25 best college football bowl games in history

14. Texas vs. Ohio State, 2009 Fiesta Bowl

Quarterback Colt McCoy earned a deserved spot in Texas lore for leading the Longhorns to a last-second victory in an outstanding Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State in only the third meeting ever between the two teams.

Texas was a force in the late 2000s under Mack Brown and compiled its eighth straight season of 10 or more wins with an 11-1 mark in 2008. The No. 3 Longhorns just missed out on a championship berth despite a win over top-ranked Oklahoma, as they lost to Texas Tech on an infamous catch by Michael Crabtree.

Ohio State entered the season as one of the favorites to win the championship, but fell to 10th in the rankings by bowl season after losses to No. 1 USC and No. 3 Penn State. The Buckeyes had one of the best defenses in the country, making for an interesting matchup against McCoy, who piled up nearly 4,420 total yards and  45 touchdowns to finish second in the Heisman voting.

Oddsmakers pegged Texas as a double-digit favorite, but the Buckeyes’ defense was up to the task in the first half to help Ohio State take a 6-3 lead at the break. McCoy struck back with a quick touchdown run and then found Quan Cosby for a seven yard score to give Texas a 17-6 lead just before the end of the third.

Terrelle Pryor helped Ohio State cut the lead in the fourth before Daniel Herron put the Buckeyes up 21-17 with 2:05 to go on a 14-yard run. McCoy led Texas on a dramatic drive down the field with a couple of key conversions to Brandon Collins, and then hit Cosby again on a 26-yard catch-and-run for the game winner with 16 seconds to go.

The Longhorns at least salvaged something from the disappointment of missing out on a title shot, and advanced all the way to the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama the next season. Unfortunately, McCoy was injured early in what looked like a fairly even matchup, and Texas lost 37-20.