Ranking five best games in College Football Playoff history

Earlier this week, I lined the very best sport ever for every of the New Yr’s Six bowls—excluding the School Soccer Playoff. Now it’s time to cowl these Playoff video games.

Counting them down, from 5 to 1:

5. Ohio State 42, Alabama 35: 2014 Sugar Bowl semifinal

Ezekiel Elliott’s “85 yards by way of the guts of the South” run is entrenched in Buckeyes lore because the play that clinched a significant upset and propelled Ohio State towards its most up-to-date nationwide championship. With the Buckeyes holding a 34–28 lead and fewer than 4 minutes remaining, Elliott took a handoff left, minimize upfield and ran away from the Alabama protection to place the sport away.

Ohio State’s very presence in that first Playoff was some extent of nice controversy. Heading into the ultimate CFP rankings, the 11–1 Buckeyes have been fifth and led by third-string quarterback Cardale Jones within the Huge Ten championship sport in opposition to Wisconsin. Earlier within the day, third-ranked TCU demolished Iowa State 55–3, seemingly locking up a bid, however then Ohio State beat the Badgers 59–0, and the choice committee vaulted the Bucks into the Playoff over the Horned Frogs (a second that lived in infamy in Fort Price till this season).

Prime seed Alabama was anticipated to win pretty simply over Ohio State within the Sugar Bowl, however after the Bucks fell behind 21–6 within the second quarter every little thing rotated. Jones led two lengthy scoring drives to make it 21–20 at halftime, then added one other one to start out the third quarter for a 27–21 lead. When Alabama quarterback Blake Sims served up a pick-six later within the third to make it 34–21, the upset began to crystallize.

Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide weren’t achieved. They scored one landing to make it 34–28, and a 21-yard Ohio State punt when backed as much as its personal 2-yard line seemingly arrange Alabama to regain the lead. That’s when Sims threw a first-down interception—with Tide followers howling at offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for not utilizing working again Derrick Henry—and Alabama’s momentum was gone.

Six minutes later, Elliott slashed by way of the South. Ohio State was on its strategy to the championship sport, the place it defeated Oregon for the title.

4. Alabama 45, Clemson 40: 2015 title sport

The Tigers pushed Bama to the purpose the place Nick Saban needed to do one thing dangerous—arguably the largest gamble of his unmatched profession. A fourth-quarter onside kick in a tie sport turned the Tide.

Struggling to cease Deshaun Watson and the Clemson offense, Saban adopted a tying area objective with 10½ minutes left by calling for a popped-up kickoff by Adam Griffith simply previous the preliminary line of the Tigers’ return unit. Defensive again Marlon Humphrey sprinted down and caught it over his shoulder, and Alabama retained possession.

Two performs later, Jake Coker hit tight finish O.J. Howard for a 51-yard landing. That made it 31–24, and the Tide by no means trailed once more. The service break on the onside kick was essential.

Saban stated he “felt like if we didn’t do one thing or take an opportunity to vary the momentum of the sport that we wouldn’t have an opportunity to win.”

The victory gave Saban his fifth nationwide title whereas additionally stamping Clemson as Alabama’s largest menace of the Playoff period. The 2 would go on to fulfill once more in 2016 (see beneath), ’17 and ’18, with the applications splitting these 4 conferences.

3. Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48: 2017 Rose Bowl semifinal

This was the primary extra time sport in Playoff historical past, and so they made it a double. In a shootout marked by wild momentum swings, the Bulldogs made the final massive play within the second OT—blocking an Oklahoma area objective—and received it two performs afterward a Sony Michel landing run.

For a lot of the first half, Georgia was merely making an attempt to climate the Sooners’ offensive storm and never get blown out of the stadium. Baker Mayfield led landing drives of 80, 75, 69 and 90 yards within the first two quarters, and Oklahoma had a 31–14 lead with six seconds left within the half earlier than Lincoln Riley decided that gave the Bulldogs a glimmer of hope and momentum.

He ordered a squibbed kickoff, and Georgia’s Tae Crowder snagged it and fell on the ball instantly close to midfield. That gave the Canine an opportunity to throw a brief go for area objective place, and Rodrigo Blankenship bombed one in from 55 yards out to vary the tenor of the sport.

After halftime Georgia scored 21 consecutive factors to take the lead; Oklahoma got here again with 14 straight to regain the benefit. Jake Fromm guided the Canine downfield, and Nick Chubb completed the drive with the tying landing within the last minute, forcing extra time.

Georgia pulled it out from there, successful the highest-scoring sport in Playoff historical past. “A hell of a faculty soccer sport,” Riley stated. “An epic Rose Bowl sport.”

2. Clemson 35, Alabama 31: 2016 title sport

Clemson’s final two-minute drill—a nine-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a last-second landing go from Watson to Hunter Renfrow—returned the Tigers to the game’s summit for the primary time in 35 years. Watson accomplished six passes to 4 completely different receivers in opposition to the nation’s No. 1 protection, with the ultimate two yards lined on a rub route into the nook to former walk-on Renfrow.

The sport served as revenge for Clemson after dropping a thriller the 12 months earlier than within the title sport to the Crimson Tide (see No. 4 above). And it served as last validation as an elite coach for Dabo Swinney, an Alabama alum.

“The paw is flying on prime of that mountain tonight,” Swinney stated, florid rhetoric pouring forth. “We noticed the highest of it final 12 months, didn’t fairly get there. Tonight we took that subsequent step.”

It took a very long time to get there. For a lot of the sport the Tide dominated, and Clemson fought to remain shut.

The Tigers didn’t rating on their first 5 possessions, falling behind 14–0, and trailed by 10 factors going into the fourth quarter. However Watson was sensible in main three lengthy scoring drives. Clemson took its first lead at 28–24 with 4:38 remaining, solely to have Jalen Hurts reply. His 30-yard landing run with simply greater than two minutes to play set the stage for the ultimate drive that modified the trajectory of Clemson soccer.

“Let’s be legendary,” Watson advised his receivers earlier than taking the sphere. “Let’s be nice.”

1. Alabama 26, Georgia 23: 2017 title sport

A walk-off nationwide championship. Not simply that, however a walk-off bomb for the nationwide championship. From a backup freshman quarterback to a backup freshman large receiver.

It was all so stunning that it provoked a spontaneous burst of pleasure from Saban, who is often not susceptible to such issues. Saban pulled the headset off his ears and began working, whereas the remainder of the Alabama sideline erupted round him.

In the meantime at midfield, the freshman who threw the go, Tua Tagovailoa, was a momentary image of calm. He watched DeVonta Smith pull within the go and cross the objective line for the successful rating, lifted his proper index finger within the ear, patted his chest two instances, seemed skyward along with his index finger aloft once more, eliminated his helmet and was engulfed by euphoric teammates.

At that time, Tagovailoa and Smith have been removed from the all-time school greats they’d turn into. Tagovailoa was the emergency backup who relieved a struggling Hurts, a determined however obligatory transfer by Saban along with his workforce trailing 13–0 at halftime. Smith was only a small gentle in a galaxy of Alabama skill-position stars, alongside Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, Henry Ruggs III, Najee Harris, Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Irv Smith Jr.

Years later, Tagovailoa would turn into a Heisman Trophy finalist and a top-five NFL draft decide. Smith would win the Heisman and be picked tenth. On that traumatic evening in Atlanta, they have been unbelievable heroes.

Tagovailoa led two fourth-quarter scoring drives to tie the sport at 20, whereas the Alabama protection shut down Georgia over its last 5 possessions of regulation. The Tide as soon as extra saved the Bulldogs out of the top zone in extra time, however their possibilities gave the impression to be slim after Tagovailoa took a probably game-losing sack on Alabama’s first play of extra time.

As an alternative, that solely set the stage for essentially the most well-known offensive play in class historical past, generally often called second-and-26. With 4 gamers working vertical routes, Tagovailoa seemed off security Dominick Sanders to maintain him in the course of the sphere, then fired deep for Smith down the left sideline. The ball left Tagovailoa’s left hand on the 47-yard line and hit Smith’s arms on the 1, and his subsequent stride took him into the top zone to finish the sport and ship the title.

“After the sack, we simply obtained up and took it to the subsequent play,” Tagovailoa stated. “I seemed again out, and he was large open. Smitty was large open.”