BCS Championship 2011: Where Does Oregon-Auburn Rank Among Best Title Games?
The 2011 BCS National Championship game is nearly upon us and we can finally find out who the best team in the nation is.
The BCS national title game has been around since the 1998 college football season. There have only been a few exciting games, but two of the greatest college football games have been played on the biggest stage for college football.
So how will the Oregon-Auburn game tonight potentially rank amongst the best national title games to ever be played?
13. 2001: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
1 of 13Oklahoma was undefeated in the regular season, going 12-0, and was ranked unanimously as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Florida State was No. 3 in the AP and Coaches' Polls, but it managed to get the No. 2 ranking and a berth in the BCS title game.
Oklahoma scored the only points of the first half with a field goal. The Sooners added onto that lead in the third with another field goal and they finally got a touchdown on a 13-yard run in the fourth.
FSU scored its only points in the game on a safety in the final quarter.
This is without question the most boring BCS title game ever.
12. 2005: USC 55, Oklahoma 19
2 of 13USC and Oklahoma were undefeated in the regular season and finished as No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.
The game started out close with USC holding a 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. However, they opened up things in the second quarter, scoring 24 points to Oklahoma's three.
USC added 10 more points in the third quarter and another seven in the fourth.
Oklahoma scored nine in the fourth quarter, but the game was already way out of hand at that point.
11. 2007: Florida 41, Ohio State 14
3 of 13Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in the nation after going 12-0. Florida, on the other hand, was ranked No. 2 after finishing 12-1.
The Buckeyes were favored by seven. They were led by Heisman winner Troy Smith.
The first quarter was close with Florida taking a 14-7 lead.
However, Florida had its way with Ohio State in the second quarter, outscoring them 20-7.
Ohio State was completely inept in the second half with the only points coming on a touchdown by Florida to seal the game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
10. 2002: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
4 of 13Nebraska made the BCS title game, but not without controversy. The Huskers entered their final game with an undefeated record but were absolutely demolished 62-36 by Colorado.
Despite not being ranked above the No. 4 spot, they were still selected to play in the BCS title game.
Miami, on the other hand, was 11-0 and had arguably the greatest compilation of talent on one college football team.
This really wasn't a contest, and Miami embarrassed Nebraska from the opening whistle. Miami scored 34 points in the first half while shutting out Nebraska.
Nebraska scored 14 points in the second half, and the defense stepped up, limiting Miami to three points, but the game was over before the second half even began.
9. 2008: LSU 38, Ohio State 24
5 of 13Ohio State was ranked No. 1 across the board after going 11-1 in the regular season. LSU was ranked No. 2 after going 11-2.
Ohio State started the game off with 10 straight points. LSU finally got on the board late in the first with a field goal to cut the lead to seven.
The second quarter was completely one-sided, as LSU scored three touchdowns to take a 24-10 lead.
LSU opened the third quarter with another score with nine minutes to go, but Ohio State finally got back on the board with a touchdown late in the quarter.
With 1:50 remaining in the game, LSU scored another touchdown to pad its lead. Ohio State quickly followed up with a score, but it was too late at that juncture, and LSU went on to win the game.
8. 2010: Alabama 37, Texas 21
6 of 13Both Alabama and Texas finished with undefeated records and were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively across the nation.
Texas lost its quarterback, Colt McCoy, for the game on the fifth play from scrimmage. The Longhorns still managed to build a 6-0 lead by the end of the first quarter on a pair of field goals by Hunter Lawrence.
However, Alabama crushed Texas in the second quarter, putting up 24 consecutive points to give the Tide a nice cushion entering halftime.
Texas finished out the second quarter strong with a 44-yard touchdown reception by Jordan Shipley.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Shipley had his second touchdown reception on a 28-yard pass play that cut the lead to 10.
Alabama finally found its groove late in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a pair of rushing touchdowns to give the Crimson Tide the win.
7. 2004: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14
7 of 13Both LSU and Oklahoma had 12-1 records in the regular season, but there was some controversy over the teams selected for the BCS title game.
USC was ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings, but it was No. 1 in all the other polls.
This was a classic battle of defense versus offense. LSU had the No. 1-ranked defense, and Oklahoma's offense was considered to be the most explosive in the nation.
The two sides traded touchdowns early, but LSU capped off the second half with a 16-yard touchdown run to give the the Tigers a 14-7 lead.
LSU's Marcus Spears returned an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter to pad that lead, 21-7.
Oklahoma responded in the fourth with a touchdown run by Kejuan Jones, but the Sooners failed to tie the game up, giving the win to LSU.
6. 1999: Tennessee 23, Florida State 16
8 of 13Tennessee was ranked No. 1 in the nation after compiling an undefeated regular season record, one of only two teams to do so that season.
Florida State was unanimously ranked No. 2 with an 11-1 record.
The first quarter was uneventful with no points being put up on the board.
However, the second quarter featured some exciting action. Tennessee built an early 14-0 lead, but Florida State responded to close the quarter with nine straight points.
The second half played out largely the same. No points were scored in the third quarter, but the fourth quarter saw the teams put some points up.
Tennessee opened up with a 79-yard passing touchdown to Peerless Price, but the extra point failed.
However, the Vols got a 23-yard field goal soon after.
Florida State attempted to mount a comeback, and it got a seven-yard touchdown run from Marcus Outzen. However, the Seminoles failed to tie the game up and send it into overtime, losing by seven.
5. 2000: Florida State 46, Virginia Tech 29
9 of 13Both Florida State and Virginia Tech were undefeated in the regular season with 11-0 records.
Virginia Tech was led by the electric Michael Vick, while Florida State was led by Chris Weinke.
Each side featured strong offenses nearly equaled by their defenses, and fireworks were in store for this highly anticipated matchup.
Florida State outscored Virginia Tech in each of the first two quarters 14-7. The Seminoles held a 28-14 lead by the end of the second half.
However, Virginia Tech mounted a furious comeback in the third quarter, scoring 15 straight points to give the Hokies a 29-28 lead.
Florida State finally got its bearings and demolished Virginia Tech in the final quarter by scoring 18 consecutive points to seal the game.
4. 2008: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14
10 of 13Oklahoma and Florida were the two top-ranked teams, each finishing the regular season with a 12-1 record.
Oklahoma was led by Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and had the most prolific offense in the nation.
Florida was led by a former Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow.
The first quarter was scoreless, but the two sides traded touchdowns in the second quarter.
Florida built on that lead in the third quarter with a touchdown run by Percy Harvin.
Oklahoma scored quickly to open the fourth quarter on an 11-yard pass to Jermaine Gresham to tie the game 14-14.
Florida responded with a field goal by Jonathan Phillips to break the tie, and the Gators sealed the win on a four-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to David Nelson with a little over three minutes remaining.
3. 2011: Auburn vs. Oregon
11 of 13
The hype in tonight's BCS National Championship Game between the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers and No. 2-ranked Oregon Ducks is palpable.
Each team has one of the most prolific and explosive offenses in the nation, and it's all but guaranteed to be a high-scoring affair.
Auburn will be led by its Heisman-winning quarterback, Cam Newton.
The Oregon Ducks will be led by their tailback LaMichael James. He won the Doak Walker Award and finished third in the Heisman voting.
There haven't been many great BCS national title games, but this has the makings to be one of the best, if not the very best. I, like many others, expect there to be fireworks tonight, and we should be in for quite a show.
Prediction: Auburn 37, Oregon 33
2. 2003: Ohio State 31, Miami 24
12 of 13The Miami Hurricanes were the defending national champions and were in the midst of a dominating run through the college ranks. They were riding a 34-game win streak, and they had one of the most stacked teams in college football history.
To give you an idea of how great the roster was, these future NFL players were on the roster at the time: Andre Johnson, Antrel Rolle, Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow Jr., D.J. Williams, Jonathan Vilma and Willis McGahee, to name a few.
Ohio State, on the other hand, started the season ranked No. 13, but the Buckeyes got through the regular season with a perfect 13-0 record, propelling them to the No. 2 ranking.
Miami was favored by 11.5 points over Ohio State.
The Hurricanes took the early lead by scoring a touchdown in the first quarter on a Ken Dorsey touchdown pass.
Ohio State responded with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead entering halftime.
Mike Nugent scored the first points of the second half for the Buckeyes on a field goal in the third quarter. However, Willis McGahee responded with a nine-yard touchdown run.
Miami's kicker, Todd Siever, drilled a 40-yard field goal with time expiring to tie the game and force it into overtime.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime.
In the second overtime, Maurice Clarett ran in a five-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes the lead.
Miami had a chance to tie the game with 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but the Hurricanes failed to break the goal line, and the game ended.
1. 2006: Texas 41, USC 38
13 of 13The stage was set between these two powerhouse teams at the 2006 Rose Bowl.
The game had everything, from the off-the-charts level of anticipation to superstar players—Reggie Bush (USC) and Vince Young (Texas) finished No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the Heisman Trophy voting—on both teams.
Both USC and Texas were undefeated that season, and there was no controversy over their selection to the BCS title game. These were without question the two best college football teams in the nation, and they exceeded the hype.
USC was putting its 34-game win streak on the line, while Texas had a 19-game win streak. Texas may have been the defending champions from the 2005 Rose Bowl, but the stakes were much higher with a national title on the line, and USC had a clear home-field advantage.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle with Texas taking a 16-10 lead entering halftime.
The two sides traded scores in the third quarter, but USC ended the quarter with one more to give it a 24-23 lead.
USC opened the fourth with an 80-yard drive that Bush capped off with a 26-yard run for his only touchdown of the game.
The Longhorns hit a field goal on the ensuing possession, but USC responded again with another touchdown.
From here on out it was the Vince Young show. He orchestrated a scoring drive and ended it with his second rushing touchdown of the game to cut the lead to five.
The Longhorns defense held up and got the ball back, stopping the following Trojans drive.
Young ran in his third touchdown of the game with 19 seconds left to give Texas a one-point lead. He ran it again for the two-point conversion to give them a three-point lead, which they maintained until the final whistle.
The game played out better than anyone could have expected, and it will go down as arguably the greatest college football game to ever be played.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
