This year’s yet-to-be-completed bowl season has already seen its fair share exciting games. Contests such as the Michigan State/Georgia triple-overtime thriller, Oregon’s track-meet style win over Wisconsin, and Oklahoma State’s comeback win over Stanford top the list as best bowl games of the season, and we haven’t even reached the title match.
With that in mind, below are the best non-title bowl games of the past 15 seasons:
5. 2006 Sugar Bowl: West Virginia 38, Georgia 35—Rich Rodriguez was officially put on the national map after his squad hung on for this win. His Mountaineers, led by a freshman backfield duo of quarterback Pat White (952 yards rushing) and running back Steve Slaton (1,128 yards rushing) jumped out to a 28–0 lead just 16 minutes into the game.
But Georgia had a comeback in them. Behind a couple of long touchdown runs and a pair of D.J. Shockley touchdown throws, the Bulldogs pulled to within 31–28 late in the third quarter. Slaton, though held them off with a 52-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to push the lead back to 10 points.
After a third Shockley touchdown pass to pull within three points, West Virginia converted a daring fake punt on fourth down to close the door.
4. 2000 Orange Bowl: Michigan 35, Alabama 34—Michigan quarterback Tom Brady and Alabama running back Shaun Alexander both had clutch performances in this battle of top-ten teams.
Alexander scored twice in the second quarter to put the Tide up 14–7 at the half. Alexander would then add another touchdown run in the third quarter, but Brady rallied the Wolverines with two touchdown passes in the third quarter alone to tie the game up at 28.
Brady’s fourth and final touchdown—a 20-yarder to receiver David Terrell—put Michigan ahead in the first overtime. The Crimson Tide responded with a touchdown in the bottom of the first overtime, but incredibly, Alabama kicker Ryan Pflugner’s extra point sailed a few inches wide and the Tide lost by that margin.
Brady finished with 369 yards through the air while Alexander totaled 182 yards from scrimmage.
3. 2009 Fiesta Bowl: Texas 24, Ohio State 21—Colt McCoy put on quite a show in this back-and-forth affair as the Longhorns’ one-dimensional offense needed every one of his 414 passing yards (completing 41 of 59 attempts) to edge the Buckeyes.
The first half scoring consisted of only field goals as Jim Tressell’s squad held a 6–3 advantage to start the third quarter. But McCoy found the end zone twice that quarter, both through the air and on the ground to seemingly put the Longhorns in control with a 17–6 lead heading into the fourth.
Ohio State struck back though, with a pair of touchdowns and another field goal to go up 21–17 with 2:05 remaining—more than enough time for McCoy, who found receiver Quan Cosby in the end zone with 16 seconds left to win the game.
2. 2001 GMAC Bowl...
