re: ESPN - The 150 greatest games in college football's 150-year history

Maybe the 1971 game was played at a high level and it was #1 vs. #2 which was often rare then.

But it was not a modern CFB game by stats alone...it was Rugby and 4 yards a play. Surprisingly the rare pass plays averaged 30 yards a play.

People say the Boise Oklahoma game had no stakes, but there were a ton of stakes for that program and for the little guy in general and frankly, the game was just entertaining as hell.

But as for stakes and the highest level of football being played on both sides in the biggest game...it's USC/Texas.

A lot of times in these big games, one team lays a dud or is outmatched. When you get a HW slugfest and two Mike Tyson's on both sides, that's rare.

Maybe 1971 was the USC/Texas of its time. Tons of stars on the field and nobody would give an inch.

I’m ok with Texas/usc not being number 1, but, outside the top 5 invalidates this whole list.

I can’t tell you one thing about the Appalachian state game besides they won on a blocked fg.

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Not sure if a modern audience would find that all exciting.

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its a list of the greatest college football games, not what would appeal to the Idiocracy

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mentioned 1986 Penn State and how boring that game was...imagine if BOTH sides were playing like PSU?

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Except they weren't, not even close, you are confusing a bad offense (Penn State) with not passing. PSU wasn't an option offense, they just had a shitty QB The 71 NU-OU game was 35-31, it had 829 yards of offense. That you are surprised the rare pass avg 30 yards shows you don't know anything about it and just judge it thru a modern lens. When they passed it was always deep, look at NFL WR avg back then, much higher than today. The game has changed a lot obviously, the rules are different you couldn't run that type of offense today, but to say it wasn't exciting because there was no passing is like saying a movie is no good because its in black and white that there are no super heros

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Also, calling Oregon a 4 loss team at the time they played Michigan is kinda misleading. Oregon under Dennis Dixon was only a 1 loss team looking like the best team in the country. Dixon scored quick against Arizona, then got hurt and then Arizona proceeded to win that game and the wheels fell off of Oregon's season after Dixon was lost. One of the biggest "what could have beens" in CFB history

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If Dixon doesn't get hurt I think they win the national championship that year.