10 best bowl games in the history of college football
1. 2006 Rose Bowl – USC vs. Texas
Where do we even start with this game?
On one side, you had the USC Trojans who were in the midst of one of the most dominant runs in college football and were in the discussion for the greatest team ever. The talent throughout the roster was endless and included back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners in quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush.
On the other end, you had the Texas Longhorns, who were a bit overshadowed by the aurora that surrounded USC but was just as dominant a team in 2005. They had their own Heisman finalist in quarterback Vince Young who had burst on the scene the previous season in the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
The game was back and forth for the most part until the middle of the fourth quarter when Leinart found Dwayne Jarrett in the endzone to take a 38-26 lead with 6:42 left. However, Young and Texas quickly answered with a touchdown. Then it was the Longhorns defense that flipped the game when they stopped USC on 4th and 2 with 2:09 left. Young then orchestrated a ten-play 56-yard drive that ended with him running for a touchdown on 4th and 5 to give Texas the lead with seconds left.
Texas would win its first national championship since 1970 while also ending the Trojans 34-game win streak. The game featured 1,000 yards of total offense, and all the stars had their moments, but it was Young who went from great player to college football legend. It is hard to live up to the level of hype that surrounded this game, but it somehow exceeded expectations.
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