Orange Bowl Goes to Overtime

The first FedEx Orange Bowl of the new millennium saw an overtime thriller between the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan end with a 35-34 overtime victory for the Wolverines. Read more here

Sooners Earn National Title

Oklahoma entered the game with a perfect 12-0 record, but was still considered the underdog to No. 2 Florida State, two-times the national champs in the ‘90s. Read more here

Offensive Showcase for Gators

Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman did not start, but relieved Brock Berlin and completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns to lead Florida to a 56-23 victory over Maryland. The Gators air attack was led by MVP Taylor Jacobs who turned in a 10-catch, Orange Bowl-record 170-yard, two-touchdown performance. The 170 yards were 11 more than the record held by Alabama's Ray Perkins (1966) and Florida's Travis Taylor (1999). Read more here

Palmer Leads USC Rout

The 2003 FedEx Orange Bowl match-up between Southern California and Iowa restored a traditional postseason match-up between Big Ten and Pac-10 conference champions. It was just a tad further east than normal. This traditional Pasadena match-up played out instead in South Florida and created a tremendous amount of interest on the national scene. In the end, it was the perfect ending to a storied season and collegiate career for So. California’s star-quarterback Carson Palmer. Read more here

In-State Rivals Meet in Bowl

The 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl saw one of the fiercest annual rivalries meet for the first time in a bowl setting. The Hurricanes Jarett Payton ran for 131 yards in his final collegiate performance to take home the MWP. Freshman kicker Jon Peattie converted three field goals and the Miami defense shut out Florida State in the second half in a 16-14 win. Read more here

Heisman Winners Face-Off

2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart faced off against 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White as the Orange Bowl hosted its 18th National Championship, six of which have included Oklahoma. Read more here

Legends Go Head-to-Head

It’s not very often when a game lives up to all the hype, but the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl was one for the ages. In a game featuring arguably the two greatest college football coaches of all time, it was Penn State’s Joe Paterno leaving South Florida with a triple-overtime victory over close friend Bobby Bowden. Read more here

Conference Champions Collide

The 73rd Orange Bowl Classic was a contest between first-time participants, Wake Forest and Louisville. Read more here

Dream Season Continues for Kansas

In a classic match up between the nation’s second ranked scoring defense in the Virginia Tech Hokies (15.5 ppg) against the nation’s second ranked scoring offense in the Kansas Jayhawks (44.3 ppg), something had to give in the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl. Kansas (12-1), perhaps the biggest surprise in college football during the season, won in its first Bowl Championship Series game to set a team record for victories. The previous year, the Jayhawks went 6-6. The Hokies would finish the year 11-3. Read more here

Tech Earns First BCS Win

Gators Ride Tebow, Defense to Title