The 10 Most Dramatic Bowl Games of All Time

Every true fan of college football, regardless of whether they’re an ardent supporter of the BCS or an advocate of a playoff, can’t get enough of late December and early January. Bowl season is the most wonderful time of the year, when a veritable buffet of games is at your fingertips. Given the sheer amount of bowls in existence — 35 for the 2010 season — there are sure to be a few dramatic moments that’ll carve their place in college football lore. The following games have done just that, as evidenced by their endless airings on ESPN Classic. Hopefully, if we’re lucky, we’ll see one this year worthy of supplanting the lowest-ranking game on this list.  

1. 2006 Rose Bowl — Texas 41, USC 38: Defending champion USC was dubbed "the greatest college football team of all-time" by some media members during the ’05 season despite its apparent vulnerabilities and the presence of an equally talented Texas team. During the second half of the BCS Championship Game, the Trojans seemed to be on their way to meeting the hype, leading by 12 with 6:42 remaining in the contest. But Vince Young’s presence ensured the Horns were never out of it. After he ran in a 17-yard touchdown with 4:03 left, the Longhorns defense made a dramatic fourth-down stop on an up-the-middle run by LenDale White, who had gashed them all evening long. Young proceeded to orchestrate a 56-yard drive that ended on an eight-yard, fourth-down touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining. He passed for 267 yards and ran for 200 in the game, and all three of his touchdowns came on the ground. His memorable performance helped earn Texas its first national title in 35 years.




2. 2003 Fiesta Bowl — Ohio State 31, Miami 24: The ’03 BCS Championship Game wasn’t supposed to be close. The vaunted Miami Hurricanes were the defending champs, while the upstart Ohio State Buckeyes overcame a few close games to remain undefeated and in contention. The game had everything — a nasty knee injury suffered by Hurricanes star running back Willis McGahee, Maurice Clarett’s awesome strip of Sean Taylor after an interception that put the Buckeyes in control of the game, a game-tying Miami 40-yard field goal as time expired in regulation, two overtimes, and of course, a controversial fourth-down pass interference call at the end of the first overtime that cost Miami the title. The Canes’ 34-game winning streak was ended and second-year Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel was only beginning his successful career with the storied program.




3. 1984 Orange Bowl — Miami 31, Nebraska 30: Miami’s great run of success that spanned two decades started in the ’84 Orange Bowl. The Canes played ahead of the undefeated and favored Huskers for most of the game, but Tom Osborne’s squad rallied and put itself in position to win the game. In the fourth quarter, backup I-back Jeff Smith scored two touchdowns, the latter of which occurred on a fourth-and-eight pitch from Turner Gill with less than a minute left, bringing the Huskers to within a point of tying the game. Then, Osborne made perhaps the gutsiest call of all-time, deciding to go for two, the win and the undisputed national championship. Gill’s pass was broken up and the Canes went on to win their first of five national championships. Earlier in the game, Osborne made another memorable call, successfully executing the trick-play known as the fumblerooski. Never before has a coach been so praised after a loss.



4. 2007 Fiesta Bowl — Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42: The ’07 Fiesta Bowl was a classic David versus Goliath matchup. Oklahoma had just won its fourth Big XII Championship under Bob Stoops. Boise State, the WAC champion, had just earned its first BCS bowl appearance. The Broncos stunned the Sooners and most of the nation by dominating most of the game. Midway through the third quarter, the Broncos held a commanding 28-10 lead after Marty Tadman’s interception return for a touchdown. But the Sooners made ferocious comeback, scoring the next 25 points. The game was seemingly over after Jared Zabransky’s pick-six to Marcus Walker with 1:02 left, but the Broncos regrouped and completed the first of the their memorable plays — a hook-and-ladder with seven seconds remaining that led to the tie. At the end of the first overtime, the Broncos responded to an Adrian Peterson touchdown by scoring on a touchdown throw made by backup receiver Vinny Perretta. Ian Johnson’s subsequent two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play capped of a huge win for the little guys.




5. 1973 Sugar Bowl — Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23: Two of football’s elite programs and elite coaches met for the first time during the ’73 Sugar Bowl. Both Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide and Ara Parseghian’s Fighting Irish were undefeated and loaded with All-Americans. The game lived up to the billing, as the teams exchanged leads during most of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, the Tide took a 23-21 lead after a trick play in which halfback Mike Stock connected with second-string quarterback Richard Todd from 25 yards out. Bill Davis failed to make the extra point, which enabled Notre Dame to go ahead with 4:26 remaining. It was the sixth and final lead-change of the game. The Irish sealed the deal with 2:12 left after an ultra-risky 36-yard pass — from inside their own five yard line — from quarterback Tom Clements to receiver Robin Weber. Notre Dame proceeded to finish No. 1 in the AP Poll while Bama, previously No. 1, dropped to No. 4.



6. 1963 Rose Bowl — USC 42, Wisconsin 37: The ’63 Rose Bowl featured the first No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup in a bowl game, so it was, in effect, an early national championship game. Trailing 42-14 in the fourth quarter, the second-ranked Badgers made a ferocious comeback, scoring 23 unanswered points and reducing the Trojans lead to six points. Ron Vander Kelen threw for 401 yards and orchestrated key drives that enabled Wisconsin to get back in the game. Despite outgaining USC 32-15 in first downs and 486 to 367 in total yardage, the Badgers fell short and Trojans coach John McKay secured his first national championship in just his third season with the program.

7. 1965 Orange Bowl — Texas 21, Alabama 17: When two mammoth programs like Texas and Alabama come together, there’s bound to be drama. The ’65 Orange Bowl matched-up Darrell Royal and the ’63 national champion verses Bear Bryant and the ’64 national champion. It was the first primetime college bowl game, making stakes even higher as everyone involved knew it would be must-see TV. The Horns jumped out to an early 14-0 lead after tailback Ernie Koy Jr. ran for a 79-yard touchdown and quarterback Jim Hudson connected with receiver George Sauer on a 69-yard touchdown pass. Alabama quarterback Joe Namath, who hadn’t started the game due to a knee injury he suffered in practice, was sent in by Bryant to right the ship. He immediately led an 87-yard touchdown drive in which 83 yards were through the air, and eventually brought the Tide within four points of Horns. The game’s most significant play came in the fourth quarter, when Texas made a goal line stand in which Joe Namath was met head-on by linebacker Tommy Nobis, apparently short of the endzone. Namath finished the game and his college career with a valiant effort, tallying 255 yards and two touchdowns.




8. 1980 Holiday Bowl — BYU 46, SMU 45: Although the Holiday Bowl has never been considered a first-tier bowl, it has certainly provided some heart-stopping games through the years. The ’80 edition brought together two very different teams. Brigham Young, the Mormons who did things the right way, led the nation in total offense, passing offense and scoring. Southern Methodist, who would receive the death penalty later in the decade, featured an unstoppable running attack led by Eric Dickerson and Craig James. The duo combined to run for 335 yards against the Cougars defense, enabling the Mustangs to establish a comfortable lead. With just four minutes left in the fourth quarter, SMU led 45-25 and BYU was preparing to punt on fourth and long to concede the game. Quarterback Jim McMahon, however, had other plans, throwing for a touchdown pass instead. The Cougars proceeded to recover the onside kick and score another touchdown. Down 45-39, BYU forced SMU to punt on the next possession, and Bill Schoepflin’s block put the ball on SMU’s 41-yard line. The game culminated with a miraculous Hail Mary completion from McMahon to tight end Clay Brown as time expired. The extra point gave BYU the victory, capping off a 21-point rally in the final two minutes and 33 seconds of the game.



9. 1979 Cotton Bowl — Notre Dame 35, Houston 34: The legend of the Comeback Kid began in the icy ’79 Cotton Bowl — also known as the Chicken Soup Game. Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana, who was suffering from the flu, battled hypothermia during the game as his body temperature plummeted to just 96 degrees. In order to warm up, he was taken back the Notre Dame locker room, covered with blankets and given warm chicken soup. That facilitated his return midway through the fourth quarter, when the Irish were trailing the Cougars 34-12. The team then proceeded to score 23 unanswered points, including Montana’s game-tying touchdown pass to receiver Kris Haines. The extra point, which took two tries due to a penalty, won the game for the Irish, completing the most dramatic Cotton Bowl of all-time.



10. 1987 Fiesta Bowl — Penn State 14, Miami 10: Very few games in the history of college football have received the hype and anticipation of the ’87 Fiesta Bowl. Previously considered a minor bowl game, it had maneuvered to accommodate the match-up between undefeated independents Miami and Penn State, which were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. The two teams couldn’t have been more different and that was especially evident during the lead-up to the game. During Miami’s flight to Arizona, the team changed into military-style fatigues. Penn State players, on the other hand, wore suits and ties to the pregame steak-fry. It was at that event that Miami defensive tackle Jerome Brown revealed his fatigues and attempted to lead a walk-out after Penn State punter Joe Bruno made jokes at the Canes’ expense during a skit. The game proved to be a close-fought contest despite Miami outgaining the Nittany Lions 445 yards to 162. Trailing 14-10 with 3:07 left in the game, Heisman-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde began to lead the Canes downfield, eventually moving inside of Penn State’s five yard line with 45 seconds remaining. On fourth-and-goal, Testaverde’s pass into the endzone was intercepted by linebacker Pete Giftopoulos, ending the game and securing the national championship for Joe Pa and Penn State. The pick was Testaverde’s fifth, Giftopoulos’ second, and Miami’s astounding seventh turnover of the game. Despite the sloppy play, the telecast earned the largest TV audience in the history of college football.




This article was offered via courtesy of bestcollegesonline.com.

College Football: Who Is The Best Dual-Threat QB in The BCS This Season?

It's been a long time since the BCS saw three quarterbacks who were able to dominate the game, with their arms and their legs, the way Denard Robinson, Cam Newton, and Taylor Martinez have this season.

Patrick White, of West Virginia, was a product of the very system that Rich Rodriguez brought to Michigan. The very one that Denard Robinson is excelling in today. However, not even White was as impressive as Robinson has been through his first six games of the year.

So far, the sophomore has compiled 991 yards on 119 carries (19.83 avg)—that includes two 200 yard games. As a matter of fact, prior to his being stymied by a motivated Michigan State team, there seemed to be no team in the country capable of slowing him down.

While he tends to rely on his legs more than his arms, he has been very proficient in the passing game as well—completing nearly 68 percent of his attempts and passing for more than 1200+ yards and 8 touchdowns.

He's been superhuman on the football field and he is the biggest reason why the Wolverines are 5-1:



Taylor Martinez is the starting quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He hasn't gotten nearly as much publicity or love as Robinson, but he's no less impressive.

Martinez has a little over half the rushing attempts of Robinson (68), but has already accumulated 737 yards on the ground (10.84 avg) and scored 12 times.

As a passer, there is still plenty of work to be done. Where Robinson is more efficient with his passes, Martinez has been prone to making careless mistakes while trying to do too much. That has led to as many interceptions as it has touchdowns, and partially explains his reliance on his legs to get the job done when his arm would be more than sufficient.

Nebraska is currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll and there are high hopes that with Texas, seemingly, in a rebuilding year, it will come down to Oklahoma and Nebraska for the Big 12 title.

Martinez also has the luxury of additional offensive playmakers to compliment his game—both Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu provide a fierce ground attack. Then there's that tough Nebraska defense to help keep the other team from making his job too difficult.
 


Cam Newton has been a dream player for Auburn this year. Not only has he proven to be clutch over the last six weeks—averting losses to Mississippi State, South Carolina, Clemson, and Kentucky via last minute heroics—but he's remained cool in each of the four pressure-cooker situations he's faced.

It is clear that the offense will live and die with Newton's play. He's Auburn's ace-in-the-hole because he will either beat you early or break your heart late.

The true test of his mettle will come in the next few weeks of the season, where he will be forced to take on a Ryan Mallett-led Arkansas, a luck-led LSU, and a pride-led Georgia...all before meeting up with Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

That said, he still has much to prove about how good he truly is, but there are no doubts about his talent.


So, who's the best of the three. Well, considering the overall level of competition, you have to give the edge to Newton. Martinez hasn't really been tested against an upper-level defense, and Robinson's showing against Michigan State proves that there are limits to what he can do—if a sufficient challenge is mounted.

Who's the best in your mind? Who's done the most for his team this season?

College Football Rankings: It's Time to Ditch The Preseason AP Poll—It's Useless

If you're a fan of Michigan State, South Carolina or Nevada, you felt good waking up this past Sunday, finding your team making moves in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25.

After all, it's reassuring to have a team that's recognized on a national level as one to be reckoned with—respected.

However, if you’re a fan of one of the above-mentioned, then you also recall that they were not given such respect a mere five weeks ago—when none of them were ranked.

That's right, South Carolina (a team that just beat the brakes off the No. 1 team in the land), Michigan State (the only team that has been able to slow Denard Robinson down), nor Nevada (who managed to beat BYU in Provo) were listed in the AP Preseason Top 25—not a one.

By stark contrast, you know what teams were listed in said poll: Pittsburgh (a team that has two wins on the year), Virginia Tech (a team that lost to a I-AA opponent in week two), and Penn State (a team that just lost by 20 points to Illinos...in HAPPY VALLEY).

Did any of those teams really deserve to be considered Top 25 worthy?  Think about it? Did any of them warrant as much respect as they received earlier in the year?

Of course, it's easy to say "no" now because we’ve seen them play. We know who has playmakers (Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina and Kirk Cousins of Michigan State) and who’s missing their departed players (Tim Tebow of Florida and Daryll Clark of Penn State).

However, why did it have to take so many of these teams losing before anyone started taking a closer look at the teams that were actually playing good football? After all, if you follow a particular conference, most of these things weren’t hard to miss.

For example, people are looking at South Carolina as being "for real" now that they’ve beaten Alabama, but the average SEC fan knew this was a possibility eight months ago.

Outsiders looked at the Oregon Ducks as being done after the Jeremiah Masoli suspension, but the average Pac-10 fan knew better—Chip Kelly is no slouch where quarterback development is concerned—and most felt Oregon would be just fine as long as the defense didn’t regress too much. 

As for Nevada, well, the college football world is so focused on that "other team from the WAC" that they can't see the forest for the large tree growing in Boise.

The more games that are played, the greater ability people have at separating the good from the bad, the contenders from the pretenders, and the winners from the losers. The picture gets clearer because you have better criteria to assess a team’s overall value.

That said, why on earth does college football still allow preseason rankings?  Why not wait until teams have played a couple months of football before you assign a number to the left of their name?

It's not fair that South Carolina has to start at the bottom, while Alabama gets a pass to the top— just because they played great football...in 2009.

This is a new year, with new players, new teams, and new schedules. No team should start off with the advantage of being "number" anything because they haven't done anything to prove they deserve that distinction—yet.

If you look back at the preseason poll, released just before the start of the 2010 season, you will find that 10 of the 25 teams that were listed, have either dropped significantly or have exited altogether —two of those teams were once listed in the top 5 (Texas and Florida).

The polls are useless. The only thing they serve to do is create an unfair advantage for teams who may or may not live up to the expectations that the "experts" have place on them.

Of course, some might argue that there is just as much of a chance that more teams will tumble. It’s still early enough and some of these teams still haven’t “played anybody” yet.  It’s possible that this week’s poll isn’t any more right than it was six weeks ago.

All of that is true but, at least we know more about the teams we’re choosing to rank. At least our assessments can be based more on fact than fiction...at least we know who truly has a team worth writing and talking about.

It's time to stop releasing the AP Poll and the useless Coaches Poll that comes before it because, in truth, both are worthless.

What say you? 

College Football: The SEC's Wild, Wild West And It's Effect on the BCS

As of Sunday morning, seven SEC teams are in the Top 25 of the Associated Press Poll (AP). Four of those seven teams are from the western division of the SEC—three of them are in the Top 10.

The SEC West became very interesting after the Alabama Crimson Tide got rolled up in Columbia, by the South Carolina Gamecocks, over the weekend.
No. 7 Auburn, the team that few gave a chance, rallied to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

That made their record 6-0 coming into this weekend's match-up with No. 12 Arkansas, down on 'The Plains'.

Arkansas will come in with "upset" on their mind as they try to get back into the Top 10 at the expense of their division rival.

Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, and LSU are all in a position to win the division, and represent the western half of the conference in the SEC Championship Game in December.

As things stand right now, Arkansas would need a little help because they lost to the Tide, but none of the other teams (Auburn, Alabama, or LSU) have played each other yet, so there is still plenty of SEC Championship hope for the Razorbacks.

Even more, after Alabama's loss to South Carolina, the BCS will be looking for a new SEC team to hitch it's wagon to, and the story of the "Cardiac Cats" (Auburn) or "Lucky Les" (LSU) seems fitting in this year of anything can happen in college football.

Who has the best chance to come out on top?

At this stage, Auburn's schedule sets up the most favorably. They face Arkansas, LSU, and Georgia at home in the coming weeks, and will have a bye prior to taking on Alabama in the Iron Bowl on November 27th.

Alabama still has a chance to get back on track as well, however, after all, the loss they suffered was not within their division and , if they can reshuffle the deck a bit, they have just as much a shot as any one in the west to come out on top.

LSU seems to be playing with fire, but the replacement of Jordan Jefferson for Jarrett Lee may prove to be the best decision Les Miles has made this season. Jefferson was reeling and his poor play was becoming a drain on what little offense his team could muster.

Add to that, Miles seems to be back to his old 2007 tricks—calling plays like a Maverick and getting all the lucky bounces he can possibly hope for on the football field.

As for Bobby Petrino's crew, Ryan Mallett may be the catalyst for that offense, but the team will win or lose with Mallett's poise—or lack thereof. If the senior quarterback can maintain his focus, Arkansas can still be the surprise team that many picked them to be at the start of the season. The game against Auburn could be the start of something big or the end of a dream.

The SEC West has become a wild place to be this season. What team will be the last one standing when the smoke finally clears?...

The Most Disappointing College Football Preseason Teams of the BCS Era

For many, the official start of the college football season begins with the publication of the Associated Press’ (AP) preseason rankings. It is typically released in mid-August, and its arrival ushers in the first legitimate conversation regarding which team will be the best.

The discussion generated ranges from who is over- or underrated to who was snubbed altogether.
At times, fans agree on how the rankings shake out but, to be completely honest, after No. 10, it’s mostly subjective and doesn’t seem to be derived from any reasonable formula.

That being said, it’s not hard to imagine how many times the rankings have ended up being dead wrong about a team’s place on this heralded list.

What follows are the teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll, during the BCS era, that failed to live up to the hype. I’ve chosen only one team for each year of the era—simple enough.

As usual, there will be some disagreement on either the team chosen to represent that year’s disappointment or on the reason why they failed to meet the expectations given—I’m always okay with that because it can encourage healthy, intelligent, debate.

What you see are simply my opinions. You should feel free to leave yours—respectfully of course.

1998: Arizona State—AP Preseason No. 8

Despite the loss of Jake Plummer in 1996 and Pat Tillman in 1997, there were still high hopes for the Sun Devils in 1998.

They entered the season ranked in the Top 10 and coach Bruce Snyder was being counted on to continue the success of his prior two seasons—one of which saw the Sun Devils go 11-1 and win the Pac-10 Championship (1996).

Apparently, people in Tempe took the attrition of guys like Damien Richardson (DB), Jason Simmons (DB), and Jeremy Staat (DT) for granted because, without them, the team was no longer the defensive juggernaut they saw shut Pac-10 offenses down in 1997.

The season began with two quick losses, in succession, to Washington and BYU respectively. After that, the team struggled to find any rhythm on the field—offensively—for the rest of the season.

They finished a disappointing 5-6 and failed to qualify for a bowl bid.

1999: Arizona Wildcats—AP Preseason No. 4

In 1999, Sports Illustrated writer, Ivan Maisel had this to say about the Arizona Wildcats:
 
“Tomey has his best team since arriving in Tucson in 1987. If you don't see the Wildcats in Pasadena on Jan. 1, look for them in New Orleans three days later, playing for the national championship.”

The Wildcats were coming off a stellar 1998 season in which they finished 12-1. High hopes followed them into 1999 because so much of both their offense and defense was returning—including both Trung Canidate (RB) and Dennis Northcutt (WR).

However, despite the talent that returned on offense, they failed to even get out of the blocks on a strong note as a season-opening road loss to No. 3 Penn State officially blew the wind out of their sails.

They stumbled through conference play play as well, finishing 3-5 on the year, and essentially sank any dreams of going to the Rose Bowl.

They completed the season at 6-6 and failed to make it into the post-season play.

2000: Alabama, AP Preseason No. 3

The Tide seemed to be going in the right direction following the success of 1999. They’d won the SEC Championship and, although they lost a heartbreaker to Michigan in the Orange Bowl, were feeling good about the team’s chances for a better outcome in 2000.

The brilliant one-two punch of Tyler Watts and Andrew Zow was set to return at quarterback and it was hoped that running backs, Ahmad Galloway and Brandon Miree, would be able to ease the pain of losing Shaun Alexander to the NFL.

What happened instead was an early season injury to Tyler Watts that ended up exposing the glaring weaknesses in Andrew Zow’s play.

Couple that with an ineffective run game and you have a team that spiraled into mediocrity in a hurry.
The Tide finished 3-8—losing five straight games to end the season.

2001: Florida State, AP Preseason No. 6

In hindsight, it seems a little peculiar that the Seminoles were ranked this highly coming into the season. After all, they lost their offensive coordinator (Mark Richt), they said goodbye to their Heisman winning quarterback (Chris Weinke), and they still had not recovered from the devastating loss handed to them in the Orange Bowl by the Oklahoma Sooners the prior season.

Perhaps it was their 14 straight seasons of 10 wins or more, their complete and utter dominance of the ACC, or the total measure of respect given to head coach Bobby Bowden for maintaining such a high level of success that granted them such high regard in the polls.

Whatever the reason, people were willing to give Bobby Bowden the benefit of the doubt because he knew how to win.

The season started off handily enough with two breezy victories over both Duke and UAB, but an embarrassing loss to UNC humanized the Seminoles and the ACC smelled blood in the water.

Miami and N.C. State took advantage of their window of opportunity as well, and the Nole’s ended the year at 8-4.

2002: Nebraska Conrnhuskers, AP Preseason No. 10

Take your pick for 2002, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, and Washington were all in the Top 10—all fell short of expectations. However, Nebraska was the least successful of the bunch and struggled to make it to .500.

Perhaps the Cornhuskers felt they could get by using just their running backs since they no longer had the legs of Heisman-winning quarterback, Eric Crouch to lean on. They were set to return some game-breaking talent in Dahrran Diedrick, and Jamaal Lord was expected to be competent at quarterback—even if he was inexperienced.

At first, it seemed, Solich had everything under control. Nebraska won their first three games with ease, but the road proved tougher and the senior presence on offense and defense became a glaring thorn in the side of the Cornhuskers as they began to completely unravel towards the end of the season.

In hindsight, Nebraska (Like FSU before them) may have also received an obligatory Top 10 ranking based on their glorious history. However, a 7-7 finish to the season proved a painful dose of reality for the many who wouldn’t dare to imagine a season in Lincoln with less than nine wins.

2003: Auburn Tigers, AP Preseason No. 6

The team entered the season poised to finally start receiving the national respect they wanted under coach Tommy Tuberville.

For his part, Tuberville was ready to start showcasing the pro level talent he had stockpiled on his roster; that included guys like Carnell ‘Cadillac’ Williams (RB), Karlos Dansby (LB), Jay Ratliff (DE), Carlos Rogers (DB), Devon Aromashodu (WR), and Reggie Torbor (DE).

He had a stable of talented tailbacks in Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Brandon Jacobs and it was expected that the Tigers would be able to use them to their ultimate advantage that season.

The team finished 2nd in the SEC West the year before and it was felt that a return trip to Atlanta was imminent if the team could 1) field a healthy Carnell Williams for the duration of the season, 2) keep offenses from picking apart an inconsistent secondary, and 3) beat some tough road foes in LSU and Georgia.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, USC and Georgia Tech didn’t care about their plans and Auburn lost their first two games of the season without putting up a fight.

Even though they would recover as the season progressed, the year was ultimately a disaster as the team ended the year at 8-5—finishing 3rd in the SEC West.

2004: Kansas State—AP Preseason No. 12

The Wildcats were hoping that the speed and elusivity of running back Darren Sproles would keep them in the hunt. Unfortunately for Bill Snyder, the Wildcats needed more than a healthy dose of Sproles to keep those Big 12 defenses honest.

Despite his 1,300+ yards rushing, neither the passing game (which sputtered mightily minus the arm and legs of Ell Roberson), nor the defense (which yielded 30+ ppg), was able to get going on the field.
The result was an ugly 4-7 season for Bill Snyder from which the team has yet to recover.

2005: Tennessee—AP Preseason No. 3

The Vols had plenty of talent returning in 2005—including nine guys on defense. The achilles heel, at least in 2004, was the pass defense. The thinking heading into 2005 was if they could right the secondary, and find an adequate replacement for the departed Cedric Houston, they would be fine.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to care that the Vols had an ugly SEC schedule that included road trips to not only Gainesville (UF), but to Athens (UGA), Baton Rouge (LSU), and Tuscaloosa (Bama) as well.

The team was talented, no question, but the schedule was brutal and the secondary was only marginally better than the year before.

Add the two together, and you have a team that was likely snake-bit from the beginning. They struggled in SEC play and failed to find any true playmakers on offense until the second-half of the season (Arian Foster proved to be a true find).

Their 5-7* record resulted in their first non-bowl post-season in more than two decades.

*This was their record as it stood in 2005. Alabama later vacated the win.

2006: Notre Dame—AP Preseason No. 2

Charlie Weis was expected to bring a title back to South Bend in just his second season. He, supposedly, had all the ingredients on offense to get the job done: An experienced leader at quarterback (Brady Quinn), a dynamic talent at running back (Darius Walker), and a sure set of hands at wide receiver (Jeff Samardzija).

The offensive line had some holes, and was a bit thin depth-wise, but it was still thought to be solid enough to keep the Irish offense chugging along quite nicely.

The defense, however, was a touch suspect—particularly in the secondary—despite the presence of Tom Zbikowski, Chinedum Ndukwe, and sophomore talents Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton. This was the one area that the Irish needed to shore up the most if they expected to be playing for a national title—if they could do that, the sky was the limit.

In the end, the title talk turned out to be for naught as the Irish lost to Michigan, in a blowout, at home, in their third game of the year. They went on to win the next eight games but a regular season finale loss to USC all but sealed any chance they had of playing for the national championship that season.

2007: Michigan—AP Preseason No. 5

The Wolverines finished the 2006 campaign in impressive fashion. No one was looking for them to end the year No. 2 in the nation, but they did, behind a suffocating run defense and a strong penchant for controlling the clock (No. 2 in the nation in Time of Possession).

They lost key players on both sides of the ball, including Steve Breaston, Leon Hall, Alan Branch, and LaMarr Woodley, but the bulk of their offensive unit (Chad Henne, Jake Long, Mike Hart, and Mario Manningham) was returning and they had enough playmakers on defense to make it through their brutal schedule—Shawn Crable and Jamar Adams were both back to play their senior seasons.

Most felt that even with the question marks surrounding their pass defense, the Wolverines would be able to get through the first half of their schedule relatively unscathed by using the home field to their definite advantage.

Sadly, for the Wolverines, their first opponent didn’t get the memo.

Appalachian State, a Division I FCS team, came into Ann Arbor and defeated Michigan on a last second field goal. They became the first FCS team in history to defeat an AP Top 25 team. It was an embarrassing loss for Michigan and, abrubtly, ended any shot they had at winning a championship.

The blowout loss the following week to Oregon added more insult to injury as the Wolverines ended the year 9-4—effectively ending Lloyd Carr’s coaching tenure at Michigan on a sour note.

2008: Georgia—AP Preseason No. 1

The Georgia Bulldogs were the hottest team in the nation at the end of the 2007 season. They finished the year winning six straight games, including three against ranked opponents.

However, a loss to Tennessee that season sealed their fate (nationally and in the SEC) and they were forced to settle for a spot in the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii—they won the game and carried high expectations into 2008.

The return of Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, coupled with the presence of a seasoned offensive line, made hope spring eternal in Athens.

The hopes lessened with a loss to Alabama, at Sanford Stadium, and ended with a stomping by the Gators just a few weeks later. Add in an ugly home loss to in-state rival, Georgia Tech, and you have a team that simply didn’t live up to the hype of being No. 1.

The Bulldogs ended with a 9-3 record—earning a Capitol One bowl bid for their troubles.

2009: USC—AP Preseason No. 4

If Oklahoma had not lost both Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham to season-ending injuries, they would easily be the team earning this distinction. However, their injuries likely played a huge role in the Sooner’s disappointing season. That said, the ax falls on the Trojans, who were ranked only one spot below the Sooners that year.

The Trojans lost eight players on defense, returning only three starters from the 2008 team, but no one believed for a second that Pete Carroll didn’t have more guys waiting in the wings to make it happen.

Even if the Trojans faltered slightly on offense, minus Mark Sanchez, there was no way they weren’t still capable of winning the Pac-10 with all the talent they had on their bench.

Pete Carroll’s reputation for churning out winners and reloading his team was a well known, bitterly appreciated, fact. USC was USC—things were going to be fine.

In reality, though, even the mighty Trojans were due for a fall at some point. There was just too much good talent gone and too little experience returning at QB.

The Trojans found a way to win against Ohio State but hiccuped early against a Washington Huskies team that was just starting to catch fire under former USC offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian.

Throw in losses to Oregon and Stanford (both of which were uncharacteristically gut-wrenching) and the team limped through the Pac-10 and fell out of BCS favor altogether.

Their 9-4 record on the year marked the first time in seven years that a Pete Carroll led team failed to reach ten wins.

(This article appears courtesy of The Lady Sportswriter—Check it out!)