The 10 Greatest Moments in Football: New Year's Edition

The 2009 football season was full of surprises, controversy, suspicion, killer upsets, and overtime thrillers. But that is old news that happened in the last decade.

This is a new year and a new decade that will be filled with new trends, new controversy, and new history.

I took the advice I was given, and broke my previous article into pieces, making this list easier to follow and more user-friendly. Be sure to check out the videos!

Beginning from the first of January all the way down to the conclusion of the Super Bowl, we look back on the greatest moments in football!

No. 10: Broadcasting the TCU Cheerleaders

On the night of the Fiesta Bowl, a Google phenomenon initiated.

I have always been a fan of TCU, but I never noticed how appealing the cheerleaders were.

As pointed out in my final power rankings edition, the best team from Texas was never determined. I feel the exact same way about the cheerleader debacle. Only we can all enjoy this debacle.

After many showings of the Lizards’ squad, we came to the realization that TCU looked better than Boise’s. We later found out after a thrilling slugfest, that Boise was slightly better on the field.

No. 9: Houston Texans Make History

Before we embarked on the NFL season in 2009, there were five teams left without a Super Bowl visit.

With the conclusion of this season, we have a new champion in the New Orleans Saints, and one less team left on this list of no-goers. The remaining teams are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans.

Of the remaining teams, Houston has the best road ahead and will more than likely be the first of these teams to make a visit, with the potential at hand.

A Pro Bowl Quarterback, one of the best Wide Receivers in the League, a solid O-Line, and a running back tandem that has a ton of potential, with the possibility of acquiring Ladanian Tomlinson.

On defense, the Texans have a great corp of linebackers, one being Pro Bowl rookie in Brian Cushing, with a decent secondary, and powerful defensive line.

The Houston Texans finished 8-8 a year ago, and were predicted to be a surprise team this past season. While Houston just missed the playoffs, they made history with their first winning season, and made their departure with a victory over the New England Patriots in comeback fashion.

The Texans were not just a run of the mill team, as they finished 13th in the NFL. As a result, Gary Kubiak kept his coaching spot intact and the league is starting to give Houston some deserving respect.

The Houston Texans look to be the first of the four remaining teams to make a Super Bowl visit and they may be the only one left to make a trip to the Super Bowl.

Houston could very well be the New Orleans Saints of 2013, if not beforehand. A bold prediction, but who could have seen Denver starting 6-0, and Cincinnati making the playoffs.

No. 8: UConn Makes Feel-Good Story

The season was filled with inspiration, excitement, sorrow, and passion for the Connecticut Huskies.

After a 4-2 start, Cornerback Jasper Howard was killed during an on-campus altercation.

For the next three weeks, things got more daunting, as the Huskies came up short against Cincinnati, Rutgers, and West Virginia, by a combined ten points.

But in late November, Connecticut got their swagger back, conquering Notre Dame in double overtime, crushing on the Orange of Syracuse, defeating South Florida in a thriller, and ending with a bowl victory over South Carolina 20-7.

No. 7: Bobby Bowden Leaves with a Victory

It was a tough season for Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles.

Tons of controversy and media coverage constantly surrounded the program, and it might have led to the rather sour departure of Bobby Bowden, that is until he left with a win.

During the stretch of the season, Florida State had to deal with the likes of Miami (FL), Clemson, Georgia Tech, South Florida, and Boston College. The Seminoles lost to every one of them, by 42 combined points.

Florida State followed their disappointing loss in Week 1 (to Miami) with a slugfest victory in the 4th quarter against Jacksonville State, where they had to take one to the house on defense in the final seconds.

In between FSU’s sloppy start and the three-game losing streak, the Seminoles met with No. 7 Brigham Young in Provo. No one was quite sure what either team could do, but it was sure to be an interesting game.

Shortly after the game started everyone lost interest. A smashing was unveiled, as Florida State cleaned the clocks of BYU, 54-28.

After the Seminoles’ 3-game losing streak, Florida State won 4 of their next 5 games, overcoming the Tar Heels in a tremendous comeback, surviving Maryland, losing to Clemson by two scores, beating Wake by two scores, and winning a thriller against N.C. State.

In the final week of the season, the Seminoles were faced with their arch rivals from the SEC—the Florida Gators in the Swamp. The game by no surprise turned out to be a landslide, as Florida State took a blow, losing 37-10.

A few weeks later, it was announced that Florida State (who ranked outside the top 40) would face the 16th ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia. What looked to be a blowout on paper, turned out to be a very close and intriguing game. Florida State came out fired up, with their coach on their shoulders.

The Seminoles had a shaky first quarter down 14-3, but they were resilient, and they took it one step at a time. The comeback was a team effort, as no one’s stats jump off the page. The Seminoles prevailed by two scores, 33-21. It was Bobby Bowden’s day, and he wasn’t going to be denied.

The team led Bobby Bowden to his 33rd straight winning season. The win capped off a 5-0 record in Gator Bowl play, and gave Bowden his 22nd bowl victory, the 2nd most in FCS History.

Bobby Bowden finished his career with a 389-129-4 record in his 44 seasons as a head coach. He is a well-respected legend and he will be sorely missed, and the last win will always be remembered.

No. 6: Green Bay vs. Arizona—Greatest Game Ever?

If you were one of the many fans who turned the station off when this game got out of hand, you may have missed the single greatest game in NFL History.

Perhaps it’s a stretch, but it certainly was a thriller, and without a doubt the greatest NFL game from the new decade.

Instead of writing an in-depth recap that would take up as much room as the average lengthy article, I saved both of us some time by providing this video for your viewing pleasure.

No. 5: Northwestern vs. Auburn—Cat Fight Ends in Overtime Thriller

This was the best matchup and most thrilling game of the entire bowl season. The Outback Bowl kicked off the New Year with a bang!

Even when the score seemed completely one-sided and it appeared to be over with, the other team would quickly fight back in bloody cat fight.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats the entire game, heck; I was standing up in my living room.

I predicted this to be a thriller, but I never could have predicted this game would have been unofficially won by Auburn 3 times!

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No. 4: Marcell DARE-US Eats Garrett Gilbert

The ball was on the Texas 37. Marcell Dareus dared the Longhorns' offensive staff to call a timeout with 15 seconds to go in the half so they could put together a last-second score before the half.

Dareus had already taken McCoy out of the game with an injury (though not on purpose), and on this play Marcell Dareus pictured the football as a turkey...and he wanted some giblet gravy!

No. 3: The Brett Favre Extravaganza

You either love him, or love to hate him. There is no doubting it, Brett Favre is one of the all-time greats, and he came out of retirement for the second time and returned once again to the 2009 season for a few reasons.

Revenge on the Packers. To prove "he still had it." And to rally his troops to the Super Bowl. While he didn't reach the most sought after achievement, Favre did show that he still had it, and he did get revenge on the Packers, twice.

No one is completely sure if Favre will return in 2010, but my gut feeling (like most) suggests Brett will make one last attempt.

This past season, Favre set career bests in completion percentage (68.4), quarterback rating (107.2) and fewest interceptions (7), while throwing for 33 TDs and 4,202 yards.

The Vikings (12-4) earned a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs, and Favre became the first 40-year-old Quarterback to win a playoff game with a four-touchdown performance against the Cowboys.

Who wouldn't like to see Favre playing at 50, like he did in the Super Bowl ad? If you didn't catch the ad, it was a great one, as Favre poked fun at his own situations.

But chances are you’ve only seen the cut version for the Super Bowl. Here’s the extended version that will keep even the most prestigious Favre-Hater laughing the whole way through!

No. 2: Boise State's Fake Punt

Head Coach Chris Petersen was faced with another tough call in the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. It was a 4th-and-9 on the Boise 33, and the Broncos put on their armor and took flight.

Gary Patterson already saw a fake punt earlier in the game, but Boise reversed their decision. This time, they didn’t let up.

Punter Kyle Brutzman connected with tight end Kyle Efaw for a 29-yard pickup in the open field!

The trickery led to Boise’s momentum and the 17-10 Fiesta Bowl thriller between the BCS Busters.

If you find my passion for Christ not tasteful, it's not my problem. You are not under any obligation to read any of the information. Many readers skip through slideshows every day, so if you don't like it, you don't have to read it.

"Listen, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves."—Matthew 10:16 (Verse of this piece.)

No. 1: The Saints Come Marching in to Perfection

It’s about time. The New Orleans Saints had their first Super Bowl visit in team history on Sunday, leaving the four others helpless to fend for themselves, not that it wasn’t ever that way.

The Saints were crowned Super Bowl Champs in the process, as they beat the powerhouse Colts, 31-17.

It was a night focused on the bets of how long the National Anthem would take, how many times Archie Manning and Kim Kardashian would show up on the tele, and the viewing of the highly anticipated Super Bowl ads, that companies and businesses ship out about a $100,000 per second.

In the summer-fall changeover in 2005, Katrina struck New Orleans with devastation. Some say it was an “act of God.” But I always tell people that doesn’t exist; there are certain things God doesn’t control.

It’s really about cause and effect. And on the night of February 7, 2010, Peyton Manning’s costly interception returned back for a touchdown was the perfect example of cause-effect.

Peyton threw it short, Tracy Porter was in the right spot, and there were blockers in front of Porter that led to the touchdown that put the game away.

Drew Brees and company were just the better team. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas put up their “A-Game”, the defense was relentless, and the wise decision making by the head coach turned the game over to a Saints’ victory.

Without a doubt, the Colts were a sensational team, but the Saints were the best, and let’s face it—they were the best team all season long.
We’ll never know how Favre would have played if he had made it to the Super Bowl, but case and point—he fell short.

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints—you needed it! And now Saints fans can finally back up “WHO DAT!”

We’ll never forget what happened in this game, and Drew Brees and company will always be remembered for being the Savior after Katrina.

I hope you enjoyed this article, because I know I loved writing it! Don’t be shy; let me know your thoughts!