Ranking the BCS National Championship Games

[BermudaSooner]

Here's my rankings, based on (objective as possible) entertainment value:

8th - 2001 Miami 37, Neb 14--Neb probably didn't belong there. Not contest from the start.

7th - 2004 - I can't recall what happened

6th - 1999 - FSU 46, Vtech 29, boring game

5th - 1998 Tenn 23, FSU 16, good game, but eh.

4th - 2003 LSU 21, OU 14, exciting to the finish. Dropped (tipped) pass in the endzone would have sent it to OT

3rd - 2000 OU 13, FSU 2, Noone expected OU to even compete. Great win for the big underdog

2nd - 2005 UT 41, USC 38, spectacular plays on both sides of the ball. Thrilling finish.

1st - 2002 OSU 31, Miami 24 2OT, 2 OTs, the PI call in the endzone. Fantastic game that the supposedly overmatched Bucknuts pull off.

I could be persuaded to flip 1 and 2--both great games.

[crawfish]

This year's game was the best ever.

[BermudaSooner]

This year's game was the best ever.

It was fantastic. The 2 OTs and the fact that a team I don't hate won tipped the scale for me to the 2002 game. I tried to be as objective as possible.

[PenFLSooner]

It all depends on your football tastes. Being a defensive minded guy, I have to put our Orange Bowl win either first or second. Basically we shut out what many considered to be the ultimate offense in the country that year. But, like I said, I always love to watch a defensive game. That is why I really, really enjoyed this year's Orange Bowl. There was some serious hitting going on in that game!!

[PenFLSooner]

I also have to add, living here in Florida, it did not hurt my feelings one bit that the cheap shot masters from Tallahassee were on the losing end both times.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Here's my rankings, based on (objective as possible) entertainment value:

8th - 2001 Miami 37, Neb 14--Neb probably didn't belong there. Not contest from the start.

7th - 2004 - I can't recall what happened

6th - 1999 - FSU 46, Vtech 29, boring game

5th - 1998 Tenn 23, FSU 16, good game, but eh.

4th - 2003 LSU 21, OU 14, exciting to the finish. Dropped (tipped) pass in the endzone would have sent it to OT

3rd - 2000 OU 13, FSU 2, Noone expected OU to even compete. Great win for the big underdog

2nd - 2005 UT 41, USC 38, spectacular plays on both sides of the ball. Thrilling finish.

1st - 2002 OSU 31, Miami 24 2OT, 2 OTs, the PI call in the endzone. Fantastic game that the supposedly overmatched Bucknuts pull off.

I could be persuaded to flip 1 and 2--both great games.

Excellent analysis. Only possible change would be switching #7 and #8. Also, my knowledge of the title games is fuzzy, at best, before 2000.

[King Crimson]

2003: i think we would have gone for two and the W had we scored.

[AllAboutThe'O']

Here's my rankings, based on (objective as possible) entertainment value:

8th - 2001 Miami 37, Neb 14--Neb probably didn't belong there. Not contest from the start.

7th - 2004 - I can't recall what happened

6th - 1999 - FSU 46, Vtech 29, boring game

5th - 1998 Tenn 23, FSU 16, good game, but eh.

4th - 2003 LSU 21, OU 14, exciting to the finish. Dropped (tipped) pass in the endzone would have sent it to OT

3rd - 2000 OU 13, FSU 2, Noone expected OU to even compete. Great win for the big underdog

2nd - 2005 UT 41, USC 38, spectacular plays on both sides of the ball. Thrilling finish.

1st - 2002 OSU 31, Miami 24 2OT, 2 OTs, the PI call in the endzone. Fantastic game that the supposedly overmatched Bucknuts pull off.

I could be persuaded to flip 1 and 2--both great games.

I dispute your claim that the Virginia Tech-Florida State Sugar Bowl title game was boring. The game was much closer than the score indicated and the Michael Vick-led Hokies actually led in the fourth quarter before Peter Warrick essentially took over the rest of the game.
Here's my BCS title game rankings:
8. 2002 Rose Bowl (UM-Neb.) - What we call going to the woodshed.
7. 2005 Orange Bowl (OU-USC) - At least OU scored first.
6. 1999 Fiesta Bowl (FSU-Tenn.) - Remember that FSU was starting a backup QB in that game.
5. 2004 Sugar Bowl (OU-LSU) - It's a miracle we were within striking distance late in the game.
4. 2000 Sugar Bowl (VT-FSU) - Had Vick led the Hokies to the win, it would have been like talking about Vince Young's performance last night.
3. 2001 Orange Bowl (OU-FSU) - A shutout would have been nice, but who's complaining?
2. 2003 Fiesta Bowl (UM-OSU) - Interesting how the fortunes of Maurice Clarett and Willis McGahee have been altered since that game.
1. 2006 Rose Bowl (Tex-USC) - One Vince Young was greater than all 11 players of perhaps the greatest offense in college football history.

[TJKDone]

Being a defensive minded guy, I have to put our Orange Bowl win either first or second.

You think your penchant for defense is the primary motivator here


Just glad, no more like in euphoric ecstasy, to see such subject matter on SoonerFans.com


Hook'em

[TopDawg]

Yeah, I'd bump that Va Tech/FSU game up too.

This game was very exciting, but I think looking back on it a few years from now, it will have lost some of its luster. No doubt this game was full of big plays, but it also had its share of bad ones. Multiple missed kicks, dumb mistakes, etc.

My recollection of the 2002 game was that each team took the other team's best shot time after time after time. Miami would make a great play (interception) and then Ohio State would make a great play ON THE SAME PLAY (Clarrett causing the fumble). Plus, the fact that it wen't to overtime just gives it some extra OOMPH. The Ohio State 4th down conversion. The (phantom?) interference call.

Plus, the decided underdog won. Not many people gave Ohio State much of a chance (most people thought they were lucky to even get there). Let's not forget that the talk surrounding Miami that year was very similar to the talk surrounding USC this year. Sure, Texas was an underdog to USC this year, but not on the scale that Ohio State was to Miami that year.

No doubt this year's game was exciting, but it's going to take one helluva game to beat out that 2002 game in my book.

[fadada1]

if by best you mean exciting because of an apparent shut down of defense in the second half, then yes, it was exciting.

now, if you look through crimson colored glass as i do, our win against free shoes u. was the most exciting defensive game i've ever seen. remember how hyped up that offense was - and how unstoppable they were all year. now THAT, is exciting football.





yes, yes, this year's was exciting (DAMMIT!!!!!!).

[TopDawg]

Oh yeah...I'm with you. In a lot of ways, I think the OU/fsu one was more exciting because you had this high powered offense going up against this shut-down defense and, for most of the game, that high powered offense was just one play away from taking the lead in the game and, probably, winning it.

While any "last team to have the ball wins" game is pretty exciting, to me it doesn't get much more exciting (and nerve-racking, in the case of the 2000 OB) than knowing that one team is just one play away.

[kelloggOUballa]

TJK u need to gone get the hell on.....you won the title congrats, I was on the field afterwards aren't you jealous? I even got one of the hats, and some of the turf....bet you wish you could have that too...anyway tho, see ya later, nobody really wants you here.

BOOMER SOONER!