52-49 win. This game set all kinds of Rose Bowl records and reminded everyone how any bowl — not just the College Football Playoff games — can be a blast.

In a rematch of the previous year's National Championship Game, it looked early on as if Alabama was primed to repeat. The Crimson Tide held a lead during most of the game until a Wayne Gallman touchdown plunge gave Clemson a 28-24 lead with 4:38 left in the game. Bama's Jalen Hurts scrambled for an amazing 30-yard touchdown run to give the Tide the lead with just over two minutes remaining. Deshaun Watson quickly led the Tigers down the field. With the ball at the 1-yard line with six seconds left in the title game, Watson found Hunter Renfrow in the end zone to give Clemson the win and the National Championship.