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Most Important College Football Game for Each Top 25 Team During 2016 Season

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John
Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John /

13. Louisville Topples Florida State 63-20 (Sept. 17)

Early in the season, it was hard to get a solid read on Louisville. The Cardinals had toppled Charlotte and Syracuse in their first two games by a combined score of 132-42. But given the level of competition they had faced, it was hard to verify any level of dominance. Thus when Florida State headed to Louisville in mid-September for a top-ten showdown, the game served as a referendum for which ACC Atlantic team would prove Clemson’s toughest challenger in 2016.

Louisville wasted no time against the Seminoles, scoring its first touchdown in less than three minutes on the opening drive and building up a 35-10 lead by halftime. Lamar Jackson vaulted to the top of Heisman charts with his performance against the FSU defense. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback finished the day with 216 passing yards, 146 rushing yards, and five total touchdowns. Meanwhile the Louisville defense held Florida State under 300 total yards of offense even though the Seminoles had four more minutes of possession.

The win lifted Louisville from 10th to third in the AP Top 25, and the Cardinals also moved from 10th to fourth in the Coaches poll. Even after later losses to Clemson, Houston, and Kentucky knocked  Louisville out of the running for the College Football Playoff and a New Year’s Six berth, this win assured them of a high ranking in the Top 25 and the school’s first Heisman.

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