25 best college football bowl games in history

2. Ohio State vs. Miami, 2003 Fiesta Bowl

The only college football title game to ever be decided in overtime featured a ton of NFL talent, huge controversy and one of the greatest upsets in BCS history.

Defending national champion Miami looked unbeatable after extending its winning streak to 34 games in a 12-0 regular season. The Hurricanes averaged over 40 points per game behind the trio of Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson and Kellen Winslow, while the likes of Sean Taylor and Jonathan Vilma led the way on the other side of the ball.

Miami would be a double-digit favorite over No. 2 Ohio State, which earned a trip to the title game with a 13-0 record and hard-fought win over No. 12 Michigan to close out the season. Freshman running back Maurice Clarett led the Buckeyes to their first major bowl of the Jim Tressel era with 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Hurricanes were plagued by mistakes in the first half, and fell behind 14-7 at the break thanks to a pair of turnovers late in the second quarter, which Ohio State took advantage of. Ohio State’s defense continued to hold until late in the third when Ken Dorsey found Winslow for a touchdown to make it 17-14 Ohio State.

McGahee suffered a horrific knee injury near the start of the fourth, the most vivid memory from what stands out as the hardest-hitting game of the BCS era. With just over two minutes remaining, Roscoe Parrish set up the Hurricanes for a game-tying field goal with a long punt return, sending the game to overtime.

Miami looked to have won in overtime with a fourth down stop, but was called for a very questionable pass interference in the end zone, leading to a one-yard run by Craig Krenzel. The Buckeyes scored on a Clarett run in double OT, and held Miami four straight plays from the two yard line to win 31-24.

The win gave Ohio State its first title since 1968, while Miami went into a steady decline.