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Ranking the 25 best bowl games of all time

Hornius Emeritus

By Hornius Emeritus
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anacardo

anacardo 217

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Some great classics in the top 15; so much recency bias tho, especially from 16-25, that I'm inclined to say that the 'Football Bowl Association' polled a lot of millennial and younger staffers who are hardly deep-dive specialists into the history of this stuff and just started naming off games they could personally remember from the last 10 years that were pretty based.  

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orangecat92

orangecat92 306

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I think the 1980 Holiday Bowl was probably the first best thriller bowl game, so I would have put that one at about number four, just behind the 1984 Orange Bowl.   Need to go back and watch that one again.  The game was decided on the very last play I believe.    I like their first two.   1984 Orange Bowl was the best that had national championship implications I watched until 2002 Orange Bowl - Miami against Ohio State.  That one belongs in the top 10 as well.  2006 Rose Bowl - will never be topped.  I don't think we will ever see three Heisman worthy athletes in the same bowl game again. 

 

I remember watching that 1987 Fiesta Bowl and it was the most boring close game I've ever seen.  It was like a slow train wreck the whole game.  

 

 

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wood

wood 11186

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Glad to to see the win over Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl on that list. That game was damn near as good as the 2006 Rose Bowl, which is right at the top, where it should be.

I remember Lloyd Carr ripping his D's tackling after the game, then coming back later after film review and taking it all back, saying that the D had actually played well, but VY was just too fucking tough to bring down. That's what so many people didn't get about our offense under VY - it probably wouldn't matter how well your D played. The result was gonna be the same. It was like we were going out there with 12 guys.

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BornOrange1955

BornOrange1955 77

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I'd have to put the 1965 Orange Bowl on the list. Of course I'm biased. But stopping Bama cold at the 1 was sweet. Joe Willie was pissed. LOL. Funny the things one remembers. For those of you who don't know, we won 21-17. Only loss was a 14-13 defeat to Arkansas, which finished the season unbeaten. I believe Bama was ranked #1 when we beat them. Back then, the AP and UPI didn't vote after the Bowls.

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EastTexan

EastTexan 662

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34 minutes ago, Houtexjhawk said:

Only a few exiting bowls before 1980 when bowls were more meaningful.  Maybe the people who put out the rankings are all under the age of 40. 

Yea. I'm kinda old (not brat old) and I remember several damn exciting bowl games back in the 60's, 70's. But I can't remember which ones.

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orangecat92

orangecat92 306

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Just got me thinking about the best bowl game I watched with my dad.  We both sat in the living room and watched the 1982 Cotton Bowl, and I remember Brewer walking up to the line and calling timeout.  We both looked at each other and said something like "good, let's try something else".  We were getting killed and shutout by that 'bama blitz.  Kind of makes me compare the coaching philosophies of Akers and Brown.  Remember, Brown only succeeded because of "let Vince be Vince".  If Brewer hadn't gotten sick and tired of that 'bama blitz and called timeout, the famous QB draw would have never happened.  Sometimes coaches need to get out of the way and let the players play.  I hope Tom gets out of Sam's way in 20.   It could be something else.  

My dad is still with us, and we get to watch another bowl game together this year,  and I kind of think it will almost be comical, seeing if we can predict every play or not.  

 

 

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40751

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13 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

If you said to 100 college football fans "tell me who played in the 2016 Alamo Bowl", how many would get either team, let alone both?

Hell, I was there and couldn’t remember who played. 
But then again I don’t recall what I had for breakfast yesterday.

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wood

wood 11186

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1 hour ago, BornOrange1955 said:

I'd have to put the 1965 Orange Bowl on the list. Of course I'm biased. But stopping Bama cold at the 1 was sweet. Joe Willie was pissed. LOL. Funny the things one remembers. For those of you who don't know, we won 21-17. Only loss was a 14-13 defeat to Arkansas, which finished the season unbeaten. I believe Bama was ranked #1 when we beat them. Back then, the AP and UPI didn't vote after the Bowls.

So we beat Bama in the Orange Bowl but they ended up with a MNC that they still claim? Wow.

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Bama Llama

Bama Llama 1447

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34 minutes ago, BornOrange1955 said:

I'd have to put the 1965 Orange Bowl on the list. Of course I'm biased. But stopping Bama cold at the 1 was sweet. Joe Willie was pissed. LOL. Funny the things one remembers. For those of you who don't know, we won 21-17. Only loss was a 14-13 defeat to Arkansas, which finished the season unbeaten. I believe Bama was ranked #1 when we beat them. Back then, the AP and UPI didn't vote after the Bowls.

Yes, this was one helluva game and I agree should be in the top 25.  I was in the 9th grade and had only seen or listened to Bama lose four times in the previous five seasons.  From this game, I learned humility and not to celebrate prematurely..  I watched it at home with my parents, the first televised game I had ever seen IN COLOR, as NBC promoted it with the animated peacock logo.  My father was a tough old bird, played end both ways at Alabama in the early 1930s at 6'0" 178#, but he was no sunshine boy.  After two or three series, he declared that Bama was being whipped on both lines of scrimmage and "Son, we've got our work cut out for us," his way of saying we'll have to do better than this to have a chance to win

Namath, with a seriously gimpy knee, did not start but played more and more as the game went on (today he wouldn't even have dressed out).  Ernie Koy running and George Sauer catching and running both had big time 80-yard touchdowns in the first half.  Can't recall the name of the Texas qb but he was damn good.  I think Don Maynard was on that Horns team, too.  The great Tommy Nobis lived in our backfield all night. 

The halftime score was 21-7 Texas.  Bama's D played tougher and so did Namath in the second half, when Bama held Texas scoreless and added 10 points.  Late in the 4th, on 4th and goal at the 1, down 21-17, Namath, not the bench, not Bryant, called his own number.  In those days the players didn't prairie dog and look around for the call.  The qb called it in the huddle and the team executed it.  Joe ran a sneak over right guard, the ref on the goal line signaled touchdown and I immediately hollered and leaped up and jumped around yelling "We're number one!"  The pre-bowl rank didn't mean shit to me and still doesn't  Then here came the back judge from 10 yards away, waving his arms.  The refs went into a huddle, the first "fuck me!" ref huddle of my life.  The referee signaled first down Texas going the other way, and it broke my young Tuscaloosa heart to pieces.  And my buddies and me all learned a valuable lesson.

Namath came to the sideline complaining to Bryant that he had driven across the goal line with the football.  Bryant told him, "You should have gotten your whole ass over the line and eliminated all doubt!"  This one still sticks in my craw but the Horns earned the win and Bama didn't.  Tip of the "A" cap to the University of Texas and their nice SI cover later in the week.  Alabama did not win the title in 1964, not in my book anyway.

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alphahorn

alphahorn 1637

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1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

The 1964 and 1970 Cotton Bowls, along with the 1965 Orange Bowl...... for three more Texas was involved with.

Especially the 70 cotton bowl win over notre dame which came out of bowl season retirement to play us.  epic game for those of you too young

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DaysOff

DaysOff 7854

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Good list but not sure how the 2003 Fiesta Bowl (OSU over Miami in 2 OT NC game) got left out.  And, as mentioned above, the UGA-OU Rose Bowl.  Not only great games, but high stakes.
Because it was tainted by a referee deciding the outcome when he should've swallowed that flag.
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BornOrange1955

BornOrange1955 77

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22 hours ago, Bama Llama said:

Yes, this was one helluva game and I agree should be in the top 25.  I was in the 9th grade and had only seen or listened to Bama lose four times in the previous five seasons.  From this game, I learned humility and not to celebrate prematurely..  I watched it at home with my parents, the first televised game I had ever seen IN COLOR, as NBC promoted it with the animated peacock logo.  My father was a tough old bird, played end both ways at Alabama in the early 1930s at 6'0" 178#, but he was no sunshine boy.  After two or three series, he declared that Bama was being whipped on both lines of scrimmage and "Son, we've got our work cut out for us," his way of saying we'll have to do better than this to have a chance to win

Namath, with a seriously gimpy knee, did not start but played more and more as the game went on (today he wouldn't even have dressed out).  Ernie Koy running and George Sauer catching and running both had big time 80-yard touchdowns in the first half.  Can't recall the name of the Texas qb but he was damn good.  I think Don Maynard was on that Horns team, too.  The great Tommy Nobis lived in our backfield all night. 

The halftime score was 21-7 Texas.  Bama's D played tougher and so did Namath in the second half, when Bama held Texas scoreless and added 10 points.  Late in the 4th, on 4th and goal at the 1, down 21-17, Namath, not the bench, not Bryant, called his own number.  In those days the players didn't prairie dog and look around for the call.  The qb called it in the huddle and the team executed it.  Joe ran a sneak over right guard, the ref on the goal line signaled touchdown and I immediately hollered and leaped up and jumped around yelling "We're number one!"  The pre-bowl rank didn't mean shit to me and still doesn't  Then here came the back judge from 10 yards away, waving his arms.  The refs went into a huddle, the first "fuck me!" ref huddle of my life.  The referee signaled first down Texas going the other way, and it broke my young Tuscaloosa heart to pieces.  And my buddies and me all learned a valuable lesson.

Namath came to the sideline complaining to Bryant that he had driven across the goal line with the football.  Bryant told him, "You should have gotten your whole ass over the line and eliminated all doubt!"  This one still sticks in my craw but the Horns earned the win and Bama didn't.  Tip of the "A" cap to the University of Texas and their nice SI cover later in the week.  Alabama did not win the title in 1964, not in my book anyway.

 No one signaled TD. And Don Maynard played at UTEP. I believe we played two QBs in that game, Jim Hudson and Marvin Krystanik.

Yes, Bama claims the National Title for that year. Wow? Just like we claim the one for 1970 after losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Wow! By the way, Arkansas, which defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl that year to finish 11-0, also claims a National Championship for that season, and were voted such by the Football Writers Association, which only the people in Arkansas paid attention to.

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Bama Llama

Bama Llama 1447

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44 minutes ago, BornOrange1955 said:

 No one signaled TD. And Don Maynard played at UTEP. I believe we played two QBs in that game, Jim Hudson and Marvin Krystanik.

Yes, Bama claims the National Title for that year. Wow? Just like we claim the one for 1970 after losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Wow! By the way, Arkansas, which defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl that year to finish 11-0, also claims a National Championship for that season, and were voted such by the Football Writers Association, which only the people in Arkansas paid attention to.

I stand corrected about Don Maynard.  Not sure if you watched the same game I did but I know what I saw, even if I was only 14 and even if it was on TV.  The near side linesman clearly signaled touchdown and did so without hesitation.  Another player who was on the field for that play backs it up:  

https://rolltide.com/news/2004/9/7/Welcome_Back_Bama_s_1964_National_Champs_Return_for_a_Reunion.aspx

Tommy Nobis even acknowledged that the call could have gone ether way (see youtube below), but I do not dispute that the score will and should forever stand Texas 21, Alabama 17, world without end, amen.  A hard fought and well-deserved win, Longhorns.

You might enjoy seeing how Darrell Royal shows the very short distance the ball was stopped from the goal line in this grainy youtube.  As much as it still hurts, I had to smile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylofPt_dpxc

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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That 2001 Holiday Bowl was actually damn fun to watch.  We were still suffering from the CCG loss to Colorado.  And we looked horribly apathetic during the first quarter and a half (We didn't score until 5 minutes left before halftime), scoring 47 points in just a little over one half of football.  Applewhite and Derrick Johnson got the MVP honors and deservedly so, but I'd like to give a shout-out to a Longhorn who never got enough while on the 40 Acres, Ivan Fucking Williams.  He barely got any carries after the midway point of the season, after Benson became the Man.  I think Cedric (RIP) was injured for this game, but Ivan stepped up.  Only 79 yards, but they nearly all came when we needed him to keep Washington honest against Applewhite's aerial assault.  Major was another guy that stepped up in that game big-time after getting almost no reps the last half of the season.  But my hat is always off to Ivan Wiilliams.  

Anyway, to Ivan Williams.  My post-season memory doesn't go back  as far as many of you.  But I'd like to see a thread about lesser-known Longhorns who came up huge in post-season games for us.  I'd start with my first post-season Longhorn game, the 1996 Big XII Championship.  Holmes had been relegated well behind Mitchell and Williams, only 59 carries all season long.  but obviously we don't win that game without his workmanlike running game.  And Derek Lewis' catch obviously on the 4th down rollout.  Obviously Holmes goes on to a brilliant NFL career, but he and Lewis were 2nd/3rd teamers for much of that season.  Anyway, for another thread.  

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Houtexjhawk

Houtexjhawk 7

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On 12/19/2019 at 7:58 AM, EastTexan said:

Yea. I'm kinda old (not brat old) and I remember several damn exciting bowl games back in the 60's, 70's. But I can't remember which ones.

I guess to show my age, the first bowl I remember watching was the 1969 Orange Bowl between Penn State and, yes, Kansas.   Three times every half century, Kansas has a nationally relevant team.  John Riggins played on this team.  KU had a 14-7 lead late in the 4th quarter.   Penn State concerted on a long pass and eventually scored with less than a minute to play.  They went for two points to win, but were not successful, but KU had 12 men on the field.   Given a second chance, Penn State converted the two point conversion and won the game.  The next year KU finished the season with a record of 1-9.  

 

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utee94

utee94 15746

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6 minutes ago, Houtexjhawk said:

I guess to show my age, the first bowl I remember watching was the 1969 Orange Bowl between Penn State and, yes, Kansas.   Three times every half century, Kansas has a nationally relevant team.  John Riggins played on this team.  KU had a 14-7 lead late in the 4th quarter.   Penn State concerted on a long pass and eventually scored with less than a minute to play.  They went for two points to win, but were not successful, but KU had 12 men on the field.   Given a second chance, Penn State converted the two point conversion and won the game.  The next year KU finished the season with a record of 1-9.  

 

While PSU finished 11-0 but ducked Texas in the Cotton Bowl so received no share of the national championship.  Paterno ran his mouth about it  so we knew even way back then what an asshole he was.  Screw that guy.

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wood

wood 11186

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6 hours ago, BornOrange1955 said:

 No one signaled TD. And Don Maynard played at UTEP. I believe we played two QBs in that game, Jim Hudson and Marvin Krystanik.

Yes, Bama claims the National Title for that year. Wow? Just like we claim the one for 1970 after losing to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. Wow! By the way, Arkansas, which defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl that year to finish 11-0, also claims a National Championship for that season, and were voted such by the Football Writers Association, which only the people in Arkansas paid attention to.

Yeah, well, I've always thought that was stupid, too. Of course that whole non-system was a gigantic mess, but really probably not that much worse than the 'system' we have now.

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wood

wood 11186

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5 hours ago, Lobo said:

That 2001 Holiday Bowl was actually damn fun to watch.  We were still suffering from the CCG loss to Colorado.  And we looked horribly apathetic during the first quarter and a half (We didn't score until 5 minutes left before halftime), scoring 47 points in just a little over one half of football.  Applewhite and Derrick Johnson got the MVP honors and deservedly so, but I'd like to give a shout-out to a Longhorn who never got enough while on the 40 Acres, Ivan Fucking Williams.  He barely got any carries after the midway point of the season, after Benson became the Man.  I think Cedric (RIP) was injured for this game, but Ivan stepped up.  Only 79 yards, but they nearly all came when we needed him to keep Washington honest against Applewhite's aerial assault.  Major was another guy that stepped up in that game big-time after getting almost no reps the last half of the season.  But my hat is always off to Ivan Wiilliams.  

Anyway, to Ivan Williams.  My post-season memory doesn't go back  as far as many of you.  But I'd like to see a thread about lesser-known Longhorns who came up huge in post-season games for us.  I'd start with my first post-season Longhorn game, the 1996 Big XII Championship.  Holmes had been relegated well behind Mitchell and Williams, only 59 carries all season long.  but obviously we don't win that game without his workmanlike running game.  And Derek Lewis' catch obviously on the 4th down rollout.  Obviously Holmes goes on to a brilliant NFL career, but he and Lewis were 2nd/3rd teamers for much of that season.  Anyway, for another thread.  

Ivan Williams was a fucking badass.

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AUS-97HORN

AUS-97HORN 11682

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my memory of the 2001 Holiday Bowl is we are down 19  in the 3rd quarter and I am watching the game from my house in Kansas City (lived there 4 years at that point).

After Washington scored that TD to go up 19 with 4 mins left in the 3rd, my cell phone goes nuts as every single person who I knew in Kansas City calls me and leaves me a "TEXAS SUCKS" voicemail.    Easily 10+ VM's received in the next few mins after that score. 

then we kick the FG, score the TD, score another TD, score a 3rd TD, let them score , and make the final TD...... yeah lets just say that I called every one of those mother fuckers back in order

None of the bastards had the balls to answer their phones.   Fuk em.    Major and the boys did all the talking.

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