SI.COM CFB Top 10 Games of the Decade

• Little Danny

  

  OSU NC Game & OSU/Michigan 2006 make the list.
  UC/Pitt 2009 Makes the List as well.
  
  
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0912/all-decade.cfb.top.10.games.2000s/content.2.html
• gport_tennis

  that boise state oklahoma game was incredible. I dont think I'll ever forget that game or the ending.
• thedynasty1998

  

  Good list. I remember after the OSU National Championship game saying, "This is the greatest game I've ever seen". Then I said that again after the Cinci vs. Pitt game. Guess I'm not the only one who felt that way.
• rocket31

  which means best regular season game
  
  notre dame vs usc 2005
  
  the irrelevant irish were just one play from playing for the national title :[
  
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/magazine/specials/2000s/12/15/cfb-highlights-lowlights/index.html
• devil1197

  rocket31 wrote: which means best regular season game
  
  notre dame vs usc 2005
  
  the irrelevant irish were just one play from playing for the national title :[
  
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/magazine/specials/2000s/12/15/cfb-highlights-lowlights/index.html

  How did ND finish that year after the Bush Push? Surely a team that was one play away from the National Title would have dominated their bowl game.
• stroups

  

  Best regular season game was Arkansas vs. Ole Miss. 7 overtimes and 80 points in those overtimes combined
• rocket31

  thats all neat and stuff, but they would have been in the title game if they would have defeated usc. doesnt matter what the outcome would have been they would still be there.
  
  regardless, ohio state was the best team at the end of the year that season. how many first round draft picks did they have? a record of 5?
  
  nobody was going to beat ohio state during bowl season. that should have been a title year for the buckeyes.
• enigmaax

  stroups wrote: Best regular season game was Arkansas vs. Ole Miss. 7 overtimes and 80 points in those overtimes combined

  I hate how much the overtime rules can change the competitive balance of the game. I realize this was a lot of OTs and each team had to answer the call, but it was 17-17 at the end of regulation. Clearly the offenses were either not real spectacular or the defenses were pretty good, but because each team starts with the ball on the 25 yard line, suddenly this is a wild, high-scoring shootout - and thats what people remember. Add the fact that there really wasn't much at stake and I'd say this ranking is a little high.
  
  My list (based only off the games offered in the original link) would probably be:
  1. OSU-Miami
  2. Texas-USC
  3. USC-Notre Dame
  4. Texas Tech-Texas
  5. Boise State-Oklahoma
  
  A National Championship that comes down to the last possession will virtually always be better and more important than any other game that goes to the wire. The next two had major impacts on the title race and a few players' legacies. All four of those games had legendary moments and names everyone will remember years from now.
  
  The Boise game isn't a bad choice as #1, but the fact that it was "just" a bowl game (meaning it had no impact on the title) is why I dropped it a little bit. I know Boise State had that whole underdog thing going in, but Utah had already broken the barrier for BCS wins by a mid-major. Most people ended up hearing about the result (8.4 rating, compared to 21.7 for the Texas-USC game) which takes away from the aura a little bit.
• TBone14

  

  thedynasty1998 wrote: Good list. I remember after the OSU National Championship game saying, "This is the greatest game I've ever seen". Then I said that again after the Cinci vs. Pitt game. Guess I'm not the only one who felt that way.

  That was great..would have been even better had Texas fallen and that ending would have put Cincy the championship game.
• sjmvsfscs08

  I went to the 2006 Ohio State-Michigan game. That atmosphere was nothing short of amazing.
  
  Also, the 2005 Notre Dame-Southern Cal game is the best game I ever watched. And Ohio State was the best team in the country in 2005, The fact that Notre Dame kept the game close means they were fairly solid that year. Ohio State would've beaten Texas or Southern Cal in a bowl game that season. If fuckhead Troy Smith didn't get suspended in 2004 the Buckeyes would've won a National Championship that season.
• Tiernan

  Finally SJM...etc and I agree on something, yes TS was a fuckhead and actually cost TOSU two NCs back to back. Worse Heisman pick of all time.
• jhay78

  

  rocket31 wrote: thats all neat and stuff, but they would have been in the title game if they would have defeated usc. doesnt matter what the outcome would have been they would still be there.
  
  regardless, ohio state was the best team at the end of the year that season. how many first round draft picks did they have? a record of 5?
  
  nobody was going to beat ohio state during bowl season. that should have been a title year for the buckeyes.

  Great point. Imagine if ND had beaten USC, and Ohio State had beaten Texas (which they had like 10 chances to put that game away).
• killer_ewok

  

  Good list.
• cats gone wild

  This list is missing some HUGE games.
  The comeback wins of Mich. St vs. Northwestern, and the bowl game comeback of Texas tech vs. Minnesota should be up there. I believe both were in 06 and the biggest comebacks in reg season and bowl games ever.
  02 LSU vs. Kentucky hail Mary
  Iowa vs. LSU 05 bowl game
  LSU vs. Ark, Auburn, and UK in 07 (to go along with the Florida game)
  
  Sorry for LSU bias
  
  And others as mentioned,
  Boise/OK
  OSU/Miami
  Tex/USC
  USC/ND
• Mohican00

  

  stroups wrote: Best regular season game was Arkansas vs. Ole Miss. 7 overtimes and 80 points in those overtimes combined

  I remember turning that game on just as regulation concluded and watching the next 7 OT's in awe. Not the best game of the past 10 years IMO, but certainly deserves a top 10 listing.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  These lists seem to juggle based on time gone by and fading memory.
  
  When you consider what was at stake (a national title) and who was playing (a defending champ with a 34 game winning streak against a 2 touchdown underdog), you almost have to say the OSU-Miami game was the greatest of the BCS era. It was pretty darn terrific, even without the OT.
  
  Personally, I'd put the USC-Texas game second, simply because Vince Young was so unbelievable in that game.
  
  And how does OSU-Miami not make the top upsets for the 2000s?
• ytownfootball

  

  This list seems to favor a lot of offense and not much defense (not all). Fun to watch but not a lot of balance.
• stroups

  

  Mohican00 wrote:

  stroups wrote: Best regular season game was Arkansas vs. Ole Miss. 7 overtimes and 80 points in those overtimes combined

  I remember turning that game on just as regulation concluded and watching the next 7 OT's in awe. Not the best game of the past 10 years IMO, but certainly deserves a top 10 listing.

  I just remember sitting and watching the whole thing on the edge of my seat. It was 2 teams that I could care less about but it was an amazing game.
• DaBrowns41

  It's so good to see that UM/NW game on there. I remember going with to meet new cousins I had never met before and they had the game on, and I couldn't concentrate on anything but as to how bad I wanted Michigan to lose.
  
  I miss Damien Anderson and Zak Kustok.
  
  I think this list is very accurate. Although the Florida/LSU of 2008 wasn't really that exciting, TBH.