College Football Rewind: Most important games from 2002 season

TEMPE, ARIZONA - JANUARY 3: Head coach Jim Tressel of the Ohio State Buckeyes encourages safety Donnie Nickey #25 during the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against the University of Miami Hurricanes at Sun Devil Stadium on January 3, 2003 in Tempe, Arizona. Ohio State won the game 31-24 in double-overtime, winning the NCAA National Championship. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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While it may have ended with one of the greatest but controversial games in history, the 2002 college football season was mostly without drama.

While the previous two seasons that I have covered in this series had a series of one-loss teams at the end of the season and a host of teams that may have been one game away from possibly making the national championship, this year was shaped by two teams that were on an unexpected collision course to one of the most important games in college football history.

Miami came into the season as the defending national champions and heavy favorite to repeat and Ohio State was surviving week by week, but by seasons end, they were the only two undefeated teams in the country and after two years of questionable choices by the BCS, an easy decision was in front of them and the national title between the Hurricanes and Ohio State was set.

Everyone remembers what happened next and Ohio State upset Miami in stunning yet controversial fashion and ending the Hurricanes’ great run of the early 2000s and sending them into a long stretch of mediocrity that still carries on today.

In this edition of college football rewind, here is a look back at the five most important games from the 2002 season.

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