The College Football Fan’s Guide To Getting Through This Quarantine

The view from the Rose Bowl Media Booth. (Photo: Dan Mathews – 680 The Fan)

BY DAN MATHEWS
680 THE FAN, ATLANTA – There’s no sports right now and that SUCKS! But, I’m here to help you out until we get back to watching college football.

 

This week, I’ll be giving you ideas for games to watch. It’ll be all-time favorite postseason and regular season games. I’ll also have some of your favorites to share with fellow listeners.

Plus, what are the 680 The Fan/Sports X personalities favorites? We’ll have those as well.

My favorite postseason games: Bowl and conference championship games

2006 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, Texas and USC: It is the game of the century for many of us. The names are among the legendary ones in college football. They are Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Jammal Charles and LenDale White. It was a game that saw many lead changes. We were tipped off to Pete Carroll’s questionable decision making in crucial short yardage situations. We also a legendary drive to win the game. The play that everyone will always remember, is Young’s run to the end zone on fourth down and five to put the Longhorns ahead of the Trojans for good.

A great night for the good guys! (Photo: Dan Mathews – 680 The Fan)

2009 BCS National Championship Game at the Orange Bowl, Florida and Oklahoma: Yes, I know… Georgia fans are rolling their eyes and getting sharp stomach pains having to go back to watch this one. However, I think enough time has passed for us to watch this one. We don’t dislike Tim Tebow up here any more. Right? Far from it! This was a great game to watch him go up against Sam Bradford and the Sooners. The Gators would take the title. Downside? Yes, we had to watch Urban Meyer win another national title.

2009 BCS National Championship Game at the Orange Bowl, Florida and Oklahoma: Yes, I know… Georgia fans are rolling their eyes and getting sharp stomach pains having to go back to watch this one. However, I think enough time has passed for us to watch this one. We don’t dislike Tim Tebow up here any more. Right? Far from it! This was a great game to watch him go up against Sam Bradford and the Sooners. The Gators would take the title. Downside? Yes, we had to watch Urban Meyer win another national title.

2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, LSU vs. Clemson: Come on! You didn’t think I’d leave this one off, did you? It was the culmination of a historical and record breaking season for the SEC’s Tigers. Joe Burrow capped his stellar legacy at LSU with a national title win. It was a game where it looked early like Dabo Swinney’s program was going to repeat as champions. It wasn’t until Burrow ran into the end zone to make it 17-14 Clemson, where LSU was able to turn the tables and go on to a win.

OUCH! That stings! (Photo: Dan Mathews – 680 The Fan)

2018 Rose Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal), Georgia and Oklahoma: This game will always be special to me. I was lucky enough to be in the building that day, with Adam “Road Dawg” Gillespie, Brian Hoyt, Carlos Medina and former Fan intern Jonathan Sanders. The game started off slow for the Bulldogs. It looked early on like Baker Mayfield and the Sooners were going to run away with the game. The legend of Rodrigo Blankenship was born that day, when he made a 55 yard field goal to pull the score to 31-17 at the half. In the second half, Georgia was able to pressure Mayfield. UGA legends Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both had touchdown runs of 50 and 38 yards. A young freshman quarterback named Jake Fromm led the offense back down the field to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation. In the second overtime, Lorenzo Carters leap and one hand were enough to block a Sooner field goal attempt. Just two plays later, Sony Michel took the football 27 yards and sent the Dawgs back to Atlanta for a chance to play for the national title.

2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, LSU vs. Clemson: Come on! You didn’t think I’d leave this one off, did you? It was the culmination of a historical and record breaking season for the SEC’s Tigers. Joe Burrow capped his stellar legacy at LSU with a national title win. It was a game where it looked early like Dabo Swinney’s program was going to repeat as champions. It wasn’t until Burrow ran into the end zone to make it 17-14 Clemson, where LSU was able to turn the tables and go on to a win.

Honorable Mention: 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Alabama vs. Clemson (Alabama wins), 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Clemson vs. Alabama (Clemson wins). 2005 Rose Bowl, Texas vs. Michigan.


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