Texas’ double-overtime win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday had plenty of memorable moments that stand out, especially in an inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff filled with blowouts so far. So where does Wednesday’s thriller rank among all-time Playoff games?
Pretty high, it turns out.
Here are the 10 best games of the College Football Playoff (not necessarily the best endings), which began in the 2014 season. All listed years refer to the season of the game.
1. Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48 (2 OT) — 2017 semifinal, Rose Bowl
Baker Mayfield and the Sooners jumped out to a 31-14 lead late in the first half, but the Bulldogs roared back, scoring the next 24 points to take a 38-31 lead early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma tied the score and took the lead after Steven Parker scooped up a fumble and returned it 46 yards with 6:52 left.
Georgia sent the game into overtime with a Nick Chubb touchdown run in the final minute, and after the teams traded field goals in the first overtime, the Sooners came up empty when Austin Seibert missed a 27-yard field goal. Sony Michel won the game with a 27-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second overtime to send Georgia to its first national title game under Kirby Smart. Dawgs fans don’t talk about what happened next.
Georgia won a double-OT thriller on Jan. 1, 2018. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
2. Texas 39, Arizona State 31 (2 OT) — 2024 quarterfinal, Peach Bowl
The quarterfinal round of the first 12-team Playoff gave us an instant classic between the Big 12 champion and SEC runner-up. Cam Skattebo ran 30 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns, caught eight passes for 99 yards and threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to help the Sun Devils rally from a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit, dragging the Longhorns into overtime after two Bert Auburn missed field goals (and a questionable targeting non-call).
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers saved the Longhorns’ season with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden on fourth-and-13 in the first overtime, then threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm on the next play. Andrew Mukuba clinched the game with an interception on third down in the second overtime, sending Texas to the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State in a Jan. 10 semifinal.
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3. Clemson 35, Alabama 31 — 2016 national championship
Alabama led 14-0 midway through the second quarter and appeared to be heading to a second consecutive title win over Clemson. Even after Deshaun Watson and Clemson rallied, they trailed by 10 points entering the fourth.
Clemson then scored the game’s next two touchdowns to take the lead before the teams traded scores in the final couple of minutes, capped by a touchdown pass from Watson to Hunter Renfrow to win the game with one second left, providing the second-most iconic moment in College Football Playoff history. It gave Clemson its first national title since 1981, and the Tigers were the first team to beat Nick Saban in a national championship game.
4. Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (OT) — 2023 semifinal, Rose Bowl
Neither team ever led by more than a touchdown, and J.J. McCarthy’s one-handed catch on a trick play followed by a throw downfield to Roman Wilson provided the signature moment in a game also marked by consistent snapping issues from Alabama center Seth McLaughlin.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe snagged a low snap from McLaughlin on the final play but was stonewalled at the 3-yard line in a controversial call from Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, sending Michigan to the national title game, where it beat Washington. The Rose Bowl ended up being Saban’s final game as Alabama’s coach.
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5. Georgia 42, Ohio State 41 — 2022 semifinal, Peach Bowl
Georgia fell behind 21-7 before rallying to take a 24-21 lead, but it found itself in a 38-24 hole entering the fourth quarter. Stetson Bennett hit Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs life and cut Ohio State’s lead to three midway through the fourth quarter. With 2:25 left, Bennett threw five completions in five plays for 72 yards to finish with 398 yards and put UGA ahead 42-41 with a 10-yard touchdown pass to AD Mitchell with 54 seconds left.
The Ohio State offense stalled after Marvin Harrison Jr. was knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with a concussion, but C.J. Stroud drove the Buckeyes down the field to set up Noah Ruggles’ 50-yard attempt. It missed badly left as the clock struck midnight on the new year and sent undefeated Georgia back to the national championship game, where it demolished TCU, 65-7, for its second consecutive championship.
6. Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (OT) — 2017 national title game
Georgia led 13-0 at halftime, prompting Nick Saban to do the unthinkable: Bench veteran two-year starter Jalen Hurts for promising freshman Tua Tagovailoa, who had attempted just 53 career passes and hadn’t made a start.
Tagovailoa sparked the offense and threw two second-half touchdown passes to lead a comeback. He also set up Andy Pappanastos for a 36-yard field goal to win with a two-minute drill, but Pappanastos missed, sending the game into overtime.
Rodrigo Blankenship drilled a 51-yard field goal for Georgia, and Tagovailoa took a disastrous 16-yard sack on the first play of overtime, setting up … second-and-26.
Tagovailoa found future Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith streaking down the left sideline for a 41-yard, title-winning touchdown that provided the single greatest moment in the history of the College Football Playoff and one of the most memorable finishes in college football history … albeit in a game that wasn’t all that entertaining until late. It featured an unbelievable moment and compelling drama that elevated the game, but the game itself before the final minutes was well short of a classic.
7. TCU 51, Michigan 45 — 2022 semifinal, Fiesta Bowl
The Horned Frogs provided the biggest upset of the Playoff era with a game that was off the rails from the start. TCU sprinted to a 21-3 lead, and the third quarter alone featured 44 points, including J.J. McCarthy’s second pick six of the game, putting Michigan in a 41-22 hole late in the third quarter. Red zone issues marred Michigan’s day, but the Wolverines cut the lead to 41-38 early in the fourth quarter and looked ready to rally and end TCU’s surprise Playoff run.
Then Max Duggan found Quentin Johnston on a drag route over the top of a Michigan blitz, and he raced 76 yards for a touchdown. Michigan had a chance to drive for the win in the final minute, but TCU’s defense held, keeping the Wolverines from earning a first down and sending the program to the national title game, where the Horned Frogs suffered a historic blowout loss to Georgia.
8. Georgia 33, Alabama 18 — 2021 national championship
The back-and-forth game didn’t feature a first-half touchdown but served as fitting revenge for the Bulldogs, who had been embarrassed by Alabama’s offense in the SEC title game a month earlier in a 41-24 loss.
Alabama led 18-13 midway through the fourth quarter, but two Stetson Bennett touchdown passes gave the Bulldogs a 26-18 lead. Bryce Young looked poised to force overtime and add another piece to Georgia’s long-running heartbreaks against Nick Saban and Alabama until Kelee Ringo hauled in an interception and returned it 79 yards to clinch the program’s first national title since 1980 and give Kirby Smart his first win over Saban, his longtime boss in Tuscaloosa.
9. Clemson 29, Ohio State 23 — 2019 semifinal, Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State led 16-0 midway through the second quarter, but Clemson scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half, highlighted by a 67-yard run from quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Tigers mounted a 99-yard touchdown drive midway through the third quarter to take the lead on a 53-yard catch from Travis Etienne.
The Buckeyes retook the lead, and trailing 23-21 with three minutes to play, Clemson got the ball back on its own 6-yard line. Lawrence completed three passes for 83 yards and added an 11-yard run to put the Tigers ahead 29-23 with 1:49 left. Justin Fields and Ohio State got one last shot, but Nolan Turner intercepted Fields in the end zone with 37 seconds left to clinch the win.
10. Ohio State 42, Alabama 35 — 2014 semifinal, Sugar Bowl
The Buckeyes, who lost quarterback J.T. Barrett against Michigan at the end of the regular season, blew out Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game en route to a controversial selection ahead of TCU and Baylor in the first Playoff. They fell behind Alabama 21-6 midway through the second quarter before rallying. Cardale Jones’ 47-yard pass to Devin Smith on the opening drive of the third quarter gave Ohio State its first lead, and the Buckeyes never relented.
Alabama was within 34-28 for most of the fourth quarter until Ezekiel Elliott broke loose for an 85-yard touchdown run that sealed the win and sent Ohio State to the national title game, where it rolled over Oregon to win the first Playoff championship.
Honorable mention: Washington 37, Texas 31 — 2023 semifinal, Sugar Bowl
Michael Penix Jr. put Kalen DeBoer and Washington into the national title game with one of the best performances by a quarterback in college football history, chucking rainbows downfield into tiny windows for 60 minutes and finishing with 430 yards on just 29 completions. Big 12 champion Texas mounted a furious rally and got one final chance after Dillon Johnson’s injury forced a timeout to stop the clock. Quinn Ewers had three pass attempts from Washington’s 13-yard line but couldn’t complete one, sending the Huskies to the title game.
(Top photo of Gunnar Helm: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
