The Top 10 Most Important Bowl Games in History

Everyone loves bowl games (the bigger ones anyway). They can provide excitement, senses of triumph and tragedy, and also provide us excuses for getting drunk and going nuts with our friends and family. And every now and then we come across a bowl game that sort of transcends the sport, changing it forever for better or for worse. The following is a list of ten such bowl games from history that I think transcended the game and changed it forever.



10. 1963 Rose Bowl - Southern California vs. Wisconsin

The 1963 version of the Granddaddy of Them All gave us an important first for college football. Southern California and Wisconsin came into the game as the consensus #1 and #2 teams in football - a first for a post-season bowl game. The game was just as epic as its historical significance as USC jumped out to a 42-14 halftime lead before the Badgers of Wisconsin mounted a raging second half comeback, falling just short and losing by the final score of 42-37. Consensus #1 and #2 would only meet four other times in the postseason between the years 1963-1992.



9. 1902 Rose Bowl - Michigan vs. Stanford

How can a list of the most important bowl games be complete without the very first one? While Michigan destroyed Stanford by the score of 49-0 in the inaugural Rose Bowl, the game set the tone for the rich tradition and pageantry that is associated with the college bowl season.



8. 2007 Fiesta Bowl - Boise State vs. Oklahoma

Most people will argue that it was Utah who gave rise to the era of the mid-major in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, but that game was against Pittsburgh - a weak and unworthy opponent. The 2007 Fiesta Bowl, however, pitted the mid-major Boise State against the Big 12 champ Oklahoma. We all know the result of this game as well as its significance. Had Boise State not have won this game it is very likely that you would see mid-majors making it to BCS bowls nowadays. In short, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl made the mid-major viable player in major postseason play.



07. 1984 Orange Bowl - Miami vs. Nebraska

The '84 Orange Bowl makes the list because it launched the last great dynasty in college football up to this point. Yes, there have been others such as Nebraska and Florida State in the 90s and USC in the 00s, but the Miami Hurricanes of the mid and late 80s stand above those teams. And none of that would have been possible if not for Miami's upset of #1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl 28 years ago. If that's a weak basis for historical significance, just think of Miami's 5 national championships and numerous All-American and NFL first rounders that have populated the landscape during that time period. No other program has been as successful in the last 30 years.



06. 1999 Fiesta Bowl - Tennessee vs. Florida State


This one's a no brainer. The 1999 Fiesta Bowl marked the first time a BCS national championship was played. #1 Tennessee's 23-16 win over #2 Florida State gave the Volunteers the first ever BCS national championship and set the tone for college football's most successful system of selecting a #1 and #2 team to play each other in the postseason.



5. 1965 Orange Bowl - Texas vs. Alabama

It was a game that would change the way voters picked a national champion. Before the 1965 Orange Bowl, it was tradition for the national champion to be selected BEFORE the bowl season. But after #1 Alabama was upset by #5 Texas, thus leaving #2 Arkansas at 11-0 the only undefeated team in the land, the outcry was such that the AP decided to switch to voting for the national champion AFTER the postseason bowls. While the permanent switch wasn't made by both major wire services until 1974, the 1965 Orange Bowl was the catalyst that made the postseason just as important as the regular season.


4. The 1935 Bowl Season

I know this is something of a cop out because it's not an actual bowl game, but the 1935 bowl season is unique because it was the first bowl season ever. Before the 1934 season, the Rose Bowl was the only game in town. However, the '34 season would see the births of the Orange Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the Sun Bowl. The significance of this cannot be overstated as it virtually started the bowl season and led us to where we are today: three dozen bowl games which are played from the second week of December all the way to the second week of January.



3. 1993 Sugar Bowl - Alabama vs. Miami

Before the BCS was even thought of, there was the Bowl Coalition. After the controversial split national championships of 1990 and 1991, the major conferences got together and devised a system that would pit #1 and #2 in a bowl game at the end of the season. The inaugural year of this system was 1992 and the game was played between #1 Miami and #2 Alabama - the very first time in college football history that #1 and #2 were deliberately pitted against each other. While Alabama won easily, the importance of this game is fairly obvious as it laid the foundation for the system we have in place today.



2. 1916 Rose Bowl - Washington State vs. Brown

While the Tournament of Roses was founded back in the 1901-1902 season, it did not become an every year affair until the 1916 Rose Bowl that saw Washington State and Brown face off against each other. This game, while not remembered by most, started the annual postseason bowl tradition. Only one other Rose Bowl can claim to be more important than this one.



1. 1926 Rose Bowl - Alabama vs. Washington

It was the game that changed everything. A game that became more important to the South than it did to Alabama. Alabama's 20-19 upset of Washington in the 1926 Rose Bowl paved the way for the South to become an important and dominant player in college football. The legacy of that game can clearly be seen today as the Southeastern Conference finds itself in the middle of a college football dynasty.