ESPN Celebrates College Football’s 150th Birthday by Unveiling Sport’s 150 Greatest Games, Amplifying Season-Long CFB150 Initiative

- Blue Ribbon Panel Selects 1971 Nebraska at Oklahoma as Greatest College Football Game Ever; Special Marvel Covers Recognize Top Games
- ‘Games of the Century’ and ‘Greatest Upsets’ the Focus of The American Game and The Greatest Docuseries; ESPN’s Monday Night Football to Feature Multiple CFB150 Elements
- This Season’s First College Football Playoff Committee Rankings Revealed
- Two ESPN CFB150 Showcase Games: Miami (Ohio) at Ohio to be Played on Sport’s Anniversary, Undefeated Princeton vs. Undefeated Dartmouth from Yankee Stadium on Nov. 9
College football’s 150th birthday is Wednesday, Nov. 6, and to mark the occasion ESPN will amplify its season-long, multi-platform College Football 150 celebration throughout the week. The sport’s 150 greatest games were revealed this morning, beginning a week that will include ESPN’s Monday Night Football recognizing the anniversary; The American Game examining “Games of the Century”; The Greatest debating the sport’s biggest upsets; and a special ESPN CFB150 Showcase Game between MAC East Division leaders Miami (Ohio) and Ohio on the night of the anniversary, among many other elements.
The night before the sport’s birthday, ESPN will look to the immediate future, as the College Football Playoff committee’s first rankings will be revealed exclusively on ESPN Tuesday night (approx. 9 p.m. ET).
The 150 Greatest Games in College Football History Revealed; Nebraska in Top Two Games, Miami in Four of Top Six
A blue-ribbon panel comprising 150 influential figures and minds from across the spectrum of college football have voted the 1971 Nebraska at Oklahoma contest as the greatest game in the sport’s history. The Thanksgiving showdown (November 25, 1971) saw Nebraska win 35-31, the Cornhuskers’ 30th consecutive game without a loss.
Nebraska’s matchup vs. Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl was voted the second greatest matchup ever, as the Cornhuskers and Hurricanes are represented in five of the top six games.
ESPN.com has the complete 150 greatest games list here, with the top 15 also included below:
Rank | Year, Game and Final Score | Date |
1 | 1971 Nebraska 35 Oklahoma 31 |
Nov 25, 1971
|
2 | 1984 Orange Bowl Miami 31 Nebraska 30 |
Jan 2, 1984
|
3 | 2007 Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32 |
Sep 1, 2007
|
4 | 1984 Boston College 47 Miami 45 |
Nov 23, 1984
|
5 | 1987 Fiesta Bowl Penn State 14 Miami 10 |
Jan 2, 1987
|
6 | 1988 Miami 30 Notre Dame 31 |
Oct 15, 1988
|
7 | 2006 Rose Bowl Texas 41 USC 38 |
Jan 4, 2006
|
8 | 1983 Sugar Bowl Penn State 27 Georgia 23 |
Jan 1, 1983
|
9 | 1959 Ole Miss 3 LSU 7 |
Oct 31, 1959
|
10 | 1973 Sugar Bowl Notre Dame 24 Alabama 23 |
Dec 31, 1973
|
11 | 1968 Yale 29 Harvard 29 |
Nov 23, 1968
|
12 | 1979 Sugar Bowl Alabama 14 Penn State 7 |
Jan 1, 1979
|
13 | 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Alabama 26 Georgia 23 (OT) |
Ja. 8, 2018
|
14 | 1967 UCLA 20 USC 21 |
Nov 18, 1967
|
15 | 1957 Notre Dame 7 Oklahoma 0 |
Nov 16, 1957
|
ESPN and Marvel Recognize Sport’s Greatest Games with Special Comic Book Covers
ESPN and Marvel have teamed up to recognize five of college football’s 10 greatest games in a unique way – with special comic-book themed covers based off original covers. The games highlighted are:
No. 1: 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma
No. 2: 1984 Nebraska-Miami
No. 7: 2006 USC-Texas
No. 8: 1983 Penn State-Georgia
No. 10:1973 Alabama-Notre Dame
For original files of the Marvel covers, please email [email protected]
‘Games of the Century’ the Focus of The American Game; Greatest Upsets Debated on The Greatest
ESPN will continue its two season-long, docuseries: The American Game (every Tuesday) and The Greatest (every Thursday):
- The American Game (Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2): The “Game of the Century” idiom in college football lexis dates back to the 1935 matchup between undefeated Notre Dame and undefeated Ohio State. Since that showdown in front of more than 81,000 spectators, fans and media alike would repurpose the phrase when a monumental showdown in the sport was on the horizon, signifying the game’s importance. This week’s episode examines this unique college football description and the historic matchups which have been played under the moniker.
- The Greatest (Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. on ESPN): College football has always been a game of Davids and Goliaths which makes some of the most memorable games involving teams least expected to win. This week, the Top 11 upsets in the sport’s history and the stories behind them are examined.
ESPNU will re-air multiple programs from the ESPN CFB150 initiative throughout the day on Wednesday, Nov. 6, including episodes of both docuseries as well as select episodes from Saturdays in the South: The History of SEC Football.
ESPN Reveals College Football Playoff Committee’s First Top 25 Rankings
ESPN will exclusively televise this season’s first College Football Playoff: Top 25 on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at approximately 9 p.m., between games of college basketball’s tip-off event, the State Farm Champions Classic (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.). Live from Madison Square Garden, Rece Davis alongside Kirk Herbstreit, Jesse Palmer and Joey Galloway will reveal the committee’s first weekly rankings of the season. CFP Committee Chairman Rob Mullens will join the show following the rankings news.
This season’s College Football Playoff: Top 25 schedule is as follows
Date | Show | Time (ET) | Network |
Tue, Nov 5 | College Football Playoff: Top 25 | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
Tue, Nov 12 | College Football Playoff: Top 25 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Tue, Nov 19 | College Football Playoff: Top 25 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Tue, Nov 26 | College Football Playoff: Top 25 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Tue, Dec 3 | College Football Playoff: Top 25 | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
Sun, Dec 8 | College Football Playoff: Selection Show | Noon | ESPN |
Please note: Commentators will stay the same each Tuesday; David Pollack will join starting next week
ESPN CFB150 Showcase Games: Miami (Ohio) at Ohio and Princeton vs. Dartmouth from Yankee Stadium
ESPN will air two ESPN CFB150 Showcase Games this week, beginning with Miami (Ohio) at Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m. (ESPN2) and continuing with Princeton vs. Dartmouth in a battle of Ivy League undefeated teams on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU) from Yankee Stadium.
Both games have intriguing storylines, as Ohio head coach Frank Solich enters the game with 110 conference victories, tying him for the most ever among MAC head coaches. A win on the anniversary date will make him the all-time winningest coach in the conference. For the Ivy League matchup, both teams enter the game with 7-0 overall records and 4-0 conference records. Overall, this will be the 98th matchup in a series which began in 1903, with the Big Green holding an 49-44-4 all-time advantage.
On Wednesday, a special College Football Countdown (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2) precedes the MAC game. Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard is calling the game along with Matt Barrie and Holly Rowe. ESPN Senior Writer Ivan Maisel, the Editor-at-Large of ESPN College Football 150, will also join the telecast.
Additional Anniversary Week Highlights
- ESPN’s Monday Night Football presentation between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will feature multiple acknowledgements of the anniversary, as well as NFL100. Among the highlights:
- During Monday Night Countdown, Joe Tessitore will voice an essay, examining the historical aspect of both college and pro football.
- During the game, NFL players will sport a helmet decal featuring their college logo.
- SportsCenter will pay tribute to the sport’s history at various times throughout the week.
- My Story vignettes continue throughout the week, including from Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers on the sport’s birthday as he recalls a tale from the aforementioned greatest game in college football history.
- ESPN Radio will pay homage to the greatest voices of college football throughout the anniversary day.
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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner