From the Kick Six to miracle Hail Marys, relive the greatest rivalry comebacks in college football history. No lead is ever safe in these legendary games.
Lucky Rebels: The Biggest Comebacks In Rivalry History
Some rivalries aren’t won in the first half — they’re stolen in the dark.
There’s a particular kind of pain that comes with watching your team blow a lead in a rivalry game. It’s not just losing. It’s watching your trash talk evaporate in real time. It’s seeing your group chat go silent. It’s knowing that every smug text you sent in the third quarter is now evidence about to haunt you.
But rivalries don’t care about your feelings. They don’t respect comfortable leads or clock management. They thrive on chaos, feed on hope and live for the comeback.
From miracle catches to overtime heartbreaks, these are the comebacks that turned loyal fans into lifelong believers and turned trash talk into legend. No safe leads. No mercy rules. Just proof that in rivalries, it’s never over until someone breaks something expensive.
These aren’t just games. They’re heists. Stolen victories. Gut punches delivered in front of the entire world.
And if you were on the wrong side of one? You’ll never forget it. You’ll never forgive it. And you’ll never let your guard down again.
2006 Michigan vs. Ohio State: “The Game” That Wouldn’t Die
November 18, 2006. #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan. The biggest regular-season game in college football history. Both teams undefeated. Both loaded with future NFL stars. Winner goes to the national championship. Loser goes home heartbroken.
Michigan led 7-0 early. The Wolverines looked dangerous. Then Troy Smith remembered he was about to win the Heisman, and Ohio State started rolling. The Buckeyes went up 28-14 in the third quarter, and it felt like the game was over.
But Michigan refused to die.
Chad Henne and Mike Hart led a furious rally. The Wolverines clawed back to 35-31. They had the ball late. They had a chance. And then they went for it on 4th-and-1 deep in their own territory.
Ohio State stuffed them. Game over. Final score: 42-39.
Michigan fans will tell you they played the game of their lives and still lost. Ohio State fans will tell you they survived a heavyweight fight and proved they were champions. Both are right. And both fan bases still argue about that 4th down call.
The Takeaway: In The Game, no lead is safe. Not 14 points. Not your pride. Not even your sanity.
2013 Iron Bowl: The Kick Six That Broke Alabama
November 30, 2013. #1 Alabama vs. #4 Auburn. One second left. Alabama lines up for a 57-yard field goal to win the game and keep their national championship hopes alive.
Auburn fans were already planning their offseason. Alabama fans were already planning their victory party. The kick was impossible. Nobody makes a 57-yarder to beat your rival with one second left.
Chris Davis caught the missed kick in the back of the end zone. He started running. Alabama players tried to tackle him. He kept running. The crowd erupted. He crossed the goal line.
Auburn 34, Alabama 28.
The Kick Six. The most improbable, devastating, legendary ending in college football history. Auburn fans stormed the field. Alabama fans sat in stunned silence. Nick Saban stared into the void. And Chris Davis became a god in Auburn.
Alabama didn’t just lose a game. They lost a national championship. They lost their perfect season. They lost their minds. And Auburn fans? They’ll never stop talking about it.
The Takeaway: In rivalry games, miracles aren’t just possible — they’re inevitable. And they always happen to the other guy.
2016 Penn State vs. Ohio State: The Whiteout Upset
October 22, 2016. Ohio State was #2 in the country and undefeated. Penn State was unranked and rebuilding. This wasn’t supposed to be a game. It was supposed to be a massacre.
Ohio State led 21-7 in the third quarter. The Buckeyes were cruising. Penn State looked overmatched. And then the Whiteout happened.
110,000 fans in white. Beaver Stadium shaking. The noise so loud you couldn’t think. Penn State’s defense woke up. Saquon Barkley started hitting holes. Trace McSorley started slinging it. And Ohio State? Ohio State started panicking.
Penn State tied it. Then took the lead. Then blocked a field goal attempt in the final seconds to seal the upset.
Final score: Penn State 24, Ohio State 21.
The loss cost Ohio State a playoff spot. Penn State won the Big Ten. And Buckeye fans spent the next year saying, “If we’d just kicked the field goal earlier…” But they didn’t. And Penn State fans will never let them forget it.
The Takeaway: Home field advantage isn’t just noise. It’s a weapon. And in a Whiteout, it’s nuclear.
1984 Orange Bowl: Miami Hurricanes vs. Nebraska — “Osborne’s Gamble”
January 2, 1984. Nebraska was #1. Miami was the brash underdog. The Cornhuskers were one win away from a national championship. All they had to do was not lose.
Nebraska led 31-17 in the fourth quarter. Miami looked dead. And then the Hurricanes remembered they were Miami— the team that didn’t respect your legacy, your tradition, or your lead.
Bernie Kosar threw two touchdowns in the final minutes. Miami pulled within one, 31-30. They had all the momentum. They could kick the extra point, tie the game, and likely share the national title.
Instead, head coach Tom Osborne went for two. For the win. For the glory.
Irving Fryar couldn’t haul in the pass. Miami held on. Final score: 31-30.
Nebraska fans will tell you Osborne made the bold, honorable choice. Miami fans will tell you he choked. Either way, the Hurricanes stole a national championship in the final 90 seconds.
The Takeaway: Championships aren’t given. They’re stolen. And sometimes the boldest call is the one that breaks your heart.
2019 LSU vs. Alabama: The Tua Twilight
November 9, 2019. #1 LSU vs. #2 Alabama. The best regular-season game of the decade. Both teams loaded with NFL talent. Both quarterbacks — Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa — future first-rounders.
Alabama led 31-24 in the third quarter. They had the momentum. They had the crowd. They had Tua. And then LSU said, “Not today.”
Joe Burrow threw for 393 yards and three touchdowns. LSU scored 22 unanswered points. They dominated the fourth quarter. Alabama couldn’t stop them. Tua couldn’t save them.
Final score: LSU 46, Alabama 33.
LSU went on to win the national championship. Alabama went home wondering what happened. And Joe Burrow became a legend in Baton Rouge.
The Takeaway: Sometimes the comeback isn’t about rallying from behind. It’s about breaking the other team so badly they never recover.
1993 Florida State vs. Florida: Wide Right II
November 27, 1993. Florida State vs. Florida. The rematch everyone wanted. FSU was #1. Florida was unranked. And the game came down to a kick.
With seconds left, Florida State lined up for a 39-yard field goal. Make it, and they win. Miss it, and they lose everything.
Scott Bentley’s kick sailed wide right. Just like it did in 1991. Wide Right II.
Florida won 33-21. FSU’s national championship hopes died. And Gator fans celebrated like they’d won the Super Bowl.
The Takeaway: In rivalry games, history repeats. And when it does, it hurts.
2003 Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Miami — Double OT Madness
January 3, 2003. National Championship. Miami was the heavy favorite. They’d won 34 straight games. They had the best defense in college football. Ohio State? Ohio State was supposed to lose.
Miami led 17-7 in the third quarter. They were in control. And then Maurice Clarett happened. Craig Krenzel happened. Ohio State refused to die.
The Buckeyes tied it late. The game went to overtime. Miami scored. Ohio State scored. It went to double overtime.
And then, on 4th-and-goal, the refs called pass interference on Miami. Ohio State got another chance. Craig Krenzel threw a touchdown to tie it. Then they won it on the next possession.
Final score: Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT).
Miami fans are still arguing about the call. Ohio State fans are still celebrating. And that game? It’s one of the greatest comebacks in college football history.
The Takeaway: Championships are won in the margins. And sometimes, the margins are decided by a ref’s whistle.
Final Thoughts: No Lead Is Ever Safe
Rivalries don’t care about your comfort. They don’t respect the score. They thrive on chaos and feed on your heartbreak.
From miracle catches to overtime thrillers, these comebacks prove one thing: in rivalry games, it’s never over. Not until the clock hits zero. Not until someone breaks something expensive. Not until the losing side walks off the field wondering what the hell just happened.
Because that’s what rivalries do. They take your hope, your pride, your trash talk, and they turn it into a weapon against you.
And if you’re on the wrong side of a comeback? You’ll never forget it. You’ll never forgive it. And you’ll never let your guard down again.
Because rivalry never felt so good.
