College Football: Top 10 games of the 2017 season

The 2017 college football season is in the books. It was filled of excitement from wire to wire, but which games were the best of the best?

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The 2017 season served up a host of memorable football games from August, all the way through the National Championship game. These games have been highlighted by top-notch coaching, incredible individual performances and moments that made your heart stop, over and over again.

It’s hard to narrow all these fantastic games to just a top 10 list, but that’s what this list will do and there are some games that will make you go “Oh yeah that was a great game”.

10. Iowa 44, Iowa State 41 (OT) | September 9

This annual in-state match up has been somewhat ridiculed by people outside the state of Iowa due to it’s low-scoring games and seemingly poor play that happens year in and year out. However, this meeting of the Hawkeyes and Cyclones proved to be an explosive one. The game seemed to be a normal Cy-Hawk game, as Iowa led 21-10 following an Akrum Wadley touchdown early on in the third quarter. That’s when the craziness ensued.

The Cyclones stormed back thanks to quarterback Jacob Park‘s marvelous second half. Park fired two touchdowns to Allen Lazard and Hakeem Butler to give Iowa State a 24-21 in a blink of an eye. This highlight reel run by David Montgomery put Iowa State up 31-21, and seemed to end Iowa’s hopes of a comeback.

But the Hawkeyes didn’t blink, sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley hit freshman receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette to cut the lead to 31-28. Finally, a twist of fate turned the way of Iowa as Park was intercepted by defensive end Parker Hesse and returned it inside the five, while Iowa had to settle for a field goal. Following another long Iowa State touchdown, the Hawkeyes had to march 89 yards to tie the game: enter Akrum Wadley.

Wadley’s touchdown forced over time, where Nate Stanley once again found Smith-Marsette for the game-winning touchdown to give Iowa a 44-41 win, a reversal of the score from the 2011 Cy-Hawk game, where Iowa State won in triple overtime.