Top 10 College Football Games That Had Divine Intervention

Sep 14, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; An Oregon State Beavers helmet sits on the field prior to a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon State won 51-48 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

2. 1985: Oregon State Beavers Beat Washington Huskies 21-20

Before Stanford-USC, there was Oregon State-Washington. The Beavers were 37-point underdogs in Seattle. But it was not just that they were underdogs.

It’s the play that gave them the win that signals divine intervention. Here, we’ve talked about blocked punts, Hail Mary passes, blocked field goals, onside kick recoveries, and improbable 4th down conversions when it comes to winning games.

But what about a luck of the bounce?

That’s what this was.

Down 20-14 with 1:29 left, Washington was going to punt and pin Oregon State deep. That offense would have to travel most of the field to score a game-winning touchdown, which seemed incredibly unlikely since it had not scored a point in the second half.

So, Oregon State did the only thing it could do. The Beavers blocked the Washington punt. Still, that alone wasn’t enough.

The punt was going into the end zone and about to bounce out for a safety. Should that happen, Washington still would have punted to Oregon State, and the Beavers would still have to drive the field to win it with a touchdown.

But the ball took a ridiculously improbable bounce on the way out of the end zone and went the other way, allowing for Oregon State to recover it for a touchdown.

See the highlights, particularly the punt, here:

That one lucky bounce to pull off what was at the time the biggest upset in college football history was enough to elevate the game up to this spot. That was clearly a divine bounce.

Next: No. 1 Ranked College Football Game That Had Divine Intervention