On the ensuing series Michigan quarterback Michael Taylor was injured on a hard hit by Michigan linebacker Ned Bolcar, opening the door for the young Elvis Grbac. The future NFL signal-caller pulled the Wolverines within five at 17-12 early in the fourth before Ismail struck again, this time with a 91-yard kickoff return that put the game out of reach.
Why here: The main draw to the contest was Ismail’s exciting performance. Although not a blowout it lacked much drama towards the end.
4.) Notre Dame 31, 2) Florida State 24, 11/13/93—The regular-season contest, played in South Bend was mostly ruled by the Irish until the Seminoles made their run late.
Notre Dame, underdogs on their own field led 31-17 late in the fourth quarter mostly due to a successful ground attack led by running back Lee Becton.
Facing fourth down and 20 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward scored a touchdown to make it a 31-24 deficit with 1:39 left. After forcing the Irish into a three-and-out, the Seminoles drove the ball quickly to the Notre Dame 14 with just 3 seconds remaining. Ward’s pass to the end zone was deflected though, and the Irish won.
Why here: The hype leading up to the nationally televised contest was pretty big and in the final quarter the game lived up to it. Notre Dame though led nearly the whole game unlike a few of the back-and-forth contests listed below.
3.) Florida State 18, 2) Nebraska 16, 1/1/94—Florida State’s second classic game-of-the-season matched them up against the Cornhuskers, who were major underdogs in the Orange Bowl despite being undefeated.
The game was tight throughout though and had a thrilling ending.
After Nebraska scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 15-13 they failed on their two-point conversion attempt. Later after keeping the Seminoles at bay the Huskers drove deep into Seminole territory kicking a 27-yard field goal with 1:18 left to take a 16-15 lead.
Quarterback Charlie Ward then drove Florida State quickly down the field and when they hit a field goal with 21 seconds left their sidelines went crazy, resulting in an excessive celebration penalty.
With excellent starting field position Nebraska had a chance. When quarterback Tommie Frazier completed a 29-yard pass to the Seminole 28-yard line the clock struck zero, but the officials ruled there was one second left and after clearing the field the Huskers missed the 45-yard attempt.
Why here: The multiple lead changes in the fourth quarter give it a sizeable edge over the ND/FSU game a few months earlier. The game falls just short of the two below for being a slight defensive struggle until the final minutes.
2.) Ohio State 31, 1) Miami 24 2OT, 1/3/03—The defending-champion Hurricanes entered this Fiesta Bowl on a 34-game winning streak with a roster stocked with future NFL talent which would produce 10 first-round picks over the next two drafts.
Meanwhile Ohio State was 13-0 that season but entered the contest as 11.5 point underdogs as 6 of their wins had been by a touchdown or less.
The hotly contested matchup saw the Buckeyes struggle to move the ball on Miami’s defense while the ‘Canes, though able to rack up yards, committed five turnovers.
Ultimately the back-and-forth game hinged on a crucial call in the first overtime. Trailing 24-17 in the first OT, Ohio State Craig Krenzel’s fourth-and-three pass to Chris Gamble fell incomplete but a late flag was thrown for pass interference, giving the Buckeyes four more chances to score. They would and then they stuffed Miami in the second overtime to win it.
Why here: The overtime excitement gives it the very slight nod over FSU/Nebraska but doesn’t quite have as much firepower as the Texas/USC classic.
1.) Texas 41, 1) USC 38, 1/4/06—The defending champion Trojans had been ranked number one in the AP poll for two straight years, had a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in their backfield, and boasted a 33-game winning streak.
The Longhorns had won 19 straight themselves but were an underdog as the game was played in the Rose Bowl.
Yet Texas had Vince Young.
The multi-talented quarterback passed for 267 yards and rushed for another 200 while scoring three touchdowns.
USC Quarterback Matt Leinart had a fine game himself throwing for 365 yards.
Overall the game featured 1,130 yards of offense but was decided on a pair of crucial fourth-quarter plays.
Clinging to a 38-33 lead late in the quarter the Trojans went for it on fourth-and-two from the Texas 45, hoping to put the game away, only to be denied.
Then, after forcing Texas into a fourth-and-five at the USC 8 yard line with 26 seconds remaining Vince Young took the snap, looked for a receiver, and after the pocket collapsed ran in for the game-winning score.
Why here: Slight edge over Miami/Ohio State given that the hype between the two teams who'd combined to win their previous 52 games more than matched the game’s thrilling back and forth contest.
