25 Best College Football Games from 2014 Season
We just wrapped up one of the wildest and most thrilling regular seasons in college football history, 16 weeks of competition that seemed to never have a dull moment. Massive comebacks, (multiple) Hail Marys and memorable finishes made 2014 among the best seasons ever.
The addition of the four-team playoff contributed to the increased excitement this season, but that was only part of it. With only one team making it through unbeaten—yet seemingly being in jeopardy of losing nearly every week—there were no outright dominant teams or schools that avoided drama, which made for plenty of great games.
How many? Well, far more than we could fit into a Top 25 list, but we found a way to pare down the candidate pool and rank the 25 best games this season. The rankings are based on a series of factors, including impact on the national landscape, the way the games ended and the performances within those contests.
Think we missed one or two, or had the rankings all wrong? Be sure to let us know in the comments section.
25. California 60, Washington State 59
1 of 25
When: Oct. 4
Where: Pullman, Washington
For those who were still up late on what ended up being arguably the craziest Saturday of the 2014 season, you were treated to a record-breaking game between a pair of Pac-12 teams that would end up going a combined 8-16 and both fail to reach bowl games.
But none of that really mattered during the course of a game that featured 119 points (including 56 in the third quarter alone), 60 first downs, 1,401 yards and no turnovers. So, naturally, it would come down to a 19-yard field goal, which Washington State's Quentin Breshears missed with 19 seconds left, spoiling a record-setting night by Cougars quarterback Connor Halliday.
Halliday threw for an FBS single-game record 734 yards, breaking Andre Ware's 24-year-old mark with six touchdown passes on 49-of-70 passing. Not to be outdone, Cal's Jared Goff threw for 527 yards and five TDs.
Four players had 100-plus receiving yards, three being from WSU, including Vince Mayle's 11-catch, 263-yard performance. The game featured 123 passing plays and 43 rushes, with only three runs going for more than nine yards.
24. Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31
2 of 25
When: Aug. 30
Where: Arlington, Texas
A knock against Florida State's dominant run to the national title in 2013 was that, until the championship game against Auburn, it didn't face a very challenging schedule. Oklahoma State wasn't expected to be that much of a test, but at least it was a power opponent in a neutral site, AT&T Stadium, where the Seminoles' title defense could begin.
The nip-and-tuck game wasn't decided until the final minutes, when reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene to give FSU a 13-point lead with less than four minutes left. Winston was intercepted twice in the first half but finished with 370 passing yards and a thrilling 28-yard TD run late in the third quarter.
"We all preached it, but I do think they felt the pressure of being No. 1," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher told The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "Now I think we can relax and go play football."
Rather than relax, FSU would go on to have a season's worth of near-misses, yet still make it into the semifinals with a 29-game winning streak as the only unbeaten team in the country.
23. Penn State 26, UCF 24
3 of 25
When: Aug. 30
Where: Dublin, Ireland
There had been a few games during the week, but this overseas kickoff was the first official game of the first Saturday of the 2014 season. And it was a doozie, complete with an intriguing non-football storyline—an erupting volcano in Iceland threatened to cancel the game—and a down-to-the-wire finish.
Sam Ficken kicked a 36-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, as time expired to make Penn State coach James Franklin a winner in his debut. UCF took a 24-23 lead with 1:13 left on a six-yard touchdown run by quarterback Justin Holman, who came off the bench to rally the Knights from a pair of 10-point deficits before the Nittany Lions scored in the end.
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22. UCLA 42, Memphis 35
4 of 25
When: Sept. 6
Where: Los Angeles
Memphis was 3-9 last season, but the expectation was that coach Justin Fuente had the pieces in place to get the Tigers turned around in 2014. Though they lost this nonconference road game, how the game played out showed just how much of an improvement Memphis had made during the offseason.
The Tigers held a pair of one-point leads in the first half, then after trailing 35-21 entering the fourth quarter scored twice in 37 seconds to tie. This put a UCLA team projected by some to be a playoff contender on the ropes. UCLA would score the game-winning touchdown with 10:52 left on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Brett Hundley to Thomas Duarte, but the message was still sent.
Memphis would go on to finish 9-3, earning a share of the American Athletic Conference title for its first league crown since 1971.
21. Arizona State 38, USC 34
5 of 25
When: Oct. 4
Where: Los Angeles
A week after getting blown out by 35 points at home by UCLA, Arizona State had to go to the Los Angeles Coliseum with a backup quarterback who made several mistakes in that previous game. But Mike Bercovici looked as good as any passer in the nation on this night, throwing for 510 yards and five touchdowns, which included a stellar fourth-quarter comeback.
It also included one of the worst-defended Hail Mary passes in recent memory, as numerous USC defenders mostly stood flat-footed in and around the end zone as ASU standout receiver Jaelen Strong went uncovered and leaped up untouched for the game-winning 46-yard score on the final play.
Strong had 10 receptions for 202 yards and three TDs, the last getting dubbed the "Jael Mary."
20. Oklahoma State 38, Oklahoma 35 (OT)
6 of 25
When: Dec. 6
Where: Norman, Oklahoma
The rivalry known as Bedlam has a long history of great games and wild finishes, but in the last three years the series has upped the ante. Two have gone into overtime (after never before needing extra time) and the other involved a fake field goal by Oklahoma that kept Oklahoma State from winning the Big 12 title.
The 2014 version was another crazy one, with host Oklahoma leading by seven or more points for most of the game only to see the Cowboys wake up in the final five minutes. Freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph—making his second career start—threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Sheperd to get OSU within 35-28, then Tyreek Hill forced OT with a 92-yard punt return score with 45 seconds left.
Amazingly, Hill's TD happened only after Oklahoma chose to re-kick after OK State was called for running into the kicker on a punt that wasn't returned.
In OT, Oklahoma kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed a field goal but OK State's Ben Grogan did not, connecting from 21 yards out to make the Cowboys bowl-eligible and hand the Sooners their third home loss of the season.
19. Florida State 30, Miami (Florida) 26
7 of 25
When: Nov. 15
Where: Miami
In a season full of Houdini-like escapes for Florida State, this one might have been the most improbable. Facing a hot Miami team on the road, the Seminoles were down 16-0 early in the second quarter and 23-10 at halftime. The Hurricanes had a workhorse running back in Duke Johnson, a guy who could eat up yards and clock to minimize the comeback opportunities.
Yet when the final whistle was blown, FSU once again was on top, having scored 20 points in the final 19-plus minutes and holding Miami to a field goal to run its win streak to 26 games.
"That's how we're built," wide receiver Rashad Greene told The Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "At the end of the day, we don't panic, we don't point fingers, we don't blame anyone. We make it possible."
Freshman Dalvin Cook's 26-yard scoring run with 3:05 left put the Seminoles up, then Jalen Ramsey sealed the win with an interception with 39 seconds remaining.
18. Mississippi State 34, LSU 29
8 of 25
When: Sept. 20
Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
There were five teams from the SEC West ranked in the Top 25 to begin the season, but Mississippi State wasn't one of them. The Bulldogs were somewhat of an unknown quantity in a stacked division, but on this night they made their presence known by not only going into LSU's Tiger Stadium and pulling out a victory but doing so in somewhat dominant fashion.
MSU led 34-10 early in the fourth quarter before the host Tigers tried to pull off a trademark Les Miles rally, a comeback that came short when Will Redmond intercepted a Hail Mary pass in the end zone as time expired.
The game began the Heisman campaign for MSU quarterback Dak Prescott, who had 373 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns, while for the Bulldogs as a team it began an unprecedented stretch of winning three consecutive games against teams ranked in the Top 10. By the end of that run, MSU was No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history.
17. UCLA 20, Texas 17
9 of 25
When: Sept. 13
Where: Arlington, Texas
UCLA's Westwood campus is not far from Hollywood, but the Bruins' most movie-worthy script in 2014 was written when they faced Texas in a neutral-site game at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in mid-September. A cross between The Replacements and Rudy, UCLA had to rally behind a backup quarterback to hold off the Longhorns and remain unbeaten.
After Brett Hundley went down with an elbow injury in the first quarter, UCLA turned to sophomore Jerry Neuheisel to lead the offense. The son of former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, fired after the 2011 season, had 13 career pass attempts before that game, yet he was 23 of 30 for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
That included a 33-yard TD pass to Jordan Payton with three minutes left for the game-winning score, and after the clock ran out Neuheisel was lifted onto his teammates' shoulders and carried off the field.
16. Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21
10 of 25
When: Sept. 6
Where: Columbus, Ohio
After what transpired in Ohio Stadium in Week 2, it was hard to imagine Ohio State was going to be one of the four teams vying for the first playoff-determined college football championship. And combined with Michigan State's loss at Oregon and other poor performances by Big Ten teams, many experts were writing the league off altogether.
"The Big Ten is officially eliminated from placing a team in the playoff," tweeted Clay Travis of Fox Sports. "It is September 6th."
Ohio State was playing its second game with a redshirt freshman at quarterback, and it showed. J.T. Barrett couldn't avoid Virginia Tech's pass rush, getting sacked seven times while throwing three interceptions on 9-of-29 passing. Barrett had been the replacement for Braxton Miller, who suffered a shoulder injury in training camp and was lost for the season.
When the game ended, not only was OSU and the Big Ten basically left for dead but there was also plenty of talk that Virginia Tech might be back on the rise after a few down years. The Buckeyes ended up winning their next 11 to make the semifinals, while Virginia Tech would go on to lose its next two (both at home) and needed to win at Virginia in the regular-season finale to extend its bowl streak to 22 years.
15. TCU 37, Oklahoma 33
11 of 25
When: Oct. 4
Where: Fort Worth, Texas
Every team that seemingly comes out of nowhere to have a big season has that one breakout game, where it announces itself as a team to be reckoned with. For TCU, it was when traditional Big 12 power Oklahoma came to Fort Worth and left with its first loss while the Horned Frogs made their first major push toward a share of the conference title.
Behind quarterback Trevone Boykin—who had 395 yards of total offense—and a fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown by Paul Dawson, the Frogs announced their arrival while also slowing down Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight.
TCU would go on to post several more signature wins (as well as finish on the wrong side of an epic collapse) and share the Big 12 title to earn a Peach Bowl berth. Oklahoma lost three more games, all at home, after starting the season ranked fourth in the nation.
14. Georgia Tech 30, Georgia 24 (OT)
12 of 25
When: Nov. 29
Where: Athens, Georgia
In some future version of the board game Trivial Pursuit, there could be a question asking which team managed to take a lead in a rivalry game with 18 seconds left only to lose in overtime. The answer would be Georgia, which capped another regular season marred by odd losses by falling in OT at home to Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs took a 24-21 lead when Malcolm Mitchell caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Hutson Mason, but visiting Georgia Tech was able to get far enough down the field in little time to allow Harrison Butker to make a career-best 53-yard field goal to force overtime.
The Yellow Jackets scored first in OT, but had its extra point blocked. Yet that didn't end up coming back to bite them after D.J. White intercepted Mason inside the 10-yard line.
It was Georgia Tech's first win over Georgia since 2008 and only the second time in the past 14 meetings, and continued a breakout season that included a trip to the ACC title game and a bid to the Orange Bowl. For Georgia, the loss was as much of a head-shaker as the ones against a South Carolina team that went 6-6 and a blowout against an on-the-ropes Florida.
13. Texas A&M 35, Arkansas 28 (OT)
13 of 25
When: Sept. 27
Where: Arlington, Texas
One team had rocketed up the rankings after a power-packed 4-0 start, while the other was still searching for that breakthrough victory after nearly two years worth of SEC ineptitude. Yet on the field at AT&T Stadium, it was hard to tell which team was which with how tight the Arkansas-Texas A&M game was.
Dubbed the Southwest Classic—because both teams used to be in the old SWC before eventually coming together again in the SEC—it was a mix of old-school, grind-it-out football and new-age, uptempo play. There was also trickeration, with Arkansas punter Sam Irwin-Hill rumbling 51 yards for a touchdown to give the Razorbacks a 21-14 halftime lead.
Arkansas went up 28-14 late in the third quarter, looking very much like it would end what was then a 13-game SEC losing streak. But then A&M scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the last on a 59-yard pass from Kenny Hill to Josh Reynolds with 2:08 left to force overtime, and in the extra period Hill hit Malcome Kennedy on a 25-yard TD pass and then stuffed Arkansas' power run game for the victory.
That would be one of several close losses for Arkansas before finally breaking through in conference play, recording back-to-back shutouts in November and earning a bowl bid. A&M would its next three, eventually benching Hill despite his hot start, and finish 7-5.
12. LSU 10, Ole Miss 7
14 of 25
When: Oct. 25
Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
LSU's 2014 season had a lot of ups and downs, the product of a young team struggling to move the ball with replacements for another major batch of NFL early departures. But the Tigers' defense remained strong all year, never more so than when that unit helped end Ole Miss' undefeated run.
Sitting at 7-0 and driven by defense itself, Ole Miss was heading into the toughest stretch of its schedule but was hoping the consistent play of senior quarterback Bo Wallace would continue in this key road game. It didn't, as Wallace completed only 14 of 33 passes, yet because of the Rebels' defense they led 7-3 midway through the fourth quarter.
That's when LSU finally found its offensive groove, using a smashmouth run game anchored by freshman running back Leonard Fournette to drive down the field via 12 straight rushes before Logan Stokes caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Jennings with 5:07 left for the game-winning score.
LSU then shut down Ole Miss on a pair of potential tying or winning drives, the last ending when Wallace freelanced and threw deep (rather than go for a short pass to set up a field-goal try) and was intercepted.
11. Florida State 23, Clemson 17 (OT)
15 of 25
When: Sept. 20
Where: Tallahassee
The soap opera that would be defending champion Florida State's 2014 season had one of its biggest plot twists just before Clemson headed to Doak Campbell Stadium looking to avenge last year's home blowout loss.
FSU quarterback Jameis Winston, already under a constant microscope after an offseason that included a shoplifting arrest, was witnessed by numerous Seminoles students yelling out a vulgar phrase while jumping on top of a table in the school cafeteria just days before the game. Coach Jimbo Fisher initially said Winston would be suspended for the first half, then less than 24 hours before kickoff that became a full-game punishment.
This put the reins in the hands of sophomore Sean Maguire, who threw for 304 yards and a touchdown but was also intercepted twice. He hit Rashad Greene for a 74-yard TD pass to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but FSU was able to win in overtime after stuffing Clemson on fourth down and then getting a 12-yard TD run from Karlos Williams.
10. Oregon 46, Michigan State 27
16 of 25
When: Sept. 6
Where: Eugene, Oregon
The most highly anticipated nonconference game of 2014 lived up to the hype for three-plus quarters, with a pair of power-conference heavyweights trading haymakers before Oregon wore down Michigan State at home for the first resume-building victory of the season.
MSU scored 17 points in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a six-point halftime lead, upping the margin to nine early in the third quarter. Then Oregon—and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota—took over, running off 28 straight points to win going away.
"Marcus Mariota broke UO career records for total offense and passing touchdowns in the first quarter but saved his true heroics for the third quarter," wrote Andrew Greif of The Oregonian.
Mariota threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns and added 42 rushing yards. He connected with Devon Allen on a 24-yard TD pass and then found Keanon Lowe from 37 yards out for two scores in a 2:59 span late in the third quarter to turn the game around.
9. TCU 31, West Virginia 30
17 of 25
When: Nov. 1
Where: Morgantown, West Virginia
Computer guru Jeff Sagarin lists West Virginia's 2014 schedule as the 10th-toughest in the country, but in terms of home slates that sold tickets without marketing it was probably a runaway No. 1. That's because the Mountaineers ended up hosting four Big 12 opponents that were all ranked between fourth and 12th in the country at the time of their visit.
West Virginia went only 1-3 in those games, handing Baylor its only loss in mid-October. The Mountaineers nearly had another, though, if only TCU had not twice rallied from 13-point deficits.
Down 27-14 midway through the third quarter and trailing 30-21 early in the fourth, the Horned Frogs overcame a rough passing day from quarterback Trevone Boykin by turning to their run game to pace the comeback. B.J. Catalon scored twice in the second half to get TCU to within 30-28, then his three short runs ate up enough clock to set up a game-winning field goal on the final play.
Jaden Oberkrom nailed that 37-yard try as time expired, enabling TCU to keep alive its conference title hopes and remain in the hunt for the playoffs.
8. Alabama 55, Auburn 44
18 of 25
When: Nov. 29
Where: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
There was no kick-six, but there was still plenty of excitement from this year's Iron Bowl. There was also a heaping helping of revenge served up by Alabama, who managed to turn a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter into a runaway victory in the highest-scoring version of the series ever.
Amari Cooper continued his push toward the Heisman, likely cinching his invitation to New York City as a finalist by catching 13 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide gave up 630 yards to Auburn and its quarterback, Blake Sims, looked close to getting benched after throwing three interceptions, but 28 points in less than 15 minutes turned the game around.
The win locked up the SEC West Division and more or less guaranteed Alabama a spot in the playoffs, doing so in a way that once again humbled rival Auburn and knocked the Tigers into a tie for fourth place after sitting as high as third in the country earlier in the season.
7. Arizona 31, Oregon 24
19 of 25
When: Oct. 2
Where: Eugene, Oregon
On a list of most shocking results or biggest upsets of 2014, this Thursday night game would have ranked much higher. But the game that helped get non-West Coast eyes to look at Arizona is still deserving of attention because of how it set the table for what would be the craziest weekend of the season.
Underdogs by more than three touchdowns, the Wildcats weren't given much of a chance to win this game despite blowing out Oregon at home the year before. Yet it was Arizona that turned a 7-3 halftime deficit into a 24-14 lead after three quarters as a pair of freshmen (quarterback Anu Solomon and running back Nick Wilson) combined for three touchdowns in as many drives.
The key to the victory, though, was Arizona's ability to rattle Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. He had 276 passing yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a TD, but Mariota was sacked three times and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that sealed the Wildcats' win.
Oregon would get its revenge a little more than two months later, blowing out Arizona in the Pac-12 title game to get into the semifinals. Arizona would still make it to the Fiesta Bowl for the first time in 20 years.
6. Alabama 20, LSU 13 (OT)
20 of 25
When: Nov. 8
Where: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
In a series that includes both a national championship game and a game that went to overtime and had only field goals, this year's Alabama-LSU clash wasn't the greatest or worst edition. But it still had a major impact on both the SEC West and the national landscape, since it marked Alabama's last road game in a season that saw the Crimson Tide regularly tested away from home.
As was the case in three of its other four games played outside of Tuscaloosa to that point, Alabama found itself trailing. LSU led 7-0 and later had a 13-10 advantage after recovering a Crimson Tide fumble deep in their zone and converting it into a 39-yard Colby Delahoussaye field goal with 50 seconds left. Alabama had managed only 235 yards to that point.
But then Blake Sims and the offense woke up, moving 55 yards to set up a game-tying 27-yard field goal by Adam Griffith with three seconds left to force overtime. The drive was aided by a kickoff out of bounds by LSU.
In OT, Sims threw a six-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White and then forced LSU into four straight incomplete passes to end the game.
5. Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17
21 of 25
When: Oct. 4
Where: Oxford, Mississippi
It was a game that Ole Miss fans had circled on the schedule for months, a chance to knock off Alabama with its best team in years. ESPN's College GameDay had come to The Grove for the first time, pop star Katy Perry had become an honorary Rebel and the college football world was focused on Oxford.
Alabama and Ole Miss did not disappoint, providing an exciting game from kickoff to the final whistle that saw the Rebels earn their first win over the Crimson Tide in a decade. The victory was ensured thanks to a pair of huge plays, first Bo Wallace's 10-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Walton with 2:54 left and then Senquez Golson's interception in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining.
It was one of those "I remember where I was when" type of games, and for thousands of Ole Miss fans that place was on the field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Many of them helped tear down the goal posts and take them on a journey throughout the town, spending time in apartment complexes and eventually getting segmented into chunks of priceless memorabilia.
"To non-college football fans, the process of sawing a goalpost into 30 small pieces might seem barbaric and bizarre," wrote Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer. "To those who have felt the sweeping emotion that comes with program-altering victories—the kind of games that live on through generations—this unfamiliar scene hits closer to home."
4. Auburn 35, Ole Miss 31
22 of 25
When: Nov. 1
Where: Oxford, Mississippi
Even as the many superb teams in the SEC West had started to cannibalize each other, there was still a strong feeling the conference could get multiple teams in the playoffs even with a loss on their resume. But two setbacks? That might make it hard to reach the semifinals.
So that turned this game into an unofficial elimination game, despite Auburn and Ole Miss being ranked third and fourth, respectively. And like a game with such major implications, it went down to the wire and had a finish that was thrilling for one side and devastating for the other.
Ole Miss took a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter, only to see Auburn score twice to take a 28-24 lead entering the fourth. Bo Wallace would score on a three-yard run early in the fourth to put the Rebels back up, then the Tigers retook the lead a few minutes later on Cameron Artis-Payne's six-yard TD run.
The Rebels had three chances to win after that, but instead of triumph there was only heartbreak. Two drives ended with fumbles lost in the red zone, the most critical being when Laquon Treadwell ended up breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle as he coughed up the ball just short of the goal line.
3. Arizona 49, California 45
23 of 25
When: Sept. 20
Where: Tucson, Arizona
Throughout the 2014 season, the craziness of late-night games involving Pac-12 teams made it so that a common description of these games on Twitter was #Pac12AfterDark. No such contest better fit this moniker than the conference opener between Arizona and California that seemed like it was going to be a laugher heading into the third quarter.
Visiting Cal led 28-6 at halftime and was up 31-13 with 15 minutes left, only to see Arizona score 36 fourth-quarter points, including 19 in the final 3:30. Freshman quarterback Anu Solomon threw for 520 yards and five touchdowns on 47-of-73 passing, capping the night with a 47-yard Hail Mary TD pass to Austin Hill as time expired.
"We have two different Hail Marys, and we talked about it a little more this Thursday, and in particular where the ball should be thrown," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez told Daniel Berk of the Arizona Daily Star. "I told our quarterbacks it needs to be 5 yards deep in case it was tipped in front or a little overthrown, we can still score. That was about 6 1/2 yards deep, so Anu has to work on his accuracy."
It was one of several last-minute outcomes for both teams, with Cal coming up on the short end of too many and finishing 5-7 after going 1-11 in 2013. For Arizona, which went 6-1 in games decided by seven points or less, the victory was integral to it winning the South Division and earning a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.
2. Florida State 31, Notre Dame 27
24 of 25
When: Oct. 18
Where: Tallahassee, Florida
The move by Notre Dame to align with the ACC for a set number of games against the conference each season was met with mixed reviews when first announced, but those not thrilled by the agreement couldn't complain about one of the first matchups that would come from this: Florida State, the defending national champions, would welcome the most popular program in the country for a mid-October game.
And as luck would have it, both teams would enter the game unbeaten, just nine days before the first rankings associated with the College Football Playoff would be released.
Both teams had mercurial quarterbacks, with Jameis Winston putting up bigger numbers this season than during his 2013 Heisman run and Notre Dame's Everett Golson almost single-handedly leading the Fighting Irish to its 6-0 start.
All of that advance hype could have made this game unable to meet expectations, but in many ways FSU's victory managed to somehow exceed them. The back-and-forth game saw Notre Dame take the lead four times, only to have the Seminoles come back to tie it or move ahead not long after.
Karlos Williams' one-yard touchdown run with 7:39 left put FSU up for good, then it had to hold off Golson and the Irish one last time. Notre Dame got to the FSU 2-yard line, then appeared to take the lead on a TD catch by Corey Robinson, only to have offensive pass interference called.
"Any game that ends on a properly called offensive pass interference is the best," Bleacher Report college football analyst Michael Felder wrote.
1. Baylor 61, TCU 58
25 of 25
When: Oct. 11
Where: Waco, Texas
Anyone who predicted before the season that TCU-Baylor would be the 2014 game of the year either has a remarkable gift that could make them tons of money or got incredibly lucky. There was pretty much no way to predict a game pitting the defending Big 12 champ against a team that was 4-8 a year ago would top all others on a scale of excitement, intrigue and improbable finishes.
And with 11:38 left, it sure didn't look like it would end up being No. 1 on any list other than embarrassing home losses for Baylor. After quarterback Bryce Petty was intercepted for the second time, with TCU's Marcus Mallet returning the pick 49 yards for a touchdown, the Bears were down 58-37. The Horned Frogs had scored on runs, passes, on defense and special teams, and looked well on their way to a 5-0 start and the driver's seat in the Big 12.
But Baylor (and Petty) had other plans. The senior, who finished with 510 yards and six touchdowns on just 28 completions, led the Bears to three touchdown drives in less than six minutes to tie the game at 58 with 4:42 left. Then they stuffed TCU near midfield with 1:17 left, when Frogs coach Gary Patterson chose to go for it rather than punt on 4th-and-3.
Baylor capitalized on that to quickly move into field-goal position, setting up Chris Callahan's game-winning 28-yard field goal as time expired.
"BU simply made the plays that potential championship teams make when they need them the most to ruin TCU's upset bid," wrote ESPN.com's Brandon Chatmon.
Despite the victory, Baylor remained ranked behind TCU for much of the remainder of the season, and the Big 12's decision to crown co-champions because of a lack of a conference title game ultimately led to neither school making the playoff.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
