Best games and moments in Sugar Bowl history

Oklahoma entered the game as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and was on a 31-game winning streak. Kentucky had Bear Bryant, who would end up going 8-1 in Sugar Bowls, appearing in his first one. Bryant developed a game plan to stifle the Sooners' potent offense and took a 13-0 lead. After Oklahoma scored to get the game to six points, Kentucky held on to the ball for most of the remaining seven minutes and won the game, 13-7. 

No. 1 Alabama faced off against No. 3 Notre Dame in what turned out to be a de facto national championship game. The game between two college powers went back and forth and had everything. There was a 93-yard kickoff return and a 25-yard touchdown pass on a trick play — followed by a missed extra point — to give Alabama a 23-21 lead in the fourth quarter. The Irish then took the lead on a 19-yard field goal and held on to the win with an epic third-down conversion on their own 2-yard line late. Notre Dame won the game 24-23 and was named the Associated Press's national champion. It was one of the last Sugar Bowls played outdoors.

This was a classic matchup between No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Alabama, Joe Paterno vs. Bear Bryant. A defensive battle saw the Tide up 14-7 with the Nittany Lions driving. After stuffing Penn State inside the 1-yard line, on 4th-and-goal from about the one-foot line, Bama's Barry Krauss met Mike Guman right at the goal line and kept him out of the end zone. Krauss was on the ground for several moments after the hit, but Alabama held on and won the national title.

Neither team's passing game was strong. Georgia completed just 1-of-13 passes for seven yards, but the Bulldogs had Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker while the Irish had a huge mistake. After tying the game 3-3, Georgia kicked off, but no Notre Dame return man went for the ball. As it bounced around, the Bulldogs recovered it on the 1-yard line. Walker punched it in to give Georgia a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Late in the game when Georgia needed to convert a third down, well, Bulldogs' quarterback Buck Belue completed that one pass. Georgia won the game 17-10 and the national championship. 

Miami was favored to win its second consecutive undefeated national championship and was riding a 29-game winning streak. Alabama came out of nowhere to be the No. 2 team in the nation and got into the Bowl Alliance Championship. The game was tight early on, though the Tide held a 13-6 halftime lead. Then Alabama's defense shined, capped off by George Teague's 31-yard pick-six. Miami's Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta was shut down by Bama's rabid defensive effort, giving the Crimson Tide the 34-13 win. 

You may look back and see the Seminoles' 46-29 victory over the surprising Hokies as an unlikely choice to make this list, but anyone who watched that game certainly remembers it. Peter Warrick and Florida State ran out to a 28-7 lead, and it looked as if the 'Noles were ready for their championship coronation. However, Michael Vick got to work, making some electric runs, while running  back Andre Kendrick's two TD runs actually gave Virginia Tech a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, Heisman winner Chris Weinke owned the final quarter, tossing two TD passes, including a 43-yard bomb to Warrick. The wild swings and the great individual performances make this a memorable game.

This was the BCS title game that had some controversy — USC was ranked No. 1 in both human polls but No. 3 in the BCS — and also started the legend of Nick Saban. Saban's LSU defense shut down the high-flying Oklahoma offense led by Heisman winner Jason White. Despite the Tigers' defensive effort, Oklahoma was moving the ball late and trailing by seven. White's game-tying pass was tipped away in the end zone, and LSU won, 21-14.

This game was not only notable due to the game itself, but for the circumstances surrounding it. The Sugar Bowl was moved to Atlanta's Georgia Dome due to the damage suffered to the Superdome during to Hurricane Katrina. Georgia, essentially playing a home game, fell behind 28-0 early in the second quarter before going on its own 28-3 run. Both teams had huge touchdown drives over 90 yards, and West Virginia took 38-35 lead. In a gusty call with 86 seconds remaining, the Mountaineers ran a fake punt at midfield to gain a firsst down and run out the clock. Steve Slaton won MVP honors with 204 yards rushing and three touchdowns. 

This wasn't a compelling game at all, but what one player did was unreal. Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion, played his final collegiate game in spectacular fashion. He went 31-of-35 against the Bearcats for 482 yards and three touchdown passes, plus ran for 51 yards and another score. Tebow's passing effort is still a Sugar Bowl record. This was also Urban Meyer's final game as the head coach of Florida and was notable because Cincinnati's head coach Brian Kelly left the team for the Notre Dame job prior to the Sugar Bowl. 

Alabama was the top-ranked team in the inaugural College Football Playoff and winners of three of the last five championships. The Tide faced on an Ohio State squad that surged into the postseason. Not only did these two go toe to toe in a surprisingly offensive shootout, but there were huge plays made by star players. Derrick Henry's 25-yard TD run, Amari Cooper's two TD receptions, a T.J. Yeldon touchdown and two Ezekiel Elliott touchdowns — capped off by an 85-yard blast late in the game to give the Buckeyes a large enough margin to hold on to the win — made this one as memorable as they get. Elliott's 230 rushing yards set a Sugar Bowl record. Ohio State's 42-35 win put the Buckeyes in the College Football Championship Game, where they beat Oregon.