This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-08-13 15:03:50+00:00.

Into the Top 40 we go!

40: OKLAHOMA SOONERS (lost to Texas 49-0) [2022]

The 2022 Red River Shootout was hardly your typical edition of the classic rivalry. Both teams sat at just 3-2, with neither ranked heading into the game for the first time since 1998. But those 3-2’s weren’t exactly equal- Texas’ losses had come in a heartbreaker to top-ranked Alabama, and barely being nipped out by Texas Tech in Overtime. Oklahoma, on the other hand, had come up short at home against K-State before being nuked in shocking fashion by TCU. But the Sooners still had optimism- the RRSO was nothing if not unpredictable. Well, it was that- nobody could have possibly predicted the winning touchdown would be scored just over eight minutes into the game and the Cotton Bowl would be nearly devoid of red by halftime. Texas churned out 585 yards of offense while holding the Sooners to less than 200. The second half became especially pathetic- the Sooners mustered a measly 19 yards in the entire act.

39: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (lost to Wisconsin 38-34) [2005]

With 133 tilts between them, the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s axe is the most played rivalry in FBS history, and was even one of the few long-runners that survived the 2020 COVID season with its annual streak intact. Both the Gophers and the Badgers were having decent seasons entering the 2005 edition- each was 5-1 and ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively. The game was tied 10-10 at the half, but the Gophers began to take control in the third quarter, and while Wisconsin did pull within 3 early in the fourth, the Gophers subsequently embarked on a massive 19 play scoring drive to give them a 34-24 lead with just over three minutes to go. But Wisconsin responded quickly, then forced a Minnesota three and out with just thirty seconds to go. But Gopher punter Justin Kucek fumbled the snap, and by the time he recovered it and kicked, the Badgers were upon him, stuffing the punt and knocking it back into the end zone, where the Badgers recovered for the shocking winning touchdown. Oddly enough, the game was nearly ten years to the day before another last-minute punt failure for a touchdown involving two Big Ten Schools fighting over Paul Bunyan memorabilia. But woah- we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

38: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (lost to Illinois 20-18) [2021]

There have been many changes to college football in the past decade or so- many arguably for the worse. But outside of the degradation of the bowls, the new Overtime rules might just be the one I hate the most- made even more infuriating because the change clearly came about because someone with power watched Texas A&M’s epic 74-72 win over LSU in 2018 and said “well, we can’t let THAT happen again”. It took a few years, but the soul-sucking reality of what happens when you basically reduce the outcome of a game to penalty kicks happened when the Illini came to Happy Valley in 2021. The Lions were #7 and 5-1 and took an early 10 point lead. But Illinois fought their way back into the game, tied things up early in the fourth quarter, and held on to force overtime. BOth teams exchanged field goals in the first and second overtimes, which meant off to alternating plays from the three yard line we went. Neither team scored in the third overtime. Or fourth. OR fifth. Or sixth or seventh. Five consecutive tries, neither team was able to gain the three yards necessary to get points on the board. Finally, in the FBS record setting eighth overtime (bleh), BOTH teams managed to score. In the 9th, a Penn State pass was deflected away, while Illinois managed to complete theirs in the back of the end zone to pull off the shocking (and draining) upset.

37: TEXAS A&M AGGIES (lost to UCLA 45-44) [2017]

The Aggies travelled to Pasadena to begin their 2017 campaign with a Sunday night affair. The Aggies were ready for primetime, but the Bruins were apparently not, and A&M began to dominate the game, leading 17-3 after the first quarter and 38-10 at the half, thanks in no small part to three Bruin turnovers. The Aggies picked up two more FG’s in the third quarter to expand their league to a whopping 34 points. And then, the Legend of Josh Rosen happened. Over the next nineteen minutes, UCLA scored five touchdowns on drives totalling 396 yards, four ending with passes from Rosen. The final was particularly memorable- a Marino-esque fake spike into a looping arc to Jordan Lasley to tie the game at 44, with the extra point taking the lead. A&M had one last chance to salvage things, but downed out, and left Pasadena in shambles. It proved the beginning of the end for coach Kevin Sumlin, who was let go at the end of the year after 6 seasons in College Station.

36: OLE MISS REBELS (lost to Arkansas 53-52) [2015]

I almost went with the previous year, when the Razorbacks inexplicably annhilated the #8 Rebels 30-0, but its the Hawg Toss. Its gotta be the Hawg Toss. The game itself was a wild affair, with both teams combining for nearly 1,200 yards of offense, and both pulling off fourth quarter comebacks, the last coming from Arkansas who scored with 43 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Ole Miss went first and scored fairly quickly, but on second down, the Hawgs gave up a brutal 10 yard sack, then couldn’t connect with receiver Hunter Henry, forcing a 4th and 25. On fourth down, Brandon Allen again found Henry along the sideline, but 11-yards short of the first down. With one defender on him and more closing in, Henry did the only thing he could do- blindly throw the ball backwards over his head. The ball bounced once, then was picked up by the Razorback’s Alex Collins, who streaked down the opposite sideline amidst stunned Rebel defenders, easily making the line to gain to keep the Hawgs alive. Two plays later, Arkansas scored, elected to go for two, and converted to cap off the wild night. The loss proved devastating for the Rebels- it ended up costing them the SEC West, allowing Alabama to advance to the SEC Championship, then the playoffs, then the National Title. Ole Miss still has yet to ever play in an SEC Championship.

TOMORROW: The mother of all Cougings, and… oh. You might, uh, wanna skip this one Buckeye fans.