Top 10 College Football Games of the 1990s

With college football season approaching, I figured it was time to do a series of the greatest college football games from each decade. Here is a list of the best college football games from the 1990s.

The Top Ten

  1. 1993 Game of the Century: #2 Notre Dame - 31, #1 Florida State - 24

    Dubbed as the "Game of the Century", Notre Dame jumped out to a 24-7 lead on #1 Florida State and Heisman trophy quarterback Charlie Ward. FSU battled back to within 31-24 and had the ball inside the red zone with seconds to go needing a touchdown and possibly a two-point conversion to win the game, which it was unsuccessful at getting. The Notre Dame win bumped them to #1 in the polls, but the Irish would lose that spot following an upset loss to Boston College the next week.

  2. 1995 Orange Bowl: #1 Nebraska - 24, #3 Miami - 17

    After seven straight bowl losses and over 20 seasons without a national title, Tom Osborne and the Nebraska Cornhuskers would finally break the jinx and clinch the national championship at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Using a two-quarterback system with both Orange Bowl MVP Tommie Frazier and Brook Berringer, the Cornhuskers overcame an early 10-point hole to win 24-17 thanks to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

  3. 1994: Florida State - 31, Florida - 31

    Florida arrived to Tallahassee looking to knock off the defending national champion Seminoles, and for three quarters the Gators did just that, taking a 31-3 lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Seminoles would pull off the largest final-quarter comeback scoring four touchdowns to tie the game and were looking to seal the victory when time ran out and ended the contest in a 31-31 tie (no overtime back then). Ironically, the two teams would later meet in the Sugar Bowl and FSU won 23-17.

  4. 1992 SEC Championship: #2 Alabama - 28, #12 Florida - 21

    The inaugural SEC Championship was a classic as both teams would head down to Birmingham to meet. With the score tied at 21, Florida had the ball and looked to drive for the winning score, but Alabama's Antonio Langham intercepted a pass and returned it for a pick-six to secure the Crimson Tide a spot in the national title game.

  5. 1997: #1 Michigan - 20, #4 Ohio State - 14

    Ranked #1 in the nation, Michigan would defeat #4 Ohio State, 20-14 in Ann Arbor to clinch its spot in the national title game. The big play was a punt return touchdown by Heisman trophy winner Charles Woodson, who also intercepted a pass and had a key 37-yard reception that led to Michigan's first touchdown of the game

  6. 1997: #10 Florida - 32, #2 Florida State - 29

    Dubbed as the "Greatest Game Ever Played in the Swamp." Florida overcame an early 11-point deficit to take a 25-20 lead midway through the third quarter. The Seminoles responded with nine unanswered points to be up four with three minutes to go. Three players later, the Gators scored thanks to Fred Taylor, who finished off a four-TD performance with the game-winning TD.

  7. 1994 Orange Bowl: #1 Florida State - 18, #2 Nebraska - 16

    Despite being 17-point underdogs, Nebraska held tough with the Seminoles and would overcome a 15-7 deficit to lead 16-15 with 1:16 left to go in the game. Charlie Ward guided FSU down the field where it kicked a field goal to lead by two points, but the Cornhuskers would set itself up with a 45-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, the kick was shanked and FSU escaped with the national title

  8. 1998 Big 12 Championship: #10 Texas A&M - 36, #2 Kansas State - 33 (2 OT)

    After a decade turning Kansas State from cellar dwellers into winners, Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder hoped the 1998 season would reward his team with a chance to play for a national title. At 11-0, all that remained was for the Wildcats to beat Texas A&M in the Big XII title game. Through three quarters, Kansas State was in the driver's seat up 27-12, but the Aggies rallied back to tie the game and send it to overtime. After an exchange of field goals in the first overtime, KSU took a 33-30 lead in the second overtime before Texas A&M broke hearts by scoring the winning touchdown

  9. 1997 Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State - 21, #2 Arizona State - 17

    Led by Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman, the Sun Devils took a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter and were 1:40 from a potential national championship. But Buckeyes backup quarterback Joe Germaine would lead Ohio State down the field and steal the win with a game-winning touchdown pass to David Boston, ending the dream season for ASU heartbreakingly.

  10. 1990: Colorado - 33, Missouri - 31

    Colorado gets a fortunate break as they scored the winning touchdown on a controversial fifth down. This win would lead to a national championship that season for the Buffaloes.

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