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

105. Ohio State Thwarts Sun Devils Shot at National Title (1997)

As they arrived in Pasadena, Pac-10 champion Arizona State was one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the nation. The other, Florida State, was already due to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl for the Bowl Alliance national championship. But with a win over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, the Sun Devils would almost certainly claim a share of the crown.

With 1:40 remaining in the contest, it looked like the Sun Devils had pulled off the victory. Down 14-10, Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer engineered a comeback drive that ended with Plummer’s 11-yard dash for the go-ahead touchdown. With the extra point, the Sun Devils left the Buckeyes with only 100 seconds to change the narrative.

Ohio State did just that, as Joe Germaine found David Boston for a five-yard touchdown with 19 seconds remaining. Arizona State blocked the extra point attempt, but time ran out on their final shot when Antoine Winfield tackled Linzie Jackson inbounds to end the game. As a result, Arizona missed their best chance at the school’s first national title.

104. Navy Ends Notre Dame Losing Streak (2007)

For more than four decades, one constant in college football was the fact that Navy was bound to lose to Notre Dame. From 1964 through 2006, the Midshipmen fell 43 straight times to the Fighting Irish. Like death and taxes, Navy losses to the Irish were inevitable.

Then the 2007 season rolled around. When the Midshipmen headed to South Bend that season, they encountered a 1-7 Notre Dame squad that had already missed out on bowl eligibility. Sitting at .500 in the standings, Navy saw this showdown as the best opportunity in years to end the streak of futility.

Eventually, they needed three overtimes to decide the contest. Navy scored the two-point conversion on their possession, then stopped Notre Dame on their attempt (and then stopped them again after getting called for pass interference). With the win, Navy restored the long-lost balance that is critical to every rivalry series.

103. Battle at Bristol (2016)

College football is already renowned for boasting the largest sports venues in the United States and some of the largest stadiums on the entire planet. Eight different football fields accommodate more than 100,000 fans on game days. In that respect, it takes a gargantuan effort to generate a truly eye-popping attendance record for a game between two college programs.

19 years in the planning, the Battle at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 2016 season opener between Virginia Tech and Tennessee was that gargantuan effort. The two teams battled in the infield of the NASCAR speedway in front of 156,990 spectators. The attendance shattered the previous record set three years earlier in Ann Arbor for the Michigan-Notre Dame showdown.

While Virginia Tech took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Tennessee owned the game as they ran away with a 45-24 victory. Though the action skewed one way in the end, the lasting image of this iconic moment is in the sheer volume of Hokies and Volunteers supporters congregated at the non-traditional venue.