Ahead of the Pack

ROSE BOWL: University of Southern California vs. Florida State

Both these teams had little trouble winning their respective conferences, particularly FSU, which dominated the ACC. Coming into the game, the press hyped it as a battle between FSU's excellent, athletic defense, and USC superstar O.J. Simpson. The game started off with a bang for FSU, with Deion Sanders returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Sanders also had two interceptions, earning him co-MVP honors. Nevertheless, it was "The Juice" who carried the day, overcoming relentless boos and jeers from the crowd (despite the fact that the crowd was largely made up of USC fans) to rush for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The final: USC 21, FSU 17.

ORANGE BOWL: Pitt vs. Michigan

Michigan came into this game with something to prove. They entered the last game of the regular season undefeated in the Big Ten with the chance to play for the national championship. In their last game, however, they lost to arch-rival Ohio State. Making the BCS as an at-large team, they were looking for blood. They got it in the early going, with Desmond Howard hauling in a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Wolvie's an early 7-0 lead. Pitt bounced back, however, behind the spectacular running of Tony Dorsett, who finished with 164 yards on the day. On the third play from scrimmage, Dorsett followed a devastating block from tight-end Mike Ditka and scampered 72 yards for the score. From there on, the game settled into a battle between Pitt's run-oriented attack and the aerial feats of Michigan wide-receivers Howard and Anthony Carter. In the end, the Wolverines prevailed; a 27-yard Carter catch setting up a 37-yard game-winning field goal.
The final: Michigan 31, Pitt 28.

SUGAR BOWL: Alabama vs. Nebraska

Alabama came into this game feeling as if they had been cheated out of the national championship game. They dominated the SEC and finished the season ranked #2 in both the AP and coaches polls. Nevertheless, they fell to third in the final BCS bowl, thanks to Ohio State's victory over Michigan in the last game of the season. For the Cornhuskers, it was a magical year, capped by a victory over rival Oklahoma in the Big Twelve championship game. Despite the conservative tradition of these two teams, the game was exciting from the early going, thanks in no small part to the fantastic play of Alabama wide receiver Don Hutson. Nebraska clung on to the lead however, using their devastating wishbone attack. The Cornhuskers seemed to have the game in hand, leading 26-23 with just over two minutes left, but that is when disaster struck: quarterback Tommie Frazier fumbled the snap on his own 14 yard line, leading to a turnover and a Crimson Tide touchdown. Frazier and the Huskers bounced back, however. The option quarterback, working out of the shotgun in a more tradition attack, engineered a 78-yard drive, capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Rodgers as time expired, giving Nebraska a stunning come from behind win over Bear Bryant's Alabama team.
The final: Nebraska 33, Alabama 30.

FIESTA BOWL: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

No team was as dominant during the regular season as the Irish, who had impressive victories against Michigan, USC, and a previously undefeated Army team. Ohio State, on the other hand, needed some luck to make it to the national championship game. The Buckeyes lost in the early going to Penn State, but managed to win out the rest of their games, beating Michigan in the finale to clinch the Fiesta Bowl birth, barely edging out Alabama in the final BCS poll. The Irish started the game off with a 54-yard kick return by Raghib "The Rocket" Ishmael. This eventually led to a George Gipp 3-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead. Ohio State bounced back, however. Running back Archie Griffin put the team on his shoulders, executing Woody Hayes' "3 yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy to perfection. OSU scored on their opening drive, but the extra point attempt failed. After both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions, Notre Dame struck blood again, this time on a 64-yard bomb from John Lujack to Tim Brown. OSU once again answered, and again it was Archie Griffin who capped off the drive. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and the teams entered the locker-rooms at halftime with ND leading 14-12. During the half, Irish coach Frank Leahey, disappointed by the teams lackluster performance, brought out a special guest to give the half-time speech: Knute Rockne. This evidently did the trick, as Irish defensive end Leon Hart tackled Griffin in the end zone on the third play of the second half for a safety. The defense continued to dominate the half, forcing OSU into three turnovers, and offensive stars Brown, Lujack, "The Rocket," and "The Gipper" were impressive as well.
The final: Notre Dame 30, OSU 12.

Submitted 9/3/99 by Notre Dame law student Brad Sobolewski.