Decade leaderboard

Top 25 College Football Games of the 2000s

Every completed game in the decade, scored without team allegiance by game-time AP poll strength, final-score closeness, and overtime.

Games: 25
Top score: 86/100
Overtime: 7

National ranking

The decade's top 25

25 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.

2002AT TEMPE AZNeutral site1OT
Ohio State vs. Miami
Ohio State 31, Miami 24
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Miami · 7-point margin
Ranking 49/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 9/15
86
Game score
Full Game · 2002 Miami vs. Ohio State (Bowl Full Game)
2005Week 111OT
LSU at Alabama
LSU 16, Alabama 13
No. 5 LSU vs. No. 4 Alabama · 3-point margin
Ranking 43/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 9/15
84
Game score
2006Week 12
Michigan at Ohio State
Michigan 39, Ohio State 42
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 1 Ohio State · 3-point margin
Ranking 49/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
81
Game score
Full Game · 2006 Ohio State vs. Michigan (Regular Season Full Game)
2005The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi
USC at Texas
USC 38, Texas 41
No. 1 USC vs. No. 2 Texas · 3-point margin
Ranking 49/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
81
Game score
Full Game · 2005 Texas vs. USC (Rose Bowl Full Game)
2004Week 31OT
Florida State at Miami
Florida State 10, Miami 16
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Miami · 6-point margin
Ranking 43/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 9/15
81
Game score
2005Week 41OT
Tennessee at LSU
Tennessee 30, LSU 27
No. 10 Tennessee vs. No. 3 LSU · 3-point margin
Ranking 39/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 9/15
80
Game score
Full Game · 2005 LSU vs. Tennessee (Regular Season Full Game)
2005Week 2
Texas at Ohio State
Texas 25, Ohio State 22
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 4 Ohio State · 3-point margin
Ranking 46/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
78
Game score
Full Game · 2005 Ohio State vs. Texas (Regular Season Full Game)
2001Week 15
Tennessee at Florida
Tennessee 34, Florida 32
No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Florida · 2-point margin
Ranking 45/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
78
Game score
2003Week 131OT
Purdue at Ohio State
Purdue 13, Ohio State 16
No. 11 Purdue vs. No. 4 Ohio State · 3-point margin
Ranking 37/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 9/15
78
Game score
2006FIESTA BOWL AT GLENDALE AZ1OT
Boise State at Oklahoma
Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42
No. 10 Boise State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma · 1-point margin
Ranking 34/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 9/15
77
Game score
Full Game · 2006 Oklahoma vs. Boise State (Fiesta Bowl Full Game)
2003NOKIA SUGAR BOWL
Oklahoma at LSU
Oklahoma 14, LSU 21
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 LSU · 7-point margin
Ranking 48/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
76
Game score
Full Game · 2003 LSU vs. Oklahoma (Bowl Full Game)
2000Week 7
Florida State at Miami
Florida State 24, Miami 27
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 7 Miami · 3-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
76
Game score
2002Week 8
Florida State at Miami
Florida State 27, Miami 28
No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 1 Miami · 1-point margin
Ranking 42/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
76
Game score
2008Week 9
Oklahoma State at Texas
Oklahoma State 24, Texas 28
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 1 Texas · 4-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
75
Game score
2007Week 13
Missouri at Kansas
Missouri 36, Kansas 28
No. 3 Missouri vs. No. 2 Kansas · 8-point margin
Ranking 47/50 · Closeness 27/35 · Overtime 0/15
74
Game score
2008Week 10
Texas at Texas Tech
Texas 33, Texas Tech 39
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 6 Texas Tech · 6-point margin
Ranking 45/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 0/15
74
Game score
Full Game · Texas Tech vs. Texas (Full Game)
2006Week 3
LSU at Auburn
LSU 3, Auburn 7
No. 6 LSU vs. No. 3 Auburn · 4-point margin
Ranking 43/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
74
Game score
2005Week 7
USC at Notre Dame
USC 34, Notre Dame 31
No. 1 USC vs. No. 9 Notre Dame · 3-point margin
Ranking 42/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
74
Game score
Full Game · 2005 Notre Dame vs. USC (Regular Season Full Game)
2008Week 111OT
Alabama at LSU
Alabama 27, LSU 21
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 15 LSU · 6-point margin
Ranking 36/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 9/15
74
Game score
2008Week 15Neutral site
Alabama vs. Florida
Alabama 20, Florida 31
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Florida · 11-point margin
Ranking 49/50 · Closeness 24/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
Full Game · 2008 Florida vs. Alabama (SEC Championship Game Full Game)
2004Week 7
California at USC
California 17, USC 23
No. 7 California vs. No. 1 USC · 6-point margin
Ranking 44/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
2007Week 9
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Boston College 14, Virginia Tech 10
No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech · 4-point margin
Ranking 42/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
Full Game · 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (Regular Season Full Game)
2007Week 6
Florida at LSU
Florida 24, LSU 28
No. 9 Florida vs. No. 1 LSU · 4-point margin
Ranking 42/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
Full Game · 2007 LSU vs. Florida (Regular Season Full Game)
2009Week 2
USC at Ohio State
USC 18, Ohio State 15
No. 3 USC vs. No. 8 Ohio State · 3-point margin
Ranking 41/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
Full Game · 2009 Ohio State vs. USC (Regular Season Full Game)
2001Week 15
Colorado at Texas
Colorado 39, Texas 37
No. 9 Colorado vs. No. 3 Texas · 2-point margin
Ranking 40/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
73
Game score
Full Game · 2001 Texas vs. Colorado (Big 12 Championship Game Full Game)

Methodology

How each game earns up to 100 points

AP ranking, 50 points: each team earns 26 minus its game-time AP rank. Unranked teams receive zero.

Closeness, 35 points: the final margin is subtracted from 35, with margins of 35 or more receiving zero.

Overtime, 15 points: overtime starts at nine points and rises by two per additional period, capped at 15.

Regular-season rankings use the AP Top 25 recorded for the game's week. Postseason games use the final regular-season AP poll published before bowl and playoff results. Overtime uses period scoring when available, then explicit overtime notes as a fallback. Older decades may have less complete poll, period, and box-score data.