Everything's Coming Up Roses (and Fiestas): The Best Bowl Games of The 21st Century

Bowl season is just days away, and with 2019 being the 150th anniversary of this great game, what better way to look back and reflect than to showcase the five greatest bowl games of the 21st century. Whether it be for a national championship or seniors and NFL-eligible players just wanting to not end their careers with a loss, the games on this list were epic, and years later they still vividly rest in the memories of college football fans everywhere.

So without further ado, the five greatest bowl games ever.

5. 2012 Rose Bowl - Oregon vs. Wisconsin

This was two of the best offenses in the country putting on a show for a sold out Rose Bowl. The two teams traded haymakers the entire game and were tied 28-28 at the half. Back and forth they went with Oregon using big plays to retake the lead 45-38 with only 16 seconds left. The Badgers would quickly drive the ball down the field led by Russell Wilson (you may have heard of that guy). They drove to Oregon's 25-yard line but Wilson wasn’t able to spike the ball in time to stop the clock, ending the game there. Oregon wins its first Rose Bowl in 95 years in an absolute classic.

4. 2017 Rose Bowl - USC vs. Penn State

Piggybacking on the offensive production of our 5th place entry, this one was a wild affair. There were huge momentum shifts throughout the affair as USC jumped out to an early 13-point lead before QB Trace McSorley led the Nittany Lions to 28 unanswered points to take a 15-point lead of their own. Penn State would take a 49-35 lead into the 4th quarter but that would be the last time they moved the scoreboard. Freshman QB Sam Darnold would lead the Trojans all the way back and USC kicker Matt Boermeester would kick the game winning 46-yard field goal as time expired and USC would go on to win 52-49. 101 total points in a college football game--incredible.

3. 2003 Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State vs. Miami

What a game this was. This game wasn’t ​just ​the Fiesta Bowl, as it also served as the BCS National Championship for the 2002 college football season. Both of these teams came into this game undefeated, and stock full of future NFL players. A National Championship ​and ​it goes into double overtime? Immediate classic. Now add in some controversy with a disputed pass interference call and you have all the markings of one of the greatest bowl games ever played.

2. 2007 Fiesta Bowl - Boise State vs. Oklahoma

Another one in the desert, and another classic. This is the game that put the Boise State football program on the national map, where they remain to this day. Before this game the only thing the Broncos were known for was the blue turf on their football field, not so after this game ended. Boise State came into this game undefeated and looking for respect, while big bad Oklahoma was expected to come in and win this one easily. Boise State had other ideas. They led most of the game, but blew an 18-point lead before gaining 50 yards on a 4th-and-18 hook and ladder play to tie the game in the final seconds. To overtime they went, and after once again tying the game, they went for a 2-point conversion and the win. How? By pulling out even more trickery with the Statue of Liberty play. If this game didn’t have it all already, Boise State’s best player proposed to his girlfriend on the field minutes after the winning score. Now it officially had everything.

1. 2006 Rose Bowl - Texas vs USC

Not often, almost rarely, do the most hyped sporting events ever live up to their lofty expectations. In 2006, the Rose Bowl and also National Championship lived up to the billing and then some. This one had everything. There was star power everywhere, from the teams to the sidelines, where celebs like Matthew McConaughey, Will Ferrell, and Snoop Dogg, just to name a few, roamed. USC came into this game on a 34-game winning streak, and not one but two Heisman trophy winners in the backfield. Texas had Vince Young, and that was all they needed. Young had one of the greatest individual performances ever in a championship bowl game, or any bowl game for that matter. Young brought Texas back from a 12-point deficit with six minutes to go in the 4th quarter, scrambling into the endzone on 4th-and-5 to give Texas the lead with seconds remaining--Texas would go on to win 41-38. For my money, this was the greatest college bowl game of all-time. None better.

Hopefully some of this year's bowls can join the list this year. In the meantime, make sure to hit up 888Sport for all your online betting needs and Superbowl prop bets, and make this holiday season truly special.

*Credit to the main photo of this article belongs to Kim D. Johnson/Associated Press, Matt Sayles/Associated Press, Eliane Thompson/Associated Press