25 best college football bowl games in history

10. Penn State vs. Florida State, 2006 Orange Bowl

The 2006 Orange Bowl between Penn State and Florida State couldn’t be decided in the first six quarters, making it one of the most hard-fought BCS games in history.

Penn State put together its best regular season in a decade with a 10-1 mark and No. 3 ranking in 2005. Linebacker Paul Posluszny racked up 116 tackles to lead a Nittany Lions unit that ranked 10th in the country in scoring defense.

The Bobby Bowden era at Florida State was winding down, as the Seminoles finished with four regular season losses for the fourth time in five years. Still, the No. 22 Seminoles earned a trip to the Orange Bowl after upsetting No. 7 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game.

Despite being a heavy underdog, Florida State kept it competitive throughout the game, as neither team had more than a three-point lead in regulation. The Nittany Lions looked to be in good shape after going up 16-13 on a safety early in the fourth, but Gary Cismesia nailed a field goal to send the game to overtime after missing an extra point earlier.

Cismesia missed wide right to begin overtime, but Penn State couldn’t take advantage on a missed kick of its own. Both teams got through double overtime without incident, but Cismesia missed his third kick of the game to begin the next period. Kevin Kelly hit a 29-yard field goal to five Penn State a 26-23 win in the longest game in BCS history.

The 2006 Orange Bowl was the eighth and final meeting between Bowden and Joe Paterno. Penn State has not won a major bowl game since, although it will get a chance this year against USC in the Rose Bowl.