25 best college football bowl games in history

24. UCLA vs. Ohio State, 1976 Rose Bowl

Playing in front of a home crowd, the 1976 Bruins earned one of the greatest upsets in major bowl history with a victory over the undefeated Buckeyes.

Led by running back Archie Griffin, the only player in college football history to win two Heisman Trophies, the Buckeyes were the heavy national champion favorites for much of the 1975 season. Ohio State crushed UCLA 41-20 in Los Angeles on October 4 and were the top team in the AP Poll for the rest of the regular season, earning them a fourth consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl.

The No. 11 Bruins enjoyed a strong 8-2-1 regular season under Dick Vermeil to advance to their first Rose Bowl in a decade. Still, oddsmakers made the Buckeyes a 15.5 point favorite based on their earlier win over the Bruins.

UCLA”s defense held Griffin and company in check for the first half, as Ohio State could only build a 3-0 lead. The Bruins struck with 16 straight points in the third quarter, including a 67-yard touchdown pass from John Sciarra to Wally Henry to take a commanding lead.

Ohio State cut the deficit to 16-10 near the start of the fourth and got the ball back shortly after. However, two Bruins interceptions and a long touchdown run from Wendell Tyler with just over five minutes left sealed the 23-10 UCLA upset.

The Buckeyes lost a chance at the 1975 title following the loss, as Oklahoma claimed the top spot with a win over Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Woody Hayes was fired three years later without another Rose Bowl appearance, and Ohio State’s next national championship wouldn’t come until 2002.