THE 1970S

JANUARY 1, 1970

PSU FINISHES UNDEFEATED, NO. 2

PENN STATE    10    MISSOURI    3

Second-ranked Penn State saw its chances for a national title expire when Texas finished its season earlier in the day with a Cotton Bowl title, but Joe Paterno’s squad still completed an undefeated season with a 10-3 win over Missouri. Penn State sophomore Franco Harris had 17 carries for 46 yards in a game that featured 19 future National Football League stars.

JANUARY 1, 1971

NEBRASKA DOWNS LSU FOR TITLE

NEBRASKA    17    LOUISIANA STATE    12

Coach Bob Devaney’s Nebraska Cornhuskers won their first of two consecutive national championships by virtue of a 17-12 win over Louisiana State. Earlier in the day, top-ranked Texas was upset by Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and number two-ranked Ohio State was shocked by Stanford and Jim Plunkett in the Rose.

JANUARY 1, 1972

‘HUSKERS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT TITLE

NEBRASKA    38    ALABAMA    6

A match up between top-ranked Nebraska and No.2-ranked Alabama was billed as the “Game of the Century II”, but the ‘Huskers proved to be far superior as they handed Alabama and coach Bear Bryant a 38-6 defeat. Devaney notched his first win in three tries over Bryant.

JANUARY 1, 1973

DEVANEY GOES OUT ON TOP

NEBRASKA    40    NOTRE DAME    6

Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers closed out his collegiate career in style, scoring four touchdowns and passing for another as Nebraska became the first team to win three straight Orange Bowl titles by romping over Notre Dame, 40-6.

JANUARY 1, 1974

PENN STATE REMAINS UNBEATEN

PENN STATE    16    LOUISIANA STATE    9

Undefeated Penn State moved its record to 12-0 on the season as it took advantage of consistently poor Louisiana State field position to win 16-9. Louisiana State out gained the Pennsylvania team 274 yards to 185 and held Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti to 50 yards. Although Penn State finished undefeated, the polls still had the Nittany Lions ranked fifth.

JANUARY 1, 1975

IRISH SPOIL ’BAMA TITLE HOPES

NOTRE DAME    13    ALABAMA    11

Notre Dame players sent coach Ara Parseghian out with a win, upsetting number one-ranked Alabama, 13-11, in an exciting Orange Bowl contest that went down to the wire.

JANUARY 1, 1976

SOONERS GET DEFENSIVE FOR TITLE

OKLAHOMA    14    MICHIGAN    6

Second-ranked Oklahoma survived a defensive battle with Big Ten runner-up and fourth-ranked Michigan, winning its second national championship in the Orange Bowl by a 14-6 count.

JANUARY 1, 1977

BUCKEYES GO TO BENCH FOR OFFENSE

OHIO STATE    27    COLORADO    10

The Ohio State offense, led by second-team quarterback Rod Gerald, came alive in the second period as the Buckeyes went on to beat co-Big Eight champion Colorado, 27-10.

JANUARY 2, 1978

ARKANSAS SALES PITCH WORKS

ARKANSAS    31    OKLAHOMA    6

Reserve running back Roland Sales rushed for an Orange Bowl-record 205 yards on 22 carries and a pair of touchdowns in Arkansas’ 31-6 upset over a championship-minded Oklahoma. With top-ranked Texas losing earlier in the day in the Cotton, all Oklahoma had to do was win to achieve the top ranking. Also in the Sooners’ corner was the suspension of three Arkansas starters by head coach Lou Holtz prior to the trip to Miami. But it was not to be.

JANUARY 1, 1979

OKLAHOMA STINGS NEBRASKA IN BIG 8 CLASH

OKLAHOMA    31    NEBRASKA    24

Oklahoma, with the help of a 17-point third quarter, avenged a regular-season loss to Nebraska with a 31-24 win. With a Big Eight Championship tie, the Orange Bowl officials came up with the idea of a rematch. It was the first-ever match-up of two Big Eight teams in a bowl game.

THE 1980S

JANUARY 1, 1980

SOONERS SPOIL SEMINOLE UPRISING

OKLAHOMA    24    FLORIDA STATE    7

J.C. Watts and Billy Sims each rushed for more than 100 yards and a stingy Oklahoma defense shut down undefeated and fourth-ranked Florida State for a 24-7 victory.

JANUARY 1, 1981

WISHBONE WATTS AIRS OUT FSU

OKLAHOMA    18    FLORIDA STATE    17

Oklahoma quarterback J.C. Watts went to the air in the fourth quarter to defeat Florida State, 18-17, in an exciting finish.

JANUARY 1, 1982

CLEMSON PERFECT IN TITLE GAME

CLEMSON    22    NEBRASKA    15

Top-ranked Clemson won its first national championship and finished with its third perfect season in its 88-year history with a 22-15 win over Nebraska in the 48th Orange Bowl.

JANUARY 1, 1983

FUMBLIN’ NEBRASKA HOLDS ON

NEBRASKA    21    LOUISIANA STATE    20

Louisiana State’s Tigers came within one point of upsetting No. 3 Nebraska, but the Huskers held on to win 21-20. Despite four fumbles and a pair of interceptions, the Big Red Machine was able to come back from a 17-7 deficit to win.

JANUARY 2, 1984

GOLDEN GAME FOR HURRICANES

MIAMI    31    NEBRASKA    30

In arguably the greatest college football bowl game ever played, Miami won its first national championship, 31-30, after Nebraska missed a two-point conversion attempt in the 50th anniversary Orange Bowl Classic. The first Husker points came on a second period Dean Steinkuhler’s controversial 19-yard “fumblerooskie” play.

JANUARY 1, 1985

HUSKIES BEAT SOONERS, FINISH NO. 2

WASHINGTON    28    OKLAHOMA    17

Washington, the first Pac-10 team to be invited to the Orange Bowl, rallied to beat No. 2 Oklahoma, 28-17.

JANUARY 1, 1986

HOLIEWAY STEERS SOONERS TO TITLE

OKLAHOMA    25    PENN STATE    10

Oklahoma scored 16 second-quarter points and shut out top-ranked Penn State in the second half as it won its third national championship in the Orange Bowl.

JANUARY 1, 1987

SOONERS STEAMROLL RAZORBACKS

OKLAHOMA    42    ARKANSAS    8

The University of Oklahoma capped its third consecutive season as Big 8 Champions with a 42-8 rout of the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 1987 Orange Bowl.

JANUARY 1, 1988

MIAMI EARNS CHAMPIONSHIP RING

MIAMI    20    OKLAHOMA    14

For the second time in five years, Miami became the national champion in the Orange Bowl, this time knocking off Oklahoma, 20-14.

JANUARY 2, 1989

‘CANES PASS TEST, FINISH NO. 2

MIAMI    23    NEBRASKA    3

Second-ranked Miami, with no chance to repeat as national champion after undefeated Notre Dame won earlier in the day, overwhelmed Nebraska 23-3 in the 55th annual Orange Bowl. It was Head Coach Jimmy Johnson’s last game at Miami before moving on to the NFL.

THE 1990S

JANUARY 1, 1990

NOTRE DAME STAMPEDES COLORADO

NOTRE DAME    21    COLORADO    6

Notre Dame took advantage of three first-half missed scoring opportunities by Colorado and handed the 11-0 top-ranked Buffs a 21-6 defeat.

JANUARY 1, 1991

BUFFS HANG ON TO WIN TITLE

COLORADO    10    NOTRE DAME    9

The 1991 Colorado Buffaloes, a team of comebacks and controversy, overcame the loss of top quarterback Darian Hagan to earn its first national championship with a 10-9 victory over Notre Dame.

JANUARY 1, 1992

SHUTOUT GIVES ‘CANES THIRD TITLE

MIAMI    22    NEBRASKA    0

For the third time in five years, and the fourth in seven, the FedEx Orange Bowl was the cream of the proverbial crop of New Year’s Day bowl games as Miami soundly defeated Nebraska, 22-0, to take a share of the national championship. Miami finished No. 1 in the Associated Press poll while the University of Washington got the nod from the coaches’ poll.

JANUARY 1, 1993

SEMINOLES CAPTURE FIRST ORANGE BOWL WIN

FLORIDA STATE    27    NEBRASKA    14

Florida State won its first Orange Bowl game, 27-14, with a 13-point second quarter that proved too much for Nebraska. Florida State finished second in the AP Poll while Nebraska dropped to 14. It was the fourth No. 2 finish for the Seminoles since 1987. The halftime show was cancelled for the first time in history due to flooding prior to the game.

JANUARY 1, 1994

FLORIDA STATE WINS FIRST NATIONAL TITLE

FLORIDA STATE    18    NEBRASKA    16

Led by Charlie Ward, Florida State came from behind to defeat Nebraska 18-16 to secure the school’s first-ever national crown. An Orange Bowl-record crowd of 81,536 witnessed just the 11th meeting ever between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams and just the third ever in the Orange Bowl.

JANUARY 1, 1995

OSBORNE WINS FIRST TITLE

NEBRASKA    24    MIAMI    17

Two fourth-quarter touchdowns helped No. 1 Nebraska overcome a 17-9 deficit, giving Coach Tom Osborne a 24-17 win over the University of Miami and his first national championship as a head coach.

JANUARY 1, 1996

FLORIDA STATE WINS 11TH STRAIGHT BOWL GAME

FLORIDA STATE    31    NOTRE DAME    26

Florida State rallied to score 17 late fourth-quarter points in Orange Bowl Stadium, beating Notre Dame, 31-26.

DECEMBER 31, 1996

ORANGE BOWL MOVES TO PRO PLAYER STADIUM

NEBRASKA    41    VIRGINIA TECH    21

The 63rd annual FedEx Orange Bowl, played for the first time in its new home of Pro Player Stadium, saw the Nebraska Cornhuskers defeat the Hokies of Virginia Tech, 41-21, on New Year’s Eve.

JANUARY 2, 1998

OSBORNE ENDS CAREER ON-TOP

NEBRASKA    42    TENNESSEE    17

The Cornhuskers rolled up 534 yards of offense, including 409 on the ground, to send legendary head coach Tom Osborne into retirement with his third national title. Nebraska closed things out with a touchdown drive consisting of nine consecutive running plays. The victory closed out the Osborne era in grand style.

JANUARY 2, 1999

GAME RETURNS TO ORANGE BOWL STADIUM

FLORIDA    31    SYRACUSE    10

Returning to the Classic for the first time since 1967, the Florida Gators used a 28-point first half and a stingy defense to put the finishing touches on the Orangemen 31-10. The 65th annual FedEx Orange Bowl also made a curtain call to the stadium it called home for more than 60 years, Orange Bowl Stadium.

THE 2000S

JANUARY 1, 2000

ORANGE BOWL GOES TO OVERTIME

MICHIGAN    35    ALABAMA    34 (OT)

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.

JANUARY 3, 2001

SOONERS EARN NATIONAL TITLE

OKLAHOMA    13    FLORIDA STATE    2

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.

JANUARY 2, 2002

OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE FOR GATORS

FLORIDA    56    MARYLAND    23

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).

JANUARY 2, 2003

PALMER LEADS USC ROUT OF IOWA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA    38    IOWA    17

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.

JANUARY 1, 2004

IN-STATE RIVALS MEET IN ORANGE BOWL

MIAMI    16    FLORIDA STATE    14

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.

JANUARY 4, 2005

HEISMAN WINNERS FACE-OFF

SO CALIFORNIA    55    OKLAHOMA    19

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.

JANUARY 3, 2006

PENN STATE WINS IN TRIPLE OVERTIME

PENN STATE    26    FLORIDA STATE    23 (3OT)

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 that lasted nearly five hours, it was Penn State that outlasted Florida State.

JANUARY 2, 2007

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS COLLIDE

LOUISVILLE    24    WAKE FOREST    13

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

JANUARY 3, 2008

DREAM SEASON CONTINUES FOR KANSAS

KANSAS  24    VIRGINIA TECH    21

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.

JANUARY 1, 2009

TECH EARNS FIRST BCS WIN

CINCINNATI    7    VIRGINIA TECH    20

The opening moments were filled with just about every problem Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer feared his team would have against Cincinnati.

JANUARY 8, 2009

GATORS RIDE TEBOW, DEFENSE TO TITLE

FLORIDA    24    OKLAHOMA    14

In a game that featured two of the county’s most dynamic offenses and two Heisman Tropy winning quarterbacks, it was the defensive grudge match between the second-ranked Florida Gators and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners that dominated the 2009 BCS National Championship.