Table of Contents
More than most sports, college football builds from its history. That’s what happens when you only play 12 regular season games and you see your rival just once per year, if at all. Therefore, the best way to get hyped about any coming college football season is to reminisce on special games of the past as a reminder of the special games in the future.
These are the sorts of games known even by fans too young to remember their kick offs. These are the moments that sear into your psyche so vividly that you memorize where you were when they happened. These are what bring us back to college football every fall.
The 2023 season is right around the corner. This is the best way to prepare.
Ohio State vs. Miami, 2003
Marred in controversy, the Buckeyes won their first national championship since 1970 in a monumental upset over the dynastic Hurricanes. One man’s pass interference is another man’s good coverage. Twenty years later, I still wouldn’t bring it up to a Miami fan.
USC at Notre Dame, 2005
No. 1 USC risked an undefeated record when it traveled to South Bend to take on No. 9 Notre Dame in 2005. The Irish had a late lead and were this close to snapping the Trojans’ 27-game winning streak, the longest in the country at the time, but a little push from Reggie Bush made the difference.
USC vs. Texas, 2006
Remember that USC winning streak? Well, it made it all the way to this game: the national championship for the 2005 season, played in the confines of the Rose Bowl. Vince Young had one of the most memorable performances in college football history and capped it off with a dramatic game-winning run cemented forever in the sport’s lore.
Oklahoma vs. Boise State, 2007
Boise State pulled out all the tricks to overcome Oklahoma in overtime in one of the most influential games in the sport’s history. The Broncos showed the public that regardless of schedule strength and recruiting stars, BCS busters could compete with the big boys when given the opportunity. Even if the powers that be stood against it, Boise State legitimized the little guy to a lot of fans at this Fiesta Bowl.
Appalachian State at Michigan, 2007
Attention wasn’t on Ann Arbor in the lead-up to No. 5 Michigan’s 2007 season opener. A little-known FCS team called Appalachian State was coming to the Big House, presumably to collect a check to get its clock cleaned, then scurry back to wherever it came. Vegas spotted the Wolverines’ 33 points.
Oops.
Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 2007
On one side sat the second-ranked team in the nation, one win away from a trip to its first national championship game. On the other, a 4-7 squad already disqualified from bowl contention, languishing in the Big East’s basement. Guess who won the game? I’ll give you 13 guesses, but nine don’t count.
Texas at Texas Tech, 2008
On Nov. 1, 2008, there was a guarantee that one 8-0 team would leave Lubbock with a blemish. With eight ticks to go in the fourth quarter, one point separated the No. 1 Longhorns from the No. 8 Red Raiders. In one play, the entire complexion of the national title race flipped, and the Big 12 was wide open.
Auburn at Alabama, 2010
On Auburn’s path to the 2010 national championship, it called on Cam Newton to get it over the finish line on several occasions. When the No. 11 Crimson Tide led their second-ranked rivals, 24-0, in the second quarter of the friendly confines, the Tigers asked their quarterback to save their title hopes. The Camback was one of many magical moments that secured Newton’s Heisman.
Alabama at Auburn, 2013
I’m sorry to bring up another bad memory, Alabama fans, but I can’t feel bad: you knew this would be here. There are few plays more famous in all of college football than the Kick Six, which determined the outcome of one of the most highly-anticipated Iron Bowls ever. Ten years later, it’s still never old.
Florida State vs. Auburn, 2014
Florida State and Auburn sent the BCS off with a bang as the Seminoles put together a 21-point fourth quarter to secure the program’s first national championship since 1999. Jameis Winston connected on a two-yard touchdown strike to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds to play to catapult FSU into the front seat, and the school’s second-ever undefeated season was complete. Don’t forget some memorable interviews after the fact, too.
Baylor at TCU, 2014
In this defense-optional outing, the Big 12 Championship Game was unintentionally reborn. Baylor closed the contest with 24 unanswered points to come back on its in-state rival, issuing the Horned Frogs their only conference defeat of the year. The Bears otherwise fell to West Virginia, the Big 12 refused to pick on as its sole champion, and neither were included in the College Football Playoff. The league re-instituted its title game three years later.
Michigan State at Michigan, 2015
Michigan had dropped six of its last seven meetings with Michigan State, but it appeared like the Wolverines would have bragging rights in the waning moments at the Big House. All it needed to do was successfully punt and kill 10 seconds, and the undefeated No. 7 Spartans would be vanquished. “Whoa, he has trouble with the snap!”
Michigan at Ohio State, 2016
No. 3 Michigan against No. 2 Ohio State, a trip to the Big Ten Championship and national title hopes on the line – it doesn’t get much better than that, especially when the teams deliver what they did in 2016. Overtime was required for the first time to decide The Game. It took two extra periods and a healthy dose of controversy, but it was Curtis Samuel who had the pleasure of galloping for the game’s final score.
Clemson vs. Alabama, 2017
For the second year in a row, Clemson and Alabama were paired in the College Football Playoff Final. The Crimson Tide got the better of the Tigers in 2016, and they were seven-point favorites heading into the rematch. Clemson hadn’t won a national title since 1981. It took until the very end, but that changed that night.
Georgia vs. Oklahoma, 2018
In his second year in Athens, head coach Kirby Smart had the Bulldogs making their initial playoff appearance in 2017, two wins away from their first national triumph since 1980. It took two overtimes and plenty of drama, but under Pasadena’s setting sun, Georgia found a way in its first trip back to the Rose Bowl in 75 years.
Alabama vs. Georgia, 2018
To achieve its first natty in nearly four decades, Georgia had to go through the champion of four of the previous eight seasons. Midway through the third quarter, the Dawgs had a 20-7 advantage. By the end of regulation, the score was knotted at 20, and Georgia was forced into its third overtime period of the playoff. This one didn’t go as well, though.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 2019
Neither side in the 2019 Egg Bowl was vying for the SEC title, let alone a national championship – Ole Miss came into the game 4-7, while Mississippi State was 5-6 and required a win to become bowl eligible. The Rebels and Bulldogs have one of the nastiest, most intense in-state rivalries in college football. It’s also the only one I can think of that had an outcome arranged by a player’s spirited rendition of a urinating dog.
Alabama at Tennessee, 2022
In the crown jewel of 2022, No. 6 Tennessee hadn’t beaten arch-rival No. 3 Alabama since the Bush administration and needed a statement win to declare itself back on the national stage. In the second half alone, there were three ties and four lead changes as the Crimson Tide and Volunteers combined for 101 points. After Alabama missed a 50-yarder with 15 seconds to go, Hendon Hooker completed two passes for 45 total yards to set up Chase McGrath to kick Knoxville into a frenzy.
NFL FAQs
How do you play football survival pool?
Players pick one team each week they think will win the game outright. They may only pick a team ONCE per season, meaning you can't pick the same team twice in one season. If their pick is correct, the player survives another week and continues to play. An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the contest entirely. This is sometimes called an elimination or suicide pool. The last person standing wins.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is a football survivor pool?
In a Football Survivor Pool, players choose one team weekly they think will win. Usually, a team can be picked one time per season. Picks are made "straight up," no spreads necessary. If a pick is correct, members survive another week. An incorrect pick eliminates the player, unless a mulligan is used.
How does a football pool work?
Football pools are games of skill played among a group of people. There are a variety of pool types to fit every players needs, from casual to competitive. Pool commissioners can set up pools manually, or use a hosting service like RunYourPool whiel still customizing your own settings. Some examples include NFL Squares, NFL Survivor, NFL Pick 'Em, and Playoff Brackets.
What is an NFL pickem pool?
In an NFL pick’em pool, simply pick the outcome of each NFL game throughout the season. You can pick straight up winners or losers, or pick each game against the spread.
How to play a football pool?
The way one plays a football pool varies on the game type. For example, in Survivor, you pick one team to win each week and can't pick that team again. Guess wrong and you lose. Another example is Pick'em Pools in which you simply pick every game each week.
How does a fantasy football pool work?
Fantasy football pools don’t involve a traditional fantasy football draft. You can have as many members in your pool as you’d like, meaning no more 12 or 14 team limits! You pick a new lineup of players each week, and once you use a player once, you can’t use them again for the rest of the season.
What is a fantasy football pool?
A fantasy football pool is similar to a traditional fantasy football league but without the draft. Pick a new lineup each week, and once you use a player, you can’t use them for the rest of the season. Your players will receive points based on their in-game stats, and the member with the most points at the end of the season is the winner.
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How do football pool squares work?
There are different kinds of football square pools. Most have a 10x10 grid with one team for the rows and columns. In an attempt to win, participants select a square where they believe the last digit number of each team's score will intersect at the end of each quarter, and the game's end.
How do you play football squares pools?
To play a football squares pool, you're going to want to pick the squares with the best odds. As winners are determined by the point totals at the end of each quarter, try to consider options where scores are most common. Some of the most popular squares include 7-3, 7-0, 7-7, and 0-0. Numbers divisible by seven are good starting points.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
What is a football squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you play football credits pool?
In the credits format, all players start with the same number of credits. Players make picks each week by risking a certain number of credits on games, assigning more credits to the picks with a higher confidence level. Members receive double the credits risked for each win. The member with the most credits at the end of the season wins.
What is a football credits pool?
In Football Credits Pools, players start with the same number of credits. They then make picks each week by risking a number of credits on games, assigning more to the picks they have more confidence in getting right. Members double credits risked for each win. The member with the highest credits at the end of the season wins.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How do you play football confidence pool?
A football confidence pool is played straight up, not with a point spread. Not only do members pick the winning teams, they must back up their picks by giving them a relative confidence ranking. Your score reflects the number of confidence points given to winning teams. So if your confidence for a team winning is '1', then you can only win one point at most. If your confidence for a team winning is '5', then you can win five points for a win. The member with the most credits at the end wins.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning.
How do you play football margin pool?
Margin pools are an NFL pool format that rewards members for picking a winning team each week. Pool commissioners can decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. When a commissioner chooses the point spread option, this format is often referred to as an NFL Underdog Pool.
What is a football margin pool?
In a Football Margin Pool, you are awarded points for picking a winning team. Pool commissioners get to decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. The player with the most points at the end of the season wins.
How do you play football 33 point pool?
The football 33 pool format is a casual pool where members are each assigned an NFL team (these pools are 32 members max, as there are 32 NFL teams). Members win when their team scores 33 points. Options for changing the target score, or having the closest to the target win each week is also available.
What is a football 33 point pool?
In the football 33 pool format, each member is assigned a unique NFL team (32 members max). A member will win when their team scores 33 points. This is a casual pool where you can change the target score or the option to have the closest to the target that week win.
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is an NFL Playoff bracket pool?
NFL Playoff Bracket pools are simple NFL pool formats where members pick every round of the playoffs before they start in an attempt to predict every match up correctly. It's optional to configure a multiplier for each round, or add a tiebreaker option of total points in the Super Bowl.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to set up a football pool?
To set up a football pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
What is a football power ranking playoff pool?
In a power ranking playoff pool, members rank all 12 NFL teams competing in the playoffs from strongest (12 points) to weakest (1 point). Picks are made only ONCE before any games begin. Members are awarded the number of points assigned to a team when they win. Commissioners can optionally set up a point multiplier for each playoff round.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning. This is similar to the Playoff Pool Power Ranking, just less teams.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
What is a football playoff precision pool?
In a playoff precision pool, members attempt to pick the winner of every playoff game each week. You can decide if it’s straight up or on a point spread picks, but point totals are also added. Points are awarded for correct picks AND for how close to the correct combined point total they were.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
What is a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool?
A Super Bowl Prop Bet Pool is a fun and thrilling way to compete against friends and family during the big game! It's a simple questionaire of prop betting questions revolving around the Super Bowl, and whoever earns the most points based off correct answers wins!
How does a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool work?
Pool members simply fill out a wide range of prop questions, each question worth a different value. Commissioners decide on the point value for each question, along with the amount of questions. Whichever member earns the most points based on corret answers wins the pool.
What is a football Super Bowl Squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
What is a prop bet?
Prop bets are any sort of pick or wager on a game that has nothing to do with the score or the final score outcome. Props can range from game types, to team types and even player types - such as who will score the game's first and last touchdowns? Other props, such as novelty or exotic, feature bets on things such as the coin flip or the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
