5 Defining Games

Firmly holding to the notion that no good idea goes unstolen, here are my five most defining college football games of the past 10 years. This does not mean they are the most 'important' games in terms of historical significance. It simply means they are the five most defining games of the last 10 years in my college football viewing history.

5.
August 31, 1996
Southern Miss 11 Georgia 7
at Athens, Georgia

Reigning NFL MVP Brett Favre was an alum of Southern Miss, so I decided to tune in to see the Golden Eagles in action. Without scoring an offensive touchdown (3 field goals and a safety) Southern Miss upset Georgia 'between the hedges' on Labor Day Weekend my freshman year of high school. Although Georgia ended up struggling through a 5-6 season, this game is still memorable for the defensive lockdown the unheralded Golden Eagles put on the Bulldogs in their own backyard.

4.
October 23, 2004
Florida State 20 Wake Forest 17
at Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Of the five games on this list, this is the only one I attended in person. Aided by two defensive touchdowns (one interception and one fumble return), the Deacons and Seminoles were tied at 17 with under five minutes to play. Pinned deep in their own territory and facing 3rd and 10, Loerenzo Booker broke off a 46-yard run that allowed the Seminoles to march down the field and kick a 22-yard field goal with a little over a minute to play. A heart-breaking loss for my alma mater to be sure, but a thrilling game nonetheless.

3.
October 14, 2004
Miami 41 Louisville 38
at Miami, Florida

This Thursday night contest had it all. A huge underdog opening a big lead, a dramatic comeback, a special teams touchdown to change the game, and a score in the final minutes. If anyone didn't knww who Louisville was before October 14th, they certainly knew after this game. Stefan LeFors had an outstanding game, and had he not been sidelined with a concussion, the Cardinals may have pulled out the upset in the Orange Bowl.

2.
December 5, 1998
Texas A&M 36 Kansas State 33 OT
at St. Louis, Missouri
Big 12 Championship

Kansas State was the laughing stock of college football when Bill Snyder arrived in 1989. Less than a decade later, he had them on the verge of playing for the national championship. In the first season of the BCS, three teams were undefeated heading into action on December 5, 1998. UCLA, Tennessee, and Kansas State all had unblemished records. In the previous week's BCS rankings, Kansas State was the odd team out thanks to a soft non-conference schedule. However, earlier in the day, the Miami Hurricanes upset UCLA, so barring a massive computer logorithm malfunction, Kansas State would be playing for the national title with a win over the Aggies. Led by quarterback Michael Bishop, the Wildcats appeared to be in control with a 27-12 lead heading into the fourth quarter. One Aggie touchdown and a Bishop fumble later, and the Aggies had possession at the Kansas State 35-yard line down by 8. What followed would make me forever hate the man known as Sirr Parker. He caught a touchdown pass with a shad over a minute left, then caught the subsequent 2-point conversion to tie the game. On the final play of regulation, Michael Bishop uncorked a 54-yard Hail Mary pass that wide receiver Everett Burnett halled in at the 2-yard line as time expired. In the first overtime session, both teams kicked field goals. Kansas State got the ball first in the second session and kicked a field goal. The Parker once again halled in a short pass and turned it into a 33-yard touchdown than ended Kansas State's title hopes and relegated them to an Alamo Bowl appearance. To make matters worse, television replays confirmed that Parker was pushed out of bounds just short of the goal line. Since the Wildcats and Bill Snyder were my adopted team, I was heartbroken with the suddenness of their defeat.

1.
November 8, 1997
Nebraska 45 Missouri 38 OT
at Columbia Missouri

The infamous 'Kicked Touchdown'. Undefeated and top-ranked Nebraska was trailing Missouri 38-31 in the waning moments. On 3rd down from the Missouri 12-yard line with seven seconds to play, quarterback Scott Frost threw a pass towards the end zone intended for Shevin Wiggins. Wiggins could not make the grab and inadvertantly kicked it into the diving arms of Matt Davidson. The Missouri students even rushed the field mistakenly believing the game was over. It was not. The Huskers scored a touchdown on their first possession of OT and sacked Tigers quarterback Corby Jones on fourth down to preserve the win. Nebraska went on to win a share of the national title in Tom Osborne's final season.

My #1: The Flea Kicker

Well, those are my defining games, what are yours? And one final thing, to be a defining game, you have to have viewed a majority of said game, though not necessarily sober.