Top College Football Games

Published Jul. 13, 2010 6:03 p.m. ET

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BYU @ Oklahoma: Saturday September, 5: The first Saturday of the college football season kicked off with a national title changing game in which the Cougars of Brigham Young went into Oklahoma and defeated the Sooners 14-13. The game not only hurt the championship chances for Oklahom, but they lost their defending Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford in the 1st half due to a shoulder injury. Max hall threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns passing in a victory, while the Cougar defense held the powerful Sooners to just 265 offensive yards.

Miami @ Florida St.: Monday September 7: In this early season battle of Florida schools, the Hurricanes outlasted the Seminoles in a shootout for the come from behind victory 38-34, behind 386 yards and 2 touchdowns passing from Jacory Harris. In addition, the Hurricanes got key rushing and receiving touchdowns from several players to take down Florida St. on the road who got 294 yards and 1 touchdown passing from their quarterback Christian Ponder. The 4th quarter in particular was a high scoring battle, in which the lead changed 4 times, with Miami’s final drive ending up in a 3 yard rushing TD for Graig Cooper. This game will no doubt add to the legendary rivalry between Florida St. and Miami.

Notre Dame @ Michigan: Saturday September 12: Another chapter in the historical rivalry was added when the Michigan Wolverines were able to come from behind with a late TD drive to defeat the #18 ranked Notre Dame Irish 38-34 in Ann Arbor. A back and forth game throughout including a late surge by Notre Dame to go up 34-31 with just minutes to go, put a bleak finish in the minds of many Wolverine faithful. But not to be undone, Tate Forcier led Michigan through a game winning drive finishing with 240 yards and 2 touchdowns passing. Jimmy Clausen of the Irish was spectacular with 336 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, but it just wasn’t enough as the Wolverines come from behind victory highlighted their season.

Arkansas @ Florida: Saturday October 17: On another Saturday in Gainesville, the defending champions led by QB Tim Tebow faced possibly their toughest challenge up to date in the form of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Perhaps being caught off guard, the Gators trailed most of the day to what some would call an inferior team in the Razorbacks. Regardless of ranking, the game was a dog fight, in which the Gators needed a last second field goal to win 23-20 coming from behind by as many as 7 in the fourth quarter. Tebow threw for 255 yards passing and 1 TD while rushing for 69 additional yards. The Gator defense was very tough in the 4th quarter giving the offense the chance to win it. The 69 yard drive led by Tebow not only helped the Gators win the game on a Caleb Sturgis field goal with 9 seconds left, but it helped keep their perfect record intact, and the hope for another championship season.

Oklahoma vs. Texas: Saturday October 17: This year’s edition of the Red River Shootout, featured both squads competing in a highly competitive match up. With Sam Bradford back for the Sooners, he faced off against former Heisman candidate Colt McCoy. Unfortunately, Bradford reinjured his shoulder forcing backup QB Landry Jones to play most of the game. The game itself was a hotly contested battle, in which neither offense could get going instead relying more on their defense to carry them. Texas outlasted Oklahoma 16-13, with the game winning field goal coming early in the 4th. The Sooners led for much of the game, with Texas taking control in the 2nd half and hanging on for the victory. The win kept the Longhorns chances of a national title alive.

Clemson @ Miami: Saturday October 24: The Miami Hurricanes were playing some of the best football of the season going into their home game with the Clemson Tigers. Clemson had other plans as they shocked the Hurricanes 40-37 in overtime, a result of a fantastic game plan and execution by quarterback Kyle Parker who threw for 326 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. A close game throughout, both teams traded the lead a total of 12 times, with the final result being a touchdown drive in overtime by the Tigers to win by 3. For the Hurricanes, Jacory Harris threw for 2 touchdowns and 256 yards, but struggled against Clemson’s defense.

Southern Miss @ Houston: Saturday October 31: A highly contested Conference USA match up, between the Houston Cougars and Southern Miss Golden Eagles, resulted in a 50-43 victory for the home team. A back and forth battle that saw the Cougars go up by 18 points only to see their lead evaporate, turned into a heroic final drive for Houston as quarterback Case Keenum threw the last of his 5 touchdowns to Patrick Edwards for a 28 yard touchdown reception with just 21 seconds left. Keenum finished with 559 yards passing, while his counterpart Martevious Young of Southern Miss passed for 3 touchdowns and 334 yards. Despite nearly blowing the game, the Cougars kept their composure late and finished the game with a touchdown drive keeping their great season alive.

Iowa @ Ohio St: Saturday November 14: A battle for the Big 10 between the conference’s two best teams came down to overtime. Iowa came in needing a win to clinch a Rose Bowl berth, while the Buckeyes remained hopeful of their chances at clinching their spot in the Rose Bowl as well. The Hawkeyes had their undefeated season come to an end just a game earlier but refused to back down from a tough Buckeyes team that featured a two man rushing attack from Brandon Saine who ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns and Daniel Herron who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Iowa got a great performance from quarterback James Vandenberg, who threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns. This game came down to perseverance as neither team refused to quit. Iowa trailed by 14 points late in the game but came from behind to tie it very late, with both teams scoring two touchdowns in the final quarter. In overtime, the Buckeyes were able to sink a field goal and win the Big 10 putting themselves in the position to represent the conference in the upcoming Rose Bowl.

Oregon @ Arizona: Saturday, November 21: The Pac-10 showdown between the Oregon Ducks and Arizona Wildcats featured a high octane offensive showdown in which both sides knew how important victory was especially for the Ducks who with a win controlled their chances at playing in the Rose Bowl. Jeremiah Masoli threw for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns passing for Oregon, while Nick Foles was excellent with 314 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Ducks led early in this game by as many as 14 points, only to see the Wildcats fight back to take a 24-14 lead going into the 4th. As Oregon sensed the season slipping away, they fought back to tie it 31-31 going into overtime. In the OT, neither side would back down as Arizona matched Oregon with a touchdown to force double OT. In the 2nd overtime, Arizona scored a field goal only to see Masoli run the ball in from the 1 yard line for a TD and victory for the Ducks.

Alabama @ Auburn, Friday November 21: The day after Thanksgiving can always be a very difficult time for a visiting team. In this case, Alabama needed 1 victory to finally face the defending champion Florida Gators in the showdown of #1 vs. #2 in both the SEC and nation. They would have to get past Auburn however who jumped out of the box 14-0 early on. With Bama trailing most of the game, they were able to finally catch up and take the lead with just 84 seconds remaining at 26-21 behind a touchdown pass from Greg McElroy. McElroy would finish with 218 yards and 2 touchdowns and lead the Crimson Tide to victory in an off day for Mark Ingram. Auburn was unable to control Alabama when it mattered most and cost themselves the chance at an immortal upset that would have changed the college football landscape as the Tide would go on to become National Champions with victories over Florida and Texas in their next two games.

Texas @ Nebraska, Saturday December 5: With a trip to the BCS title game in Pasadena on the line, the Longhorns were faced with the duty of beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big 12 title game. Little did they know the challenge that would await them. Nebraska battled with Texas, giving them everything they could handle behind a tough defense that allowed Colt McCoy to throw for just 184 yards and no passing touchdowns. Texas allowed Nebraska only 4 field goals, not giving them anything in the red zone. The Cornhuskers however took the lead 12-10 on an Alex Henery field goal with just a minute and 44 seconds left. The Longhorns were able to march down the field setting up for a last second field goal attempt. Not without controversy, the Longhorns looked to have fallen just short as a McCoy threw an out of bounds pass with the clock showing zeros across the board. After a long review by the referees, Texas was given just enough time for a 46 yard field goal make by Hunter Lawrence that sent Texas to the national title game, giving them a classic victory over rival Nebraska.