College football is the world’s most popular sport and one of America’s favorite pastimes. The history of college football over the last 100+ years has been studded with legendary moments that are still talked about today. Here are 21 top moments from this upcoming season, to think back on for another year in 2021!
College football’s top 21 moments of the 2021 regular season is a list that includes the best plays, players and teams from the upcoming 2021 college football season. Read more in detail here: top 25 college football.
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The regular season of college football has come to a conclusion, but before we go on to bowl season, let’s take a look back at a remarkable season that reminded us all why we love the game.
Fans throughout the nation witnessed a return to stadiums, and the activity on the field matched the spectacle in the seats. There was an unbeaten Group of 5 squad, several underdog tales, and a Heisman-clinching drive throughout the season. That was just during the previous several weeks.
The unexpected rivalries and odd customs were back in full force, with a string of significant shocks in the first half of the season, then the College Football Playoff candidates keeping us wondering right up until the end about who would be the last four teams standing.
Our writers reflect on the best 21 moments of the 2021 season now that we’ve had some time to recover our breath before the games resume.
Table of Contents
Cincinnati is a historic city.
It became evident to me when Cincinnati Bearcats supporters swarmed the field at Nippert Stadium after their team defeated Houston in the AAC title game that this was no ordinary field storm. With the certainty that the Bearcats would become the first Group of 5 team to enter the College Football Playoff, this was not about one game, but about one enormous glass ceiling being cracked. As their excitement permeated everyone around them, people applauded and sobbed.
Cincinnati had gone unbeaten the previous season but had never made the playoffs. In 2017 and 2018, UCF was never given a chance. We had all convinced ourselves that it would never happen. So seeing history being created in person, in a sea of black and red, was a moment I’ll never forget. Andrea Adelson’s remark
In the snow, Michigan defeats Ohio State.
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Wake Forest’s victory against BC was their 10th of the season, making Clawson the first coach in NCAA history to win 10 games at four different Division I schools in the same season (FBS and FCS). He also won ten games for Bowling Green in 2013, eleven for Richmond in 2007, and ten for Fordham in 2002. The Demon Deacons are playing in their sixth consecutive bowl game. After being wooed by Virginia Tech for its head-coaching position, Clawson has a new contract, and the Deacons have one of the top coaches/people in the sport.
It’s also a reminder that a coach’s success or failure is never defined by a single season. Clawson was the offensive coordinator during Tennessee’s 5-7 season in 2008, which resulted in the departure of Hall of Famer Phillip Fulmer. Clawson was a handy scapegoat in his first and only season at Tennessee, as the Vols finished 110th in scoring offense nationally. But it’s always the body of work that counts, and Clawson overcame that one blemish on his coaching resume this season to make coaching history. — Low-cost
Shepherd sings two Hail Marys at the same time.
The playoffs for tiny schools are a perennial source of delightful wackiness. The Shepherd Rams are the major generator of turmoil this year. They advanced to the Division II playoffs after winning two games in a row by throwing touchdown passes in the last second. First, with one second remaining, Tyson Bagent connected with Josh Gontarek for a 23-yard touchdown to upset Notre Dame (Ohio). Shepherd then defeated Kutztown with a true Hail Mary throw from Bagent to Alex Wetzel of 42 yards.
If there was any question before the playoffs, it has been dispelled in the past seven days. There are two game winners. Tyson Bagent should be the undisputed winner of the Harlon Hill Award. pic.twitter.com/LXTzBVPEEU @SURamsFootball
December 5, 2021 — Highly Disputed (@DisputedHighly)
What more could you want from college football than dogpiles, crazy celebrations, and shaky camerawork? — Sean Connelly
We’re taking over the field!
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably noticed that this season saw a record amount of field stormings (at least in our judgment; there’s no official record of this kind of thing). However, when we tried to chronicle the incident last month, there were numerous additional stormings during rivalry weekend, including by away supporters. And even at Yale-Harvard. Personally, I covered five games where it occurred this season and was on the field for two of them, including one in Stillwater, Oklahoma, when an offensive lineman’s big hand in the center of my back guided me through the crowds after an OSU Bedlam victory. In a year when we all want a return to certain experiences, it was unquestionably one of them. Wilson’s words
You’re looking at Brian Kelly, you’re looking at Brian Kelly, you’re looking at
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