25 best college football bowl games in history

7. Penn State vs. Miami, 1987 Fiesta Bowl

As arguably the greatest upset ever to take place in a championship game, the 1987 Fiesta Bowl has a special place in college football history.

The 1986 Hurricanes were unbeatable in the regular season, rolling to an 11-0 record with just one win coming by fewer than 10 points. Both the offense and defense were ranked in the national top five in scoring, and senior quarterback Vinny Testaverde won the Heisman Trophy. In addition, this was the height of Miami’s 1980s swagger, and the Hurricanes infamously wore army fatigues to an event prior to kickoff.

Despite also going 11-0 with a dominant road win over an Alabama team that was ranked second at the time, nobody gave Penn State much of a chance in the game. The Nittany Lions needed a legendary performance from a defense that allowed just 11.1 points per game to keep it competitive.

As expected, Miami dominated statistically by out-gaining Penn State 445 to 162. However, the Nittany Lions forced a whopping seven turnovers, including five interceptions of Testaverde, allowing them to keep it tied at seven through three quarters.

After Miami took the lead on a field goal with 11:49 left, a Penn State interception set up a short D.J. Dozier touchdown run five minutes later for a 14-10 Nittany Lions advantage. The Hurricanes took possession with three minutes left and drove down to the five-yard line, only to be stopped on four straight plays capped off by Pete Giftopoulos’ second pick of the game.

Penn State’s 14-10 win gave the program its most recent national title. The Hurricanes quickly bounced back with an undefeated title run the next season.