Greatest College Football Games by Decade

1890s: Hampden Park Blood Bath (1894): The Harvard-Yale game in 1894 led to four major injuries. The rivalry was so intense, authorities suspended the game for two years. The offensive and defensive formations essentially resulted in large numbers of players on each side charging one another at full speed. The violent collisions often led to injuries. In this case, four players were crippled. Yale won 12-4.


1900s: The 1902 Rose Bowl: The first bowl game ever was played in 1902 in Pasadena. Michigan won the first Rose Bowl 49-0 over Stanford. Nowadays, there are seemingly 100 bowl games.

1910s: Notre Dame: 35 Army: 13 (1913): In 1913, Notre Dame became a national power and remained that way for 80 years. They stunned Army with the effective use of the forward pass. It was the first major game to feature this innovation.

1920s: Notre Dame: 13 Army: 7 (1924): Notre Dame stunned Army again in 1924. This game featured the famous Four Horseman and led to perhaps the most famous passage in sports history:

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

1930s: SMU: 20 TCU: 14 (1935): Both teams entered the contest 10-0. SMU lead 14-0, but TCU’s Sammy Baugh put on a passing clinic to tie the game. Late in the 4th, SMU’s Bob Finley faked a punt on 4th and 4 and threw for a touchdown. SMU wins the game and went to the Rose Bowl. As a side note, writers began voting on team rankings in 1936. In 1935, an economics professor computed a formula to determine the best teams. SMU finished #1 before losing 7-0 in the Rose Bowl to Stanford. Nonetheless, SMU claims the 1935 National Championship.

1940s: Notre Dame: 0 Army: 0 (1946): The 1946 version of the “Game of the Century” ended in a 0-0 tie. Both Army and Notre Dame entered the game undefeated and were offensive juggernauts. Army had not lost in three seasons and the game featured four Heisman winners. Defense dominated and the teams tied. Each team finished the season undefeated and Notre Dame won the National Title.

1950s: Michigan: 9 Ohio State: 3 (The 1950 Snow Bowl): Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State played in a blizzard at Ohio Stadium. The weather was so bad, Michigan did not secure a single first down. The teams combined for 45 punts. At times, they even punted on first down. They played for field position hoping the other team would make a mistake. Michigan scored the winning touchdown on a blocked punt. Michigan went to the Rose Bowl. After the game, Ohio State fired coach Wes Fesler and hired Woody Hayes.

1960s: Michigan State: 10 Notre Dame: 10 (1966): The 1966 Game of the Century featured two undefeated programs. The Spartans hosted Notre Dame sparking the media to dub the undefeated match up “the game of the century.” It was the first such designation since 1946. The game ended in a tie. On the last play, Notre Dame quarterback ran a sneak for five yards forcing the tie. Fans of both schools screeched in protest. However, Coach Ara Parseghian defended the call. Notre Dame won the national championship and Michigan State finished #2.

1970s: Nebraska: 35 Oklahoma: 31 (1971): This “Game of the Century” took place in Norman, Oklahoma in 1971. Both teams entered undefeated. The defending champion Cornhuskers rode a 20 game winning streak into Norman. The game decided the Big Eight title and #1 ranking. The game went back and forth before Nebraska pulled it out on Jeff Kinney’s fourth touchdown of the game with 2 minutes to go. Nebraska won the Big Eight title and the Orange Bowl to win back-to-back national titles.

1980s: Miami: 31 Nebraska: 30 (1984 Orange Bowl): Nebraska entered undefeated against one loss Miami. Miami led 31-17 in the fourth when Nebraska rallied. With Miami leading 31-30 with 48 seconds remaining, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne decided to go for two and the win rather than a game tying extra point. Miami tipped the pass and escaped with the win and national title. Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger went to the USFL after the game. Jimmy Johnson replaced him and built on Schnellenberger’s work creating one of history’s great programs.

1990s: Miami: 17 Florida State: 16 (Wide Right I): Miami-FSU have had four games dubbed Wide Right and one called Wide Left. They even have a “botched hold.” That explains how close the series has been and how it has turned on a dime. In 1991, Miami beat FSU because the Seminoles missed a field goal to the right. The Hurricanes went on to win the National Championship 22-0 over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. After losing the #1 ranking to Miami, FSU lost to Florida two weeks later, but rebounded to win the Cotton Bowl 10-2 over Texas A&M.

2000s: Boise State: 43 Oklahoma: 42 (2007 Fiesta Bowl): No one gave Boise State much of a chance. However, they had Oklahoma on the ropes in the fourth. The Sooners rallied to tie the Fiesta Bowl and force overtime. Oklahoma scored in overtime and simply had to keep Boise out of the end zone. The Broncos scored a touchdown and rather than kick the extra point, they went for the win. They ran a “Statue of Liberty” play on the two point conversion and won the game. Boise State finished the season 13-0 and opened the door for mid majors to be in the conversation for the national title.