College football’s 150th anniversary: The 150 best moments that stood the test of time

126. Pitt and Fordham Tie in De Facto National Title Game (1937)

When Pitt and Fordham met on the gridiron at the Polo Grounds in New York in mid-October 1937, it was not yet apparent that the game would serve as a de facto national title contest. Fordham was 2-0, while Pitt had won each of its first three contests. Both teams were highly regarded, but it was too early at that juncture to make a definitive call.

Fordham led up front by the legendary Seven Blocks of Granite, won its first two games by a combined score of 114-0. Pitt also shut out each of their first three opponents. A defensive battle was projected, and in front of 53,000 spectators, the two eastern powerhouses played to a scoreless stalemate.

Despite coming so early in the season, the tie between the Panthers and Rams proved significant in the long run. Pitt went on to claim the national title under Jock Sutherland after closing out the year 9-0-1, while Jim Crowley’s Fordham squad also finished the year undefeated.

125. Navy Downs Army to Play for National Title (1963)

In 1963, Navy and Army were hovering near the top of the college football world. Their annual showdown in Philadelphia had huge implications, with the Midshipmen sitting at No. 2 in the AP rankings as Roger Staubach guided the offense and earned himself the Heisman Trophy in the process.

But the football game took a backseat to real life when the young men at West Point and Annapolis learned that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas 10 days before their showdown was scheduled. The game was postponed — but not canceled — in tribute to Kennedy, who was a huge fan of the sport and sat on both sides of Municipal Stadium after leading the coin flip.

Pat Donnelly scored three touchdowns for the Midshipmen, and the defense held firm as the Cadets made a late comeback bid. Scoring a touchdown and converting a two-point conversion, Army then recovered an onside kick. But there was not enough time on the clock to complete the reversal, and Navy moved on to play No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl for the national championship.

124. Longtime Rivals Meet as Top Two Teams for First Time (2006)

Ohio State and Michigan have enjoyed a long, storied rivalry against one another. Dating back to 1897, the two teams have bad blood against one another that predates their mutual membership in the Big Ten. Never before 2006, however, had the two teams met as the top two teams in the national polls. They also faced one another with undefeated records for the first time since 1973.

At stake was not only an outright Big Ten championship for the winner but also a trip to the BCS national championship game. On the night before the game, longtime Michigan head coach and athletic director Bo Schembechler finally succumbed to heart disease and passed away at 77-years-old. The death served as motivation for the Wolverines, who hoped to honor his memory with the school’s third conference title in four years.

The Buckeyes were also motivated, and the game turned into an instant classic. Michigan took an early lead on Mike Hart’s one-yard touchdown run, but the Buckeyes came back to tie the game and then surge ahead in the second quarter. Ahead 28-14 at halftime, Ohio State forced the visitors to play catch-up. The Wolverines pulled within three points of their rivals with just over two minutes remaining, but time ran out on the comeback bid as Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith locked down the Heisman Trophy and Ohio State claimed their trip to the BCS title game.