Pac-12 Football: 10 Greatest Games in Conference History

The Pac-12 was established in 1915 and is one of the most premiere conferences in college football. With traditional teams such as USC, Oregon and UCLA, it's easy to see why this conference is one of the biggest and most exciting to pay attention to each season.

With all of the history this sport has seen and all of the great players that have come and gone, this conference has seen many fantastic games. We could talk about the great matchups all day and bring back so many memories for many college football fans. (Although I'm sure you don't have all day, and that's why we're going to keep it a little short.)

Here are the top 10 games in Pac-12 history.

10. Washington State vs. USC, 2002

Despite playing through injuries, Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser played a great game and helped give the Cougars a three-point lead late. He also put together a game-tying drive to send the game into overtime, after USC quarterback Carson Palmer put the Trojans ahead with less than five minutes left to play.

In overtime, USC kicker Ryan Killeen missed the field goal. That gave Washington State the perfect opportunity to steal the game, and that's just what they did as kicker Drew Dunning gave the Cougars the win by a score of 30-27.

The outcome of this game would eventually be the tiebreaker for who ended up winning the Pac-10, and it was the Cougars who were awarded a trip to the Rose Bowl (though they lost to Oklahoma by 20 points).

9. Arizona State vs. Washington, 1996

Arizona State had the game, lost the game and then won the game again.

The Sun Devils jumped out to a huge 42-21 lead, but due to a great quarterback and running back combination of Brock Huard and Corey Dillon, the Huskies somehow managed to tie the game up at 42 apiece late in the fourth quarter.

But Sun Devils quarterback Jake Plummer seemed to be too much for the Washington defense, as he eventually led Arizona State down the field for a game-winning field goal kicked by Robert Nycz.

This thrilling game was the first of the season for both teams, and Arizona State ended up running the table before losing to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, 20-17.

8. Oregon vs. Oregon State, 2009

The Civil War is usually always an interesting game to watch, but this was the first time the winner of the game was going to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. There were 24 combined points in the first quarter of this game alone, and it went back-and-forth throughout.

There were over 800 total yards in this game, and despite the Beavers having a 30-21 lead early in the third quarter, they were the ones on the losing side of things. Freshman running back LaMichael James rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks scored 10 unanswered points at the end of the game and ran out the final six minutes.

Oregon ended up winning the game by a score of 37-33 and earned a trip to the BCS Rose Bowl to play Ohio State, a game they would eventually lose by a score of 26-17.

7. Cal vs. USC, 2004

This game should be remembered not because it was a great game that USC ended up winning 23-17, but because it was the game where California quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed his first 23 passes of the game, which tied a NCAA record.

It was a tight game throughout, but despite the brilliant performance Rodgers had, it simply wasn't enough to overcome that great Trojans defense.

"Anybody watching this game knows we really dominated the game. We just came up a little short in the score," said Rodgers.

The three turnovers the Golden Bears had certainly didn't help California's chances of winning the ball game.

6. UCLA vs. USC, 1982

This won't be the first meeting between UCLA and USC in this article, but it was the most bizarre of the series. The Bruins were up 20-13 late in the fourth quarter, and the Trojans obviously needed to punch the ball in the end zone. Quarterback Scott Tinsley led his team down the field 66 yards for a touchdown, but that's when things got a little crazy.

Instead of kicking the PAT and tying the game to go into overtime, head coach John Robinson decided to get a little cocky and go for two. Tinsley ended up getting sacked on the play, and the Bruins ended up winning the rivalry game by a score of 20-19.

5. California vs. USC, 2003

Yes, another Cal vs. USC game—who knew?

This game had everything from an interception returned for a touchdown, to a blocked field goal, and of course, three overtimes. A young Aaron Rodgers led the Golden Bears to a 21-7 lead going into the half.

But you just knew that the Trojans would comeback, and of course, that's exactly what they ended up doing as Matt Leinart and company sent the game to overtime. 

In the first overtime nobody scored, they matched touchdowns in the second overtime, but when USC missed a field goal, Cal kicker Tyler Fredrickson made the most of the opportunity, giving the Golden Bears the victory by a score of 34-31.

This game looked like an upset back then, but if we knew Rodgers was going to be this great, we wouldn't have been so shocked.

4. Stanford vs. USC, 2011

This game may still be fresh in everybody's mind considering it happened just last year, but yes, the game was that good.

Two fantastic quarterbacks, 104 combined points and three overtimes—what more can you ask for?

It seemed like both teams matched each other score for score. Nickell Robey intercepted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck late in the fourth quarter and returned it for a touchdown. Luck then led his team down the field on a 80-yard touchdown drive in under three minutes to send the game to overtime.

They continued scoring on both sides, until USC running back Curtis McNeal fumbled the football and the game was over. Stanford won by a score of 56-48.

3. UCLA vs. USC, 1967

This game is considered the best out of all the meetings between USC and UCLA. The Bruins came into the game undefeated and ranked No.1 in the country, while USC was ranked No.4 and had an 8-1 record.

This contest went back and forth for the most part, until early in the fourth quarter Trojan quarterback Toby Page audibled from a passing play to a run on third and seven.

When you have O.J. Simpson as your running back, it's not such a bad idea. The result was a 64-yard touchdown run.

The Trojans ended up winning the close game by a score of 21-20.

2. Oregon vs. Arizona State, 2000

If you like to be on the edge of your seat throughout the entire game, this was the matchup for you. The Sun Devils had a 14-point lead with just over three minutes in the fourth quarter when Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington's passing touchdown cut the lead down to seven.

Oregon got the football back after holding Arizona State to a three-and-out, but the Sun Devils stopped the Ducks at the one-yard line, preventing the game from being tied. It looked like the game was going to end with a Sun Devil victory, but that was before Arizona State running back Mike Williams fumbled the ball, giving the Ducks the ball back inside the red zone.

That's when the Ducks scored, and the game went into two overtimes.

Instead of kicking the extra point after scoring in the second overtime, Arizona State faked the field goal—Todd Heap dropped the pass that would have won it for the Sun Devils, giving the Ducks a remarkable 56-55 victory. 

1. California vs. Stanford, 1982

You knew it was coming, as it wouldn't be right that any other game had this title.

Stanford was led by some guy named John Elway and the Cardinal went up 20-19 with only four seconds left on the clock.

Everybody thought the game was over, but California had other ideas, as they began lateraling back and forth until the ball ended up in Kevin Moen's hands and he walked into the end zone.

Did I forget the small detail that the marching band was also on the field and he had to run through a few people to earn the victory?

This game and single play will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in college football, and that's why it's No.1.