Wednesday, January 3, 2007

The Greatest Game

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- After spending a day in Arizona, there still wasn't much discussion of the UF-Ohio State game next week.

Rather, a majority of the talk has still centered around the incredible Fiesta Bowl game between Boise State and Oklahoma Monday night, and whether it is the greatest college football game ever played.

While the game caused me to get just four hours of sleep before having to drive to the airport to fly here, my appreciation for it only increased when I got here and spoke to people who were actually there.

Sitting here, I'm not sure that I can do everything that transpired justice.

A team has three tries at a two-point conversion.

The quarterback who is eventually named the game's offensive MVP throws an interception for a touchdown with only a minute remaining.

Boise runs the hook-and-ladder on fourth-and-18 with the game on the line.

Boise has a receiver throw a pass on fourth down in overtime.

And then they run the ultimate backyard football play, the Statue of Liberty, on the winning two-point conversion.

Oh, and the guy who scored the game winner dropped to his knee and proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend after his "mid-major" team chopped down one of college football's blue bloods.

Does it really get any better than that?

This game goes up alongside last year's Rose Bowl win by Texas and the Notre Dame-Southern Cal game last year as easily three of the best contests we've ever seen.

How do you define greatness, however?

Is it how important the game is? The quality of play? How fantastic the ending is? Is it the individual greatness of the players?

My ranking of the games would go:

  1. Boise St.-Oklahoma
  2. Texas-USC
  3. USC-Notre Dame
So how do you define greatness?

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