Rose Bowl: Top 5 greatest games in college football history

[fs_video id="5697193410001" source="si"]rn The 2018 Rose Bowl between Oklahoma and Georgia was one of the best games of the year. What're the top five Rose Bowls ever? rnIt's no secret that the Rose Bowl is one of the most sacred events in all of American sports, dating back to the first Rose Bowl game in 1902 between the Stanford Cardinal and the Michigan Wolverines. Throughout the course of time there have been a select few that make seemingly regular trips to Pasadena, teams such as USC, Michigan, Washington, Stanford and Ohio State have all made 14 or more trips to "The Granddaddy of Them All".rnrnEvery once in a while, teams from outside the Pac-12 and the Big Ten find themselves smelling the roses. Alabama leads all non-tie in appearances with six, their last coming in 1946. Then there are the schools have become lost in the history of the game. Washington &amp; Jefferson College made one appearance back in 1922 and Ivy League schools such as Brown, Penn, Harvard and Columbia have all traveled to Pasadena for the annual game.rnrnBut among all of these teams that have appeared in this college football tradition, which of them have made for some of the most memorable games in the bowl's 104 year history? Here's what the list looks like.rnrn[nextslide teaser="5. 1998 Rose Bowl" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_125460" align="alignnone" width="3000"] PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Michigan Wolverines fan, Steve Terry, stands at the entrance to the Rose Bowl prior to the game against the USC Trojans on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 5. 1998 Rose Bowl: No. 1 Michigan 21, No. 8 Washington State 16 rnIt was a game littered with memorable college football talent. Michigan came into the game with a perfect 11-0 record and a shot at the school's first national championship since 1948. The Wolverines were led by Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Charles Woodson, who had become a two-way star in Ann Arbor. Washington State was making its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1931, a 67-year absence. The Cougars were led by future No. 2 pick Ryan Leaf at quarterback, who had finished as a finalist for the Heisman along with Woodson.rnrnIt was a tight affair the entire way through, Charles Woodson came up with a momentum shifting interception on Washington State's second offensive drive after the Cougars had marched down and scored on their first drive. Woodson continued to make his presence felt, as he made plays on the offensive side of the ball, including a busted gadget play where he picked up a first down, leading to the game-sealing field goal.rnrnThe game did end with controversy however as the Cougars had appeared to spike the ball prior to time expiring in the ballgame, however the clock struck 0:00 and there was no way to review the time as instant replay review was not present in 1998. In the end Michigan claimed a share of the national title along with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the last national championship won by a Michigan team.rnrn[nextslide teaser="4. 1980 Rose Bowl" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_125454" align="aligncenter" width="3000"] PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: A general view during the national anthem before the 96th Rose Bowl game between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 1, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 4. 1980 Rose Bowl: No. 3 USC 17, No. 1 Ohio State 16 rnA matchup of college football royalty in the 1980 version of the Rose Bowl showcased one of the most dramatic finishes in the game's history. The Ohio State Buckeyes were led by first-year head coach Earle Bruce and sophomore quarterback Art Schlichter and finished the regular season 11-0 and outright champions of the Big Ten. USC was led by coach John Robinson and future NFL stars such as Marcus Allen, Anthony Munoz, Keith Van Horne, Ronnie Lott and Heisman Trophy-winner Charles White.rnrnIt was a battle for the entire 60-minute contest, Ohio State kicker Valde Janakievski hit three crucial field goals to keep Ohio State in the driver's seat. A 67-yard TD pass from Art Schlichter to Calvin Murray gave Ohio State a 16-10 advantage deep into the fourth quarter when USC went on a drive for the ages, with Charles White engineering 71 yards rushing, including the game-winning touchdown with over a minute to go to stun the #1 Buckeyes. White finished the game with a Rose Bowl record 247 yards rushing.rn rnrnThe win gave USC their fourth national championship of the decade and cemented the 1970's USC Trojans status as a premier dynasty in the history of college football.rnrn[nextslide teaser="3. 1997 Rose Bowl" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn rn 3. 1997 Rose Bowl: No. 4 Ohio State 20, No. 2 Arizona State 17 rnLeading one of the most famous drives in recent college football history, quarterback Joe Germaine led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a stunning 20-17 win over No. 2 Arizona State, denying the Sun Devils any possible shot of a national championship. The Buckeyes were led by Germaine, receiver David Boston and future Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Orlando Pace. Ohio State was co-champions of the Big Ten along with Northwestern, but the Buckeyes 10-1 record led them to be chosen to go to Pasadena.rnrnArizona State came into the Rose Bowl with an 11-0 record and outright champions of the Pac-10. The Sun Devils were led by coach Bruce Snyder and Heisman Trophy finalist Jake "The Snake" Plummer at quarterback. The Sun Devils regular season was highlighted by ending Nebraska's 26-game winning streak at home.rnrnThe Buckeyes struck first with a Stanley Jackson touchdown pass to David Boston, but was quickly matched by Arizona State on a touchdown pass from Jake Plummer to Ricky Boyer.rn rnrnThe teams traded points again until Ohio State got the ball back with 1:47 left, and Joe Germaine cemented his place in Buckeye lore with his touchdown pass to David Boston with 19 seconds left to stun Arizona State.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2. 1963 Rose Bowl" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_124147" align="aligncenter" width="5568"] (Photo by Tournament of Roses - Pool/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 2. 1963 Rose Bowl: No. 1 USC 42, No. 2 Wisconsin 37 rnThe 1963 Rose Bowl became the first matchup between a No. 1 versus No. 2 team in College Football bowl history. USC, the champions of the AAWU (Athletic Association of Western Universities), came in with an unblemished 11-0 record under coach John McKay and the play of quarterback Pete Beathard. The Wisconsin Badgers entered the game with an 8-1 record and outright champions of the Big Ten, led by quarterback Ron Vander Kelen and tight end Pat Richter.rnrnThis game was a record-setting day in the history of the Rose Bowl as 11 records were set, mostly passing records. USC appeared to have a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, until Vander Kelen led the Badgers on a furious comeback, scoring 23 unanswered points, but still falling short of the Trojans by a final score of 42-37.rnrnThis game showed that having No. 1 and No. 2 play each other in a bowl game can bring exciting results, and the following year, the Cotton Bowl hosted the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.rnrn[nextslide teaser="1B. 2018 Rose Bowl" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_125456" align="aligncenter" width="4901"] PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Head Coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs is presented the trophy after the Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 1B. 2018 Rose Bowl: No. 3 Georgia 54, No. 2 Oklahoma 48 rnThe most recent installment of the Rose Bowl turned out to be one of the greatest games in the bowl's storied history. The stage was set as a semi-final for the College Football Playoff as Georgia and Oklahoma met each other for the first time. Georgia took home the SEC Championship with a 12-1 record under second-year coach Kirby Smart and freshman quarterback Jacob Fromm. Oklahoma retained the conference title for the Big 12 under first-year coach Lincoln Riley and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield.rnrnThe game was your classic shootout as the two teams set a new Rose Bowl record scoring a combined 102 points, barely breaking the old mark of 101 points set in last years game between USC and Penn State. The game went into double overtime where Georgia's special teams were able to block Oklahoma's field goal attempt and turned into a Sony Michel touchdown, to send Georgia to the national championship game.rn rn WHAT A GAME! Sony Michel with the wildcat touchdown to win the #RoseBowl ! #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/3lSJHyZdWM

rn— Casey Baker (@CaseyBake16) January 2, 2018 rn rnrnThis sets the stage for a student-versus-teacher showdown next Monday night for the national championship between Kirby Smart and Nick Saban, in what should be a riveting game.rnrn[nextslide teaser="1. 4th and 5, the national championship on the line" slider="true" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_123750" align="aligncenter" width="3000"] (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 1A. 2006 Rose Bowl: No. 2 Texas 41, No. 1 USC 38 rnIn what many deemed the most hyped-up game in college football history, this game lived up to the hype and then some. Texas came into the game with a perfect 12-0 record and champions of the Big 12 with Heisman Trophy finalist Vince Young running the show at quarterback. The Longhorns faced one of the greatest dynasties in college football history with USC. The Trojans were riding 35-game winning streak into the game, led by Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, were expecting to complete the three-peat.rnrnThe game was also a classic shootout, each team trading blow for blow as Reggie Bush and Vince Young made electrifying play after electrifying play. The Longhorns made a stand when needed most when they stuffed running back LenDale White on a fourth and short with 2:09 to play. Vince Young then played himself into college football lore as he led Texas deep into USC territory as legendary announcer Keith Jackson announced to viewers at home, "fourth-and-5 the national championship, on the line right here...":rn rnrn[nextpost teaser="Predicting all 41 bowl games and CFB Playoff" url="https://saturdayblitz.com/2017/12/14/college-football-predicting-41-bowl-games-college-football-playoff/" /]rnrnYoung's touchdown gave Texas their first national championship since 1970 and brought a monumental end to the USC dynasty of the 2000's in what many call, "The Greatest College Football Game Ever Played".

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Top 5 greatest Rose Bowl games in college football history

2. 1963 Rose Bowl: No. 1 USC 42, No. 2 Wisconsin 37

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