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.