LSU vs. Alabama: Where Did the Big Game Rank Among Games of the Century?

Well, it’s over. The “Game of the Century” is finished and LSU beat Alabama in one of the best defensive battles in recent history.

So now that we have pushed back from the table, patted our collective bellies and taken a last puff off a post game cigar how does this “Game of the Century” rank with the other most anticipated games in the history of college football?

Yes, despite the fact that a century consists of 100 years we have had at least a dozen contests billed as the “best of the best” in the last seventy years. It’s intriguing to discuss which contest was truly the game.

In the spirit of this line of thought the following slideshow presents 12 games “of the century” and ranks them from top to bottom in terms of impact and the actual quality of the game with a healthy dose of subjectivity thrown in for good measure.

12. 1945 Army vs. Navy

Just as WWII was wrapping up No. 1 Army took on No. 2 Navy in Philadelphia to close out the 1945 season and decide the national championship.

Though it’s hard to argue the impact of two undefeated squads facing off for all the marbles the contest itself lacked the nail biting quality of some of the others on this list with Army dominating the Midshipmen 32-13.

Navy finished the season 7-1-1 (the tie was a 6-6 thriller vs. Notre Dame in Cleveland) while the win vaulted Army to a 9-0 mark which was quite enough to claim the 1945 National Championship.

11. 1935 Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

Perhaps one of the earliest games actually heralded as “the Game of the Century” in 1935 was the first time the Irish and Buckeyes ever met on the football field.

Notre Dame was 5-0 coming into Columbus to face 4-0 Ohio State in a game where tickets purportedly sold for upwards of $50.00 which was no chump change just years after the onset of the great depression.

When things finally kicked off OSU bolted out to 13-0 lead which they enjoyed until the final quarter when the Irish reeled off 18 unanswered points (including a score with 32 seconds left to go) to win 18-13.

The loss was the only one of 1935 for the Buckeyes who went 7-1-0 and captured a share of the Big Ten title.  Notre Dame went 7-1-1 in ’35 losing to Northwestern and tying Army late in the season.

10. 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

Coming into their 1966 meeting Notre Dame and Michigan State were both undefeated and each shared either a No. 1 or No. 2 billing in the AP and UPI polls, causing ABC to declare the clash the “Game of the Century.”

The Spartans burst out to a 10-0 lead in the game which was matched by 10 unanswered Irish points, tying the game up in the fourth quarter.

The game ended with Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian dealing the ultimate “play it safe” card and opting to run out the clock and seal the tie rather than a risky attempt to move the ball and win the game outright.

The contest was Michigan State’s final of the year and after the Irish closed out 1966 by walloping USC (51-0 in LA) both teams finished at 9-0-1 and each was declared National Champion by an approved source.

9. 1987 Miami FL vs. Penn State

Undefeated No. 1 Miami met equally perfect No. 2 Penn State in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl in a game that was ultimately decided by turnovers.

The Hurricanes outgunned the Nittany Lions in almost every major statistical category but unfortunately this also included turnovers. Miami’s seven total (five INTs and two fumbles) TOs included a pick at the Penn State goal line in the closing seconds of the game as the Hurricanes tried to score the winning touchdown.

Penn State won the game 14-10 and their 12-0 record earned them the National Championship while the Hurricane’s mistakes left them holding the No. 2 slot in the final AP.

8. 1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame

In a true thriller in every sense of the word, the 1993 clash between top ranked Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame had it all.

The Seminoles were 9-0 coming into the game and hadn’t lost a game since falling to Miami FL in October of 1992 while the Irish were also 9-0 and just two games away from a perfect season.

After an up and down game Notre Dame had what looked like a firm grasp on victory with a 31-17 lead and only 1:39 left on the clock but after the Seminoles scored on a bizarre fourth and 20 play suddenly the issue was in doubt.

The Irish were forced to punt after three plays on the next drive and somehow FSU advanced the ball to Notre Dame’s 14 with only three ticks left on the clock which set up the final play; a Charlie Ward pass to a covered receiver which was batted down by a Notre Dame defender as an additional receiver stood wide open in the end zone.

The glow from Notre Dame’s improbable 31-24 win didn’t last long as the Irish dropped a game to Boston College the next week and ultimately finished the season 11-1-0 after knocking off Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

Florida State actually fared better after the loss and after winning out the regular season and capturing an ACC title the Seminoles beat Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl to bring home the National Championship crown.

7. 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame

In yet another meeting between No. 1 vs. No. 2 that was hyped to the gills, the 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame pitted the 7-0 No. 1 Black Knights vs. the 5-0 No. 2 Irish in Yankee Stadium.

Eerily similar to the 2011 LSU and Alabama squads the ’46 Army and Notre Dame teams’ had spent the season outscoring opponents by healthy amounts and holding foes to a few measly points.

Not only were the participants similar to this year’s edition of “game of the century” the outcome and play of the game itself were highly comparable as the two giants played to a scoreless 0-0 tie that couldn’t then be broken by modern overtime rules.

The tie was the only blemish on both teams’ otherwise perfect records and both Notre Dame and Army were declared National Champions by separate but credible sources.

6. 2011 Alabama vs. LSU

No. 1 LSU strode into Tuscaloosa this past Saturday evening for the most recent super hype bowl and six field goals and four misses later the Tigers went home with one colossal victory.

It’s difficult to completely put the 2011 edition of the “game of the century” into perspective because we don’t have the full measure of the season and the final results to gauge the total impact of the contest.

Regardless of what happens next, this battle of the trenches extraordinaire has already earned its high place among the dusty pages of the history of college football.

5. 1969 Texas vs. Arkansas

1969’s “Game of the Century” offering featured No.1 Texas at No. 2 Arkansas in yet another nationally pumped up “winner take all” affair.

The Longhorns and Razorbacks were both 9-0 heading into this season-ending extravaganza with the Southwest Conference crown and a trip to the Cotton Bowl in the balance.

Arkansas looked to be in a commanding position with a 14-0 lead going into a fourth quarter that featured 15 unanswered Texas points that iced the Razorbacks at home.

The loss earned Arkansas a trip to the Sugar bowl where they fell to Ole Miss 27-22 while the Longhorns triumphed over Notre Dame 21-17 in the Cotton Bowl on their way to Texas’ second ever national championship.

4. 1991 Florida State vs. Miami FL

In what was pumped as one of the most highly-anticipated regular season games in history the 1991 edition of Florida State vs. Miami FL pitted No. 1 vs. No. 2 in Tallahassee.

The Seminoles were 10-0 coming into the game and the Hurricanes were 8-0 in what was billed as a battle betwixt FSU’s potent offense and Miami’s stingy defense.

The game was a thriller and after going back and forth, Florida State was in position to kick a winning field goal from 34 yards out that would have continued their drive to the national championship.

What happened next was truly shocking and after “wide right” the Hurricanes walked out of Doak Campbell with a 17-16 victory and marched on to a National Championship that was secured by blanking Nebraska 22-0 in the Orange Bowl.

Florida State’s season spiraled further downward with a loss the next week to Florida but the Seminoles finished their 1991 season on a higher note at 11-2-0 after beating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

3. 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

In a Thanksgiving Day feast of No. 1 vs. No. 2 (with a side of cranberry log) it was defending champion No. 1 Nebraska visiting No. 2 Oklahoma for yet another chest of gridiron gold.

The game was back and forth with the Cornhuskers holding a narrow 28-24 edge going into the fourth quarter and after Oklahoma briefly took the lead 31-28 Nebraska submitted the final score of the game, icing the Sooners 35-31 with just over a minute left on the clock.

Oklahoma went on to beat Oklahoma State the next week in the annual Bedlam game and then trounced Auburn 40-22 in the Sugar Bowl finishing No. 2 in the AP.

Nebraska beat Hawaii directly following the “game of the century” and then dominated Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl capturing their second consecutive national title.

2. 2006 Ohio State vs. Michigan

In a clash of No. 1 vs. No. 2 that seemed almost too good to be true 11-0 Michigan rolled into Columbus to face 11-0 Ohio State in a season finale that was as every bit exciting as advertised.

After taking an early lead Michigan gave up 21 second quarter points and OSU led at half 28-14 but the Wolverines never gave up and the game finally ended when the Buckeyes ran out the clock with a narrow yet delicious 42-39 win.

With Ohio State punching their ticket for the BCS title game Michigan settled for the Rose Bowl which they lost 32-18 to USC.

The Buckeyes met Florida in the National Championship and were ultimately manhandled 41-14 finishing 12-1-0 and AP ranked No. 2.

1. 1967 USC vs. UCLA

In a situation similar to this year’s LSU vs. Alabama clash, the 1967 USC vs. UCLA meeting was yet another historic No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown for all the marbles.

And, in this case, the bag carried even more marbles with the conference title, a trip to the Rose Bowl and a national title (’67 was the last year the AP declared the national champion prior to bowl play) all on the line in this edition of masterpiece showdown.

The game itself lived up to its hype and the score was all locked up at 14-14 in a final period that featured a UCLA touchdown followed by a blocked extra point and then a 64-yard Trojan TD run courtesy of OJ Simpson followed by the extra point necessary for a USC victory.

The loss knocked UCLA out of the title conversation and the Bruins closed out the season with a home loss to Syracuse that took their record to 7-2-1.

The Men of Troy, on the other hand, won the Pac-10 and were awarded the National Championship before going on to beat Indiana 14-3 in the Rose Bowl.