50 of the Worst Moments in College Football History

Throughout the history of college football, there have been some plays, calls and moments that have elevated the sport to the popularity it has today.

On the other hand, college football has seen its fair share of ugly plays, bad calls and moments they wish never had happened. These moments have brought down players, teams and programs and have had a short or long lasting impact.

Here is a look at 50 of these moments that people just want to forget. 

Nebraska Goes for the Win

Late in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Tom Osborne's Nebraska team had just scored to trail Miami by one point. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, Osborne elected to go for it.

Nebraska came out and Turner Gill threw a pass that was tipped away from his intended target, Nebraska running back Jeff Smith. 

The missed two-point conversation cost the Huskers the game and the national title. 

Woody Goes Off

Watch as one of the ugliest plays in college football unfolds as Woody Hayes punched Clemson's Charlie Bauman.

A Fifth Chance

One thing that Missouri fans will never forget and a dark moment in officiating history is when Colorado is being given a fifth down at Missouri in 1990. Fast-forward to 3:00 and watch and count as Colorado gets some help.

The Bush Push

While it is rarely ever called, Notre Dame fans are still calling for this penalty. With time running out and no timeouts remaining, USC lined up at the goal line and was going for the win instead of the tie.

The initial quarterback sneak by Matt Leinart came up short, until running back Reggie Bush came from behind and shoved Leinart into the end zone.

Take a look and see how this play unfolded.

No-Fun Penalties

For the past few years now, there has been a growing trend to become more and more strict on player celebrations. 

One of the best parts of college football is the passion and emotion that these young men play with and as they continue to restrict them with their celebrations, things are becoming more dull by the year. 

Jake Locker vs. the Cougars

Need more evidence of the no-fun penalties? Check out this clip of one of the worst uses of the penalty. Jake Locker had just gone in for a score late and gets called for this. 

Butch Davis Agent Time

Butch Davis had a good run at North Carolina and was beginning to make the program relevant on the field when it all came crashing down in 2010.

When the NCAA started to investigate the program, they found cases of academic fraud, contact with an agent and more. The result of the penalties forced some key players to miss time and ultimately led to Davis getting fired a week before the start of summer practice this past season.

Departure of Mark Mangino

You won't like Mark Mangino when he is angry and apparently the former head coach was angry a lot of the time. 

Mangino was doing a fairly good job for the Kansas Jayhawks but his inability to get his anger in check when dealing with players or his coaching staff ultimately cost the head man his job. 

Blount Force

In 2009, Chip Kelly had just taken over as head coach of the Oregon Ducks and they had the unfortunate task of starting their season out on the road against Boise State. 

After losing a tough, low-scoring game, the Ducks were leaving the field when Boise State linebacker Byron Hout taunted Oregon running back LaGarrette Blount. Blount's response was a clean right cross that caught the college football world off guard. 

Blount vs. Boise State Fans

As if the punch after the game wasn't enough for LaGarrette Blount, things got even worse as he headed off the field. While Blount was heading to the locker room, fans started to get into with him, even threatening him with a chair, and it caused Blount to lose it again. 

2008 Boise State vs. Oregon

In a game between Oregon and Boise State, things got heated and the preview of the Blount punch was set in motion. Throughout the game, Boise State laid late hit after late hit and enraged fans. 

Appalachian State Stuns the Country

While this was more a dark day for Michigan football, the loss to Appalachian State was a bad moment for college football as a whole. Appalachian State walked into the Big House, matched the Wolverines point for point and blocked a last-second field-goal attempt to win the game.

Syracuse PAT vs. Toledo

People are still not sure how this can be messed up and yet it was. Syracuse scored a touchdown to go up two but when lining up to kick the extra point, the Orange missed and yet it was called good.

The extra point pushed the lead to three and instead of kicking for the win at the end of regulation, Toledo was forced to settle for the tie and ultimately lost in overtime.

Kyle Brotzman Brings out the Worst in Fans

Late in the 2010 season, Boise State was taking on Nevada and was struggling to close things out. After a late Nevada score tied things up, it appeared things were heading for overtime but a deep pass put the Broncos in great position to win with a field goal.

Unfortunately for Kyle Brotzman, he would line up and miss that kick and also miss another in overtime, which would eventually allow Nevada to win. 

After the loss, Brotzman received death threats and was called out all over the nation for his two field-goal misses.

Ted Ginn Broken Foot

It appeared like we were going to be in for a heck of a game between Ohio State and Florida as Ted Ginn Jr. took the opening kickoff the distance and put the Buckeyes on the board early. 

The downside with this play was that Ginn and his teammates got so excited that he actually ended up breaking his foot during the touchdown celebration and not playing another down in the national championship. 

Penn State vs. Michigan 2005

In an outstanding game in 2005, Penn State and Michigan were going back and forth and finally with under a minute left and needing a touchdown, it looked like Michigan would come up short. 

As their final-minute drive picked up steam, they got deep into Penn State territory. The controversy arose when a Michigan player got out of bounds and yet the referees put two additional seconds back up on the clock.

These two seconds ended up being huge as Michigan got a final play off with one second left. 

Lane Kiffin Snubs Tennessee

After being fired by the Oakland Raiders, Lane Kiffin landed at Tennessee and it looked to be a great fit. Kiffin embraced all of the Tennessee traditions and appeared to be their head man for years to come. 

No more than a year later, Kiffin saw an opportunity as the USC position opened and overnight made the choice to leave Knoxville and head out to Southern California. 

Marshall Plane Crash

In 1970, Marshall and the college football world suffered a huge tragedy. Returning home, the flight carrying 37 players crashed, killing 75 total people. It is a tragedy that was never forgotten and a movie would be made about it. 

Marcus Vick Stomp

In a game between Louisville and Virginia Tech, Marcus Vick pulled one of the ugliest on-field moves in a while. After a successful scramble, Vick got up and proceeded to stomp his cleat into the back of Louisville's Elvis Dumervil's leg. Take a look. 

Tattoos for Sale

Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State were sailing along in the 2010 season when things took a turn. Reports before the bowl game were coming out that Pryor and a few other Ohio State players had sold memorabilia for tattoos. 

The story eventually led to Pryor bolting for the NFL and the firing of head coach Jim Tressel for his involvement in covering it up.

Players Let into Sugar Bowl

Despite the fact that the reports about the tattoos and sale of merchandise had come out before Ohio State played in their bowl game, the NCAA still allowed Mike Adams, Daniel Herron, Devier Posey, Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas to participate and pushed their suspension into the 2011 season.

The whole situation showed how ticket sales are more important than following through on a punishment if you are the right team. 

Death to SMU

In 1987, SMU was given the death penalty and it was a punishment unlike anything college football had ever seen. 

On the back of testimony from former player Sean Stopperich, SMU was hit for major violations and the fact that they were already on probation made things even worse. 

In the end, the 1987 season was canceled, all 1988 home games were canceled, their probation was extended to 1990 and they could not begin recruiting again until the summer of 1988.

Southern Hospitality

Late in a game between South Carolina and Clemson in 2004, things got heated and then exploded. Watch as these two teams put a black eye on their programs. 

Frank Beamer Slap

Frank Beamer has had a tremendous career that is continuing at Virginia Tech. The only negative against Beamer occurred on the field with receiver Ernest Wilford. During a game, Wilford came to the sideline and had Beamer slap him. 

While Beamer continually apologized for the outburst, it is the one sore spot in a great career. 

Shapiro and Miami

Things are just getting started at Miami and you can tell they are going to get ugly. Nevin Shapiro is a booster of the program and is currently in trouble for a $930 million Ponzi scheme. 

To make things worse, Shapiro is also tied to providing Miami players with drugs, money, parties, prostitutes and more, and has been doing so for quite some time.

While the full extent of what Shapiro did is not yet known, this is going to be a dark period in Miami football history. 

Brian Kelly Saying He Would Not Leave Cincinnati

When the Notre Dame job opened up, rumors swirled that Brian Kelly could be a potential replacement in South Bend. Despite reports, Kelly continued to deny that he would leave Cincinnati. 

Days later, Kelly accepted the job at South Bend and is the current head coach at Notre Dame.

This is a growing trend with coaches who often up and leave a program without a warning. While players are forced to go through a transfer process, coaches continue to come and go as they please. 

Rutgers Injury

Every year there seems to be a big hit or explosive play where a player is injured and while they are all horrific, the injury suffered by Rutgers player Eric LeGrand was awful and has left him paralyzed. Take a look at the special teams play that did it. 

Nebraska Kick Win

Needing a touchdown to tie Missouri and keep their national title hopes alive, Matt Davison makes a remarkable catch. What ruins this play is the fact that it was an illegal catch due to the ball being kicked and yet it was never called. 

Pass Interference Extends Game

In 2003, Miami and Ohio State were playing for the BCS National Championship. On paper, this looked like a game that the Hurricanes should run away with but somehow or another, Ohio State forced the game to overtime.

After a Miami touchdown, Ohio State threw a final play to the end zone that was broken up but for whatever reason, a flag was thrown for pass interference.

The call extended the game and allowed Ohio State to win in double-overtime. 

Oregon Onside Kick

In a hard-fought game between Oregon and Oklahoma, Oregon had pulled to within a score when this crazy play happened. This is something that only video can explain.

Pass Interference Oklahoma

As if the onside kick was not enough, watch as Oklahoma fans are given even more reason to never want to talk about this game again.

Oklahoma Losing to Boise State

For the past few years, fans have had to deal with the argument that teams like Boise State, despite their weak schedule, should be allowed to have a shot at the national title.

The reason that this argument even had legs was due to a Fiesta Bowl loss by Oklahoma to Boise State. The game showed the college football world that these teams could hang with some of the nation's elite. 

Mike Gundy Goes Off

While everyone loves the soundbite "I'm a man, I'm 40," it truly was not a good time for Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State program. This sound is continued to be used but marks a dark day for Gundy, who lost control and lashed out at the media. 

UCLA/Arizona Fight

This past year, UCLA and Arizona were almost ready to go to the half and the Wildcats were laying into the Bruins. Before we could get to the half, the two teams had enough of each other and went at it. 

Rich Rod Leaves WVU

After almost leading West Virginia to a shot at the national title, Rich Rodriguez appeared to be in love with his job at West Virginia and had a true connection with his players.

At the same time, the Michigan job was opening up and once again, a head coach found a way to bolt his players and program for greener pastures. 

Wichita State

While the Marshall plane crash receives most of the notoriety, Wichita State also suffered the same sort of tragedy. In 1970, one of two planes carrying members of the football team crashed and out of 36 people on the plane, only five survived. 

Mike Leach Getting Fired

While there are plenty of cases of a coach just up and leaving a program, there are also cases of a program turning on a coach and doing so quickly.

In the case of Mike Leach and Texas Tech, both were showing promise on the field and becoming more nationally relevant. Just when things were going well, ugly stories about player punishment and a rift between Leach and Adam James led to the coach's firing. 

BCS Introduced

In 1998, the BCS was born.

The BCS has led to more controversy, skepticism and letdowns than any other championship in sports. While other divisions of college football are finding a way to have a playoff, we are currently stuck with this system. 

Todd Graham

Todd Graham will now be in his third position in the past three years and is really making it hard on himself and his program to recruit. 

In 2010, Graham was the head coach of Tulsa. He then moved to Pittsburgh and after declaring his loyalty to the Panthers, Graham left for Arizona State. 

Injury?

When Chip Kelly and Oregon went to a fast, uptempo pace, the Ducks started a new trend in college football and even in the pros. 

As Oregon went to a hurry-up offense, teams began to go down with a lot of one-play injuries. The purpose was to slow down Oregon, give the defense a minute to recover and then repeat later.

Here is a video of how bad it had gotten. 

Bobby Bowden Pushed out of FSU

When a coach had achieved as much as Bobby Bowden did at Florida State, most believed that he would continue to coach until he was ready to move on and retire from college football.

Instead, Florida State began to be consistently average and with Jimbo Fisher waiting in the wings as the coach in waiting, Florida State gradually nudged Bowden out and ended his time with the Seminoles before he was ready.  

Notre Dame's 1966 Title

In 1966, Notre Dame had a great run and went 9-0-1. They had some huge wins over teams like USC and Oklahoma but did end up tying Michigan 10-10. 

While this is a great season and would be one of the best in the nation, the Irish did not do as well as the Crimson Tide who went 11-0-0, and yet Notre Dame was still crowned as the national champion.

Fair Catch

While there have been plenty of violent plays on special teams, this play takes it to another level. In a game between Vanderbilt and Arkansas, Vanderbilt is back receiving a punt when things go awfully wrong. Watch this complete cheap shot that is delivered and resulted in an ejection. 

Kellen Huston

After a game between Missouri and Nebraska, Nebraska player Kelln Huston takes things to the next level by blindsiding a Missouri fan who was on the field celebrating. Watch closely as Huston delivers a nasty shot. 

Things Get Ugly in Florida

In a game between Miami and Florida International, things got heated up at the start of the third quarter. After a Miami player taunted the crowd after a score, the extra point turned into a full-out brawl. 

Reggie Bush off the Field

While the success that Reggie Bush had at USC was nice for the program, the result was not as kind. An NCAA investigation showed that Bush and his family had received gifts while at USC. The investigation led to major sanctions against USC and also led to Bush being stripped of his Heisman Trophy. 

Cam Newton Price Tag

During their national title run in 2010, Auburn came under fire as reports surfaced that their star quarterback, Cam Newton, may have sold his letter of intent to the highest bidder. 

Various people came out and said that Newton's father shopped around his son and was looking for schools to pay in excess of six figures for the services of his son.

While nothing was found, the NCAA did make changes to their rules to tie up this potential loophole. 

Jerry Sandusky

The former Penn State defensive coordinator put one of the biggest black eyes on the college football world when accusations of sexual abuse against children came out this past fall.

While the case has yet to be tried in court, this story was made even worse when reports came out that the abuse often took place in Penn State facilities.

Firing Joe Paterno

After the Jerry Sandusky allegations came out, the Penn State board of directors met and had a tough decision to make. Ultimately, the board made the choice to not only fire Joe Paterno but to do so immediately.

The firing caused an uproar around the campus of Penn State and is a move that will cause hurt feeling for years to come.

Joe Paterno's Death

Just months after being fired by Penn State, Joe Paterno took a turn for the worst and lost his battle with lung cancer. Ever since being fired, Paterno stayed out of the public eye and his death this close to his firing will continue to drive a wedge between alumni and the board.