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1996 College Football
Florida vs. Tennesse
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The longtime SID at the University of Tennessee, Haywood Harris, called it "the biggest sporting event in the history of the state of Tennessee." Second-ranked Tennessee was hosting fourth-rated Florida, and for most of the NCAA-record crowd of 107,608 in attendance, revenge was on their mind. The previous year, Steve Spurrier's Gators had blasted the Volunteers 62-37 — handing Tennessee its only loss of the year. Tennessee featured a high-powered offense led by quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Peerless Price. The Gators countered with Spurrier's famous fun Œn gun offense helmed by quarterback Danny Wuerffel and a dynamic receiving corps of Jacquez Green, Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony. Heavily-hyped games rarely live up to their expectations — but in this case, that depended entirely on which side of the stadium you were sitting on.
2000 College Football
Florida State vs. Miami
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Someday way down the road, when you're tantalizing your grandchildren with tales of those glorious days when Miami vs. Florida State meant more than just an inside track to the ACC title, you'll probably talk about games like this one — Oct. 7, 2000. Florida State was a season removed from its 1999 national championship; Miami was a season away from winning the 2001 title. FSU quarterback Chris Weinke would go on to win the Heisman Trophy at season's end. The following spring, seven players from this game went in the first 30 picks of the NFL Draft: Jamal Reynolds, Dan Morgan, Damione Lewis, Santana Moss, Derrick Gibson and Reggie Wayne. Beyond all the team success and individual stars, what has always made Miami-Florida State special has been the history of the rivalry. Often, the differences in their head-to-head meetings could be defined in two words: Wide Right. Twice in the early 1990s, Florida State kickers missed potential game-winning field goals in the final minute, both times wide to the right. This time, as Miami tried to avoid a six-straight loss to the Seminoles, a hard-fought battle couldn't come down to yet another late field goal attempt... could it?
1984 College Football
Boston College vs. Miami
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Doug Flutie's name has become synonymous with two things: his diminutive size and his reputation as a winner. From the moment he stepped into the national spotlight, there were questions whether he had the physical tools to compete. Little did they know that competing would not be the problem. By 1984, Flutie had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was capable of being a big-time college quarterback. When his career at Boston College was over, there were still questions about his stature but none about the size of his heart.
1988 College Football
Notre Dame vs. Miami
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Miami teams are known for having an attitude, but when they met Notre Dame in South Bend in 1988, it was the Irish who had a chip on their shoulder. The Hurricanes had outscored the Golden Domers, 133-20, in their last four contests, and the Irish were looking to exact some revenge. T-shirts sold before the game on the Notre Dame campus read "Even God hates Miami." This was a war, and no prisoners would be taken by either side.
1998 College Football
Wisconsin vs. Purdue
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There's nothing more entertaining then a clash of styles. When Purdue faced Wisconsin in the middle of the 1998 season, they were two teams with very different ways of putting points on the board. The Badgers were led by running back Ron Dayne, a bruising ball carrier who would set the NCAA record for career rushing yards before his days in Madison were done. His opponents were led by freewheeling quarterback Drew Brees, who was eventually selected by the San Diego Chargers. It was ball-control versus bombs-away, and before Mr. Brees was done, the Purdue, Big Ten and NCAA record book would be in tatters.
1984 Holiday Bowl
BYU vs. Michigan
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LaVell Edwards coached a lot of great teams in his time at BYU but none better then the 1984 Cougars. By the time the 1984 Holiday Bowl rolled around, the kids from Provo were on the verge of completing a perfect season. In many ways it was a typical BYU team, featuring a gun-slinging quarterback in Robbie Bosco and an offense that was seldom boring to watch. Before the game, NBC's Bryant Gumble said that BYU had padded its record by playing a bunch of "Bo Diddley Techs." Their opponents on this day were not from "Bo Diddley"; they were from Ann Arbor and they would give the Cougars all they could handle.
1979 Cotton Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Houston
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Joe Montana made a career out of comebacks. Before he found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone or led his 49ers on an 11-play 92-yard drive to beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII, Montana worked his magic in South Bend. On January 1, 1979, the wind chill in Dallas was below zero and the field at the Cotton Bowl appeared to be a solid sheet of ice. All that and Notre Dame's star quarterback was suffering with a flu bug that had dropped his temperature to 96 degrees and had him shaking uncontrollably. Despite the conditions on the field and his worsening health, Montana would play, staying warm with the help of the favorite home remedy of every mother in America. The 1979 Cotton Bowl would prove to be chicken soup for the Irish fan's soul.
1975 Rose Bowl
USC vs. Ohio State
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If there's any truth to the old adage "familiarity breeds contempt," then by the time the 1975 Rose Bowl rolled around, USC and Ohio State must have absolutely hated each other. It would be the third straight year the two teams met in The Grand Daddy of them all; USC won in 1973, the Buckeyes came out on top in '74. The rubber match featured two legendary coaches — the Trojans' John McKay and the Buckeyes' Woody Hayes and one legendary running back, two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin. Before it was over, the game itself would go down as one of the great Rose Bowls of all time, thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback and not a coach but a tight end named McKay.
1982 Orange Bowl
Clemson vs. Nebraska
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There's nothing quite like perfection. That's what coach Danny Ford and the Clemson Tigers were looking for when they traveled to the 1982 Orange Bowl to take on Nebraska. Nebraska came into the bowl game with one of the top offenses in the nation, led by future NFL stars Mike Rozier, Roger Craig and Irving Fryar. On the other side of the ball was Clemson's defense, which featured an All-America safety, Terry Kinard, and a soon-to-be celebrity in 295-pound freshman guard, William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
1999 Cotton Bowl
Texas vs. Mississippi State
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Few players in the storied history of Texas football can compete with the gaudy numbers and glittering trophy shelf of Ricky Williams. For that matter, few players in the history of college football can boast of a Heisman Trophy and a pair of Doak Walker awards, given to the country's best running back. Despite traditionally turning out players the quality of Williams, the Longhorns have not always fared well in the postseason. Coming into their match-up with Mississippi State in the 1999 Cotton Bowl, Texas hadn't started a New Year with a win since 1981. They weren't going to get any sympathy from their opponents. Mississippi State made its trip to Dallas 58 years removed from the program's last appearance in a "traditional" New Year's Day bowl game. On this day, the Bulldogs had a tall task — stop the nation's leading rusher in his tracks.
1983 Orange Bowl
LSU vs. Nebraska
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Nebraska had redemption on its mind coming into the 1983 Orange Bowl. The previous year, the Cornhuskers had made the postseason trip to Miami only to become the final victim of Clemson's undefeated championship season. The second time around, Nebraska's opponent was surprising LSU, which just one season earlier had finished 3-7-1. Led by senior quarterback Alan Risher, the Tigers already had played and beaten three Top 10 teams and looked to make Nebraska their fourth victim. They would get themselves in an early hole, but before the day was over, LSU would push the Cornhuskers to the limit.
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