The gold standard for national title games remains Texas' 41-38 win over USC in the 2006 BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl. It's difficult to believe it has been 12 years since that classic.
For the third year in a row, Alabama played a classic that ends up on this list. It wasn't always pretty early on, but the wild finish and incredible storylines that accompanied the Tide's 26-23 overtime victor over Georgia makes its way into the top 10.
We've ranked the top 10 based on a number of factors, including entertainment value, dramatic finishes, great performances, memorable plays, surprising upsets and any other interesting and/or historic elements of the games. In other words, don't look for any yawners or runaways in this list.
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 win 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 they looked right at home (on their home turf) with the upset of the No. 1-ranked Huskers, who entered the game as 10-point favorites. Nebraska battled back from a 17-0 deficit, pulled within 31-30 with 48 seconds left and could have tied the score with the extra point. That was before overtime was introduced in college football, and the Huskers could have been voted national champions in the polls had the game ended in a tie. But coach Tom Osborne elected to go for a 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, 11.5-point favorites, had their 34-game win streak snapped, and to this day, they feel they were robbed. They thought they had won it in the first overtime, when Craig Krenzel 's fourth-down pass from the 5-yard line 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. Clemson 35, Alabama 31
CFP National Championship: Jan. 9, 2017
The first time these teams met for the national championship to cap the 2015 season was a thriller. The rematch was even better. Clemson junior quarterback Deshaun Watson engineered a game-winning drive for the ages after Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts put the Crimson Tide ahead with a spectacular 30-yard touchdown run of his own with 2:07 to play. Fittingly, the game winner came on the final offensive play. Watson hit former walk-on Hunter Renfrow with a 2-yard touchdown pass with one second left in the game. The game had enough storylines surrounding it, with Lane Kiffin stepping away as Alabama's offensive coordinator the week before the game and being replaced by Steve Sarkisian. It was Clemson's first national championship in 35 years, and the Tigers snapped the Tide's 26-game win streak.
5. Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)
CFP National Championship: Jan. 8, 2018
The fact that it was Nick Saban's fifth national championship in the last nine years makes it monumental enough, but the ending was the clincher. True freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who had just taken a seemingly crippling 16-yard sack to push the Crimson Tide out of field-goal range, connected with true freshman receiver DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard touchdown pass in overtime for the walk-off win over Kirby Smart's Dawgs. The fact that Tagovailoa was even in the game was a story unto itself. With Alabama trailing 13-0 at the half and the offense firing blanks, Saban decided to bench Jalen Hurts (who was 25-2 as the starter) and go with Tagovailoa, who had not played any meaningful snaps up until that point. It was a gutsy move, but one that paid off and added some life to a stagnant Alabama passing game. Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes in the second half and helped Saban go to 12-0 against his former assistants.
Click on link to see the remaining 5.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...lege-football-national-championship-games-all
For the third year in a row, Alabama played a classic that ends up on this list. It wasn't always pretty early on, but the wild finish and incredible storylines that accompanied the Tide's 26-23 overtime victor over Georgia makes its way into the top 10.
We've ranked the top 10 based on a number of factors, including entertainment value, dramatic finishes, great performances, memorable plays, surprising upsets and any other interesting and/or historic elements of the games. In other words, don't look for any yawners or runaways in this list.
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 win 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 they looked right at home (on their home turf) with the upset of the No. 1-ranked Huskers, who entered the game as 10-point favorites. Nebraska battled back from a 17-0 deficit, pulled within 31-30 with 48 seconds left and could have tied the score with the extra point. That was before overtime was introduced in college football, and the Huskers could have been voted national champions in the polls had the game ended in a tie. But coach Tom Osborne elected to go for a 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, 11.5-point favorites, had their 34-game win streak snapped, and to this day, they feel they were robbed. They thought they had won it in the first overtime, when Craig Krenzel 's fourth-down pass from the 5-yard line 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. Clemson 35, Alabama 31
CFP National Championship: Jan. 9, 2017
The first time these teams met for the national championship to cap the 2015 season was a thriller. The rematch was even better. Clemson junior quarterback Deshaun Watson engineered a game-winning drive for the ages after Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts put the Crimson Tide ahead with a spectacular 30-yard touchdown run of his own with 2:07 to play. Fittingly, the game winner came on the final offensive play. Watson hit former walk-on Hunter Renfrow with a 2-yard touchdown pass with one second left in the game. The game had enough storylines surrounding it, with Lane Kiffin stepping away as Alabama's offensive coordinator the week before the game and being replaced by Steve Sarkisian. It was Clemson's first national championship in 35 years, and the Tigers snapped the Tide's 26-game win streak.
5. Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT)
CFP National Championship: Jan. 8, 2018
The fact that it was Nick Saban's fifth national championship in the last nine years makes it monumental enough, but the ending was the clincher. True freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who had just taken a seemingly crippling 16-yard sack to push the Crimson Tide out of field-goal range, connected with true freshman receiver DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard touchdown pass in overtime for the walk-off win over Kirby Smart's Dawgs. The fact that Tagovailoa was even in the game was a story unto itself. With Alabama trailing 13-0 at the half and the offense firing blanks, Saban decided to bench Jalen Hurts (who was 25-2 as the starter) and go with Tagovailoa, who had not played any meaningful snaps up until that point. It was a gutsy move, but one that paid off and added some life to a stagnant Alabama passing game. Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes in the second half and helped Saban go to 12-0 against his former assistants.
Click on link to see the remaining 5.
http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...lege-football-national-championship-games-all
