1. 2009 Northwestern. That team was good enough to make the BCS championship and maybe win, if Stanzi hadn't gone down that game. That was probably the best chance at a national championship any of us will ever see in our lifetimes.
2. 2015 Michigan St. Obvious Reasons, we were right there. It goes at 2 because we were gonna get beat by Bama in the playoffs.
3. 2009 Ohio State. Again right there for an undisputed Big Ten Championship. Once again, we probably win if Stanzi wasn't injured. To be so close with our backup QB and lose in overtime was terrible. Goes down to number 3 because we were expected to lose with the backup in.
4. 2021 Purdue. Personally, I always thought we were a little fraudulent this year. I had no clue why we were ranked so high. We had only beaten Penn St because Clifford went down, but I thought we might be able to ride the momentum of what looked like the biggest win in program history to the playoffs. Then we had a complete let down. Goes to number 4 for me because I never really thought this team had it.
5. 2025 Oregon. We were about to turn around 6 years of narratives. I was there battling through the cold and the rain. I've never left the stadium feeling like I played in the game, but the conditions were so brutal I ached the same way I did after playing in high school. Maybe I'm getting old. Seeing the offense for the first time in, I don't know how long, go on a long TD drive against that caliber of opponent to take the lead late was special. This wasn't like 2023 against Northwestern, or like we got a short field. We watched an Iowa offense hang their nuts low and come through with a 12 play 93 yard drive. Multiple 4th down conversions. Then the defense messed it up. It was brutal walking out of the stadium. This makes it up to number 5 because I really did think, and still do think, this team is talented enough to make the playoffs. That chance is gone, we just couldn't come through when it mattered.
