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Week 1 of the 2025 college football season will do much more than scratch the itch of millions of fans who have been no-so-patiently waiting for the past seven months for their beloved sport to return.
The first full week of the season has several high-profile, high-stakes matchups between some of the biggest names in the sport, from No. 8 Alabama traveling to Florida State to No. 9 LSU taking on No. 6 Clemson in a fight for superiority between programs whose home stadiums are nicknamed “Death Valley.”
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There’s one game, though, that looms much larger than the others.
No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State will face off on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in what may very well end up being the most consequential game of the regular season. The Longhorns and Buckeyes met in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season — a 28-14 Ohio State victory — and head into this season with arguably the two deepest and most talented rosters in the sport, headlined by stars such as Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
It’s not often that the two highest-ranked teams in college football meet when a national championship isn’t on the line. Just how rare is it? Whenever such contests occur, they often come with a weighty moniker: the “Game of the Century.”
It’s a label that’s both outdated and a bit nonsensical. For much of the 20th century, the title was regularly bestowed on games by print newspapers, which have only a small fraction of the influence today as they once did. And besides, can something really be a “Game of the Century” if roughly two dozen other games over the past 80 years have already been christened that?
Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Texas is joining a proud and lengthy history of 1-versus-2 clashes, some of which went down as the greatest college football games ever played.
Before the Longhorns and Buckeyes kick off, here’s a look at the history of regular-season games featuring teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the major national polls, with bowl matchups and conference championship games excluded:
REQUIRED READING: Seven bold possibilities for 2025 college football season that aren't crazy
Here's a look at the previous games between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in college football during the regular season — meaning conference championships and bowl games were excluded from consideration:
With the United States actively engaged in World War II, the U.S. Navy’s pre-flight school at the University of Iowa competed as an independent. Led by longtime Missouri coach Don Faurot, the Seahawks went 9-1, with their only blemish coming against a Notre Dame team that won the program’s fifth national championship.
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A score that only Frank Beamer could love.
Fighting Irish coach Ara Parseghian famously opted to run the remaining clock out with his team on its own 30-yard line and about one minute to go. In Sports Illustrated, legendary college football writer Dan Jenkins wrote that Parseghian chose to “tie one for the Gipper.” Both teams finished the season 9-0-1 and were each named the national champion by various outlets, with Notre Dame claiming the honor in the AP and UPI polls.
Much of the drama surrounding perhaps the most famous “Game of the Century” revolved around what happened off the field, not on it. The Longhorns won the battle of Southwest Conference unbeatens behind 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. After the game, President Richard Nixon, who was in attendance in Fayetteville, Arkansas, handed Texas a plaque proclaiming it as the national champion despite objections, particularly from an undefeated Penn State team, that it was premature to do so before bowl games.
The Longhorns beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and Penn State topped Missouri in the Orange Bowl, but it was Texas that was crowned the national champion by the vast majority of polls and rankings, including the AP, UPI and FWAA.
The Cornhuskers and Sooners combined for 829 yards, only two penalties and four lead changes, the last of which came on a 2-yard Jeff Kinney run with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska the win. The late college football pundit Beano Cook said he considered it to be the greatest college football game ever played.
John Mazur’s 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Fred Cornwell with two seconds left gave the Trojans a thrilling victory in a season in which they’d finish 9-3. The loss dealt a lasting punch to the Sooners, who went just 22-12-1 over the next three years.
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The Fighting Irish held off a late charge from the Seminoles and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward to pull off the upset and clear a path for itself to a national championship. The following week, though, in its final game of the regular season, Notre Dame was stunned at home by Boston College, 41-39, on a field goal as time expired, opening the door for Florida State to win the national championship.
The Gators’ pain of losing to one of their chief rivals was short-lived. About five weeks later, Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel and Florida throttled the Seminoles 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl, helping the program earn its first-ever national title.
For the final month of the regular season, the Buckeyes and Wolverines were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the polls, setting up arguably the most anticipated matchup ever between the two rivals in “The Game.” Troy Smith cemented the Heisman with 316 passing yards and four touchdowns. Given the tight score, there was some debate about whether the two should simply play again in the BCS championship game, but the No. 2 ranking was given to Florida, which clobbered Ohio State 41-14.
What was widely panned as a low-scoring slog of a game may have just been a defensive masterpiece. Between the Tigers and Crimson Tide rosters were 34 players who would go on to play in the NFL. They met again in the BCS title game, with Nick Saban and Alabama earning revenge in a 21-0 snoozer.
Eight years later, LSU was able to come on top in a “Game of the Century” against Alabama as a Tigers offense powered by future NFL superstars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson outgunned the Crimson Tide in a game with 1,100 total yards between the teams. LSU went on to win the national championship with a team regarded as one of the best in college football history.
A menacing Bulldogs defense held the high-powered Vols to six points in the game’s opening 55 minutes, before a garbage-time touchdown. Georgia won its second-consecutive national championship two months later.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State-Texas latest 'Game of the Century' in college football
Continue reading...
The first full week of the season has several high-profile, high-stakes matchups between some of the biggest names in the sport, from No. 8 Alabama traveling to Florida State to No. 9 LSU taking on No. 6 Clemson in a fight for superiority between programs whose home stadiums are nicknamed “Death Valley.”
PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletter
There’s one game, though, that looms much larger than the others.
No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State will face off on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio in what may very well end up being the most consequential game of the regular season. The Longhorns and Buckeyes met in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season — a 28-14 Ohio State victory — and head into this season with arguably the two deepest and most talented rosters in the sport, headlined by stars such as Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
It’s not often that the two highest-ranked teams in college football meet when a national championship isn’t on the line. Just how rare is it? Whenever such contests occur, they often come with a weighty moniker: the “Game of the Century.”
It’s a label that’s both outdated and a bit nonsensical. For much of the 20th century, the title was regularly bestowed on games by print newspapers, which have only a small fraction of the influence today as they once did. And besides, can something really be a “Game of the Century” if roughly two dozen other games over the past 80 years have already been christened that?
Regardless of the outcome, Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Texas is joining a proud and lengthy history of 1-versus-2 clashes, some of which went down as the greatest college football games ever played.
Before the Longhorns and Buckeyes kick off, here’s a look at the history of regular-season games featuring teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the major national polls, with bowl matchups and conference championship games excluded:
REQUIRED READING: Seven bold possibilities for 2025 college football season that aren't crazy
College football No. 1 vs. No. 2 all-time games
Here's a look at the previous games between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in college football during the regular season — meaning conference championships and bowl games were excluded from consideration:
Oct. 9, 1943: No. 1 Notre Dame 34, No. 2 Michigan 12
Nov. 20, 1943: No. 1 Notre Dame 14, No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight 13
With the United States actively engaged in World War II, the U.S. Navy’s pre-flight school at the University of Iowa competed as an independent. Led by longtime Missouri coach Don Faurot, the Seahawks went 9-1, with their only blemish coming against a Notre Dame team that won the program’s fifth national championship.
REQUIRED READING: Who has the toughest college football schedules? We ranked the 10 most difficult
Dec. 2, 1944: No. 1 Army 23, No. 2 Navy 7
Nov. 10, 1945: No. 1 Army 48, No. 2 Notre Dame 0
Nov. 9, 1946: No. 1 Army 0, No. 2 Notre Dame 0
A score that only Frank Beamer could love.
Oct. 12, 1963: No. 2 Texas 28, No. 1 Oklahoma 7
Nov. 19, 1966: No. 1 Notre Dame 10, No. 2 Michigan State 10
Fighting Irish coach Ara Parseghian famously opted to run the remaining clock out with his team on its own 30-yard line and about one minute to go. In Sports Illustrated, legendary college football writer Dan Jenkins wrote that Parseghian chose to “tie one for the Gipper.” Both teams finished the season 9-0-1 and were each named the national champion by various outlets, with Notre Dame claiming the honor in the AP and UPI polls.
Sept. 28, 1968: No. 1 Purdue 37, No. 2 Notre Dame 22
Dec. 6, 1969: No. 1 Texas 15, No. 2 Arkansas 14
Much of the drama surrounding perhaps the most famous “Game of the Century” revolved around what happened off the field, not on it. The Longhorns won the battle of Southwest Conference unbeatens behind 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. After the game, President Richard Nixon, who was in attendance in Fayetteville, Arkansas, handed Texas a plaque proclaiming it as the national champion despite objections, particularly from an undefeated Penn State team, that it was premature to do so before bowl games.
The Longhorns beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and Penn State topped Missouri in the Orange Bowl, but it was Texas that was crowned the national champion by the vast majority of polls and rankings, including the AP, UPI and FWAA.
Nov. 25, 1971: No. 1 Nebraska 35, No. 2 Oklahoma 31
The Cornhuskers and Sooners combined for 829 yards, only two penalties and four lead changes, the last of which came on a 2-yard Jeff Kinney run with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska the win. The late college football pundit Beano Cook said he considered it to be the greatest college football game ever played.
Sept. 26, 1981: No. 1 USC 28, No. 2 Oklahoma 24
John Mazur’s 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Fred Cornwell with two seconds left gave the Trojans a thrilling victory in a season in which they’d finish 9-3. The loss dealt a lasting punch to the Sooners, who went just 22-12-1 over the next three years.
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Oct. 19, 1985: No. 1 Iowa 12, No. 2 Michigan 10
Sept. 27, 1986: No. 2 Miami 28, No. 1 Oklahoma 16
Nov. 21, 1987: No. 2 Oklahoma 17, No. 1 Nebraska 7
Nov. 26, 1988: No. 1 Notre Dame 27, No. 2 USC 10
Sept. 16, 1989: No. 1 Notre Dame 24, No. 2 Michigan 19
Nov. 16, 1991: No. 2 Miami 17, No. 1 Florida State 16
Nov. 13, 1993: No. 2 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Florida State 24
The Fighting Irish held off a late charge from the Seminoles and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward to pull off the upset and clear a path for itself to a national championship. The following week, though, in its final game of the regular season, Notre Dame was stunned at home by Boston College, 41-39, on a field goal as time expired, opening the door for Florida State to win the national championship.
Nov. 30, 1996: No. 2 Florida State 24, No. 1 Florida 21
The Gators’ pain of losing to one of their chief rivals was short-lived. About five weeks later, Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel and Florida throttled the Seminoles 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl, helping the program earn its first-ever national title.
Sept. 9, 2006: No. 1 Ohio State 24, No. 2 Texas 7
Nov. 18, 2006: No. 1 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Michigan 39
For the final month of the regular season, the Buckeyes and Wolverines were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the polls, setting up arguably the most anticipated matchup ever between the two rivals in “The Game.” Troy Smith cemented the Heisman with 316 passing yards and four touchdowns. Given the tight score, there was some debate about whether the two should simply play again in the BCS championship game, but the No. 2 ranking was given to Florida, which clobbered Ohio State 41-14.
Nov. 5, 2011: No. 1 LSU 9, No. 2 Alabama 6
What was widely panned as a low-scoring slog of a game may have just been a defensive masterpiece. Between the Tigers and Crimson Tide rosters were 34 players who would go on to play in the NFL. They met again in the BCS title game, with Nick Saban and Alabama earning revenge in a 21-0 snoozer.
Nov. 9, 2019: No. 2 LSU 46, No. 1 Alabama 41
Eight years later, LSU was able to come on top in a “Game of the Century” against Alabama as a Tigers offense powered by future NFL superstars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson outgunned the Crimson Tide in a game with 1,100 total yards between the teams. LSU went on to win the national championship with a team regarded as one of the best in college football history.
Nov. 5, 2022: No. 1 Georgia 27, No. 2 Tennessee 13
A menacing Bulldogs defense held the high-powered Vols to six points in the game’s opening 55 minutes, before a garbage-time touchdown. Georgia won its second-consecutive national championship two months later.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State-Texas latest 'Game of the Century' in college football
Continue reading...
