Greatest NON national title BTPCF games you ever saw...

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 3:50 am

As an adjunct to the other thread, this one adds the proviso that the game has to be a non national title game...

Boise St-OU. 'Nuff said. This is my #1.

All the rest are just off the top of my head, in no particular ranking order.

USC-ND in '05: The "Bush Push" game, where Leinart goes long on 4th and 9 and converts a bomb, and then ignores Pete, eshews the time out and audibles to call his own number on the game winning play. ND's last solid performance in a big game.

Navy-ND, two years ago: Navy just looked ready to lay their lives on the line, if that's what it was going to take to break the longest losing streak in football. That was one of the most tension filled games I've ever seen, considering the game otherwise meant absolutely nothing.

Boston College-Miami: The Flutie/Gerald Phelan "Hail Flutie" game.

Colorado-Michigan: The Bomb In The Big House

Cal-Stanford: "The Play." John Elway loses on what's probably the single most famous play in BTPCF history.

Texas-Taco Tech, last year: Great game, phenomenal ending. This game ended up creating one of the best ongoing pissing matches between rival fan groups we're ever likely to see.

LSU-Auburn: "The Mad Hatter" game, in '07, when Les Miles inexplicably goes for the end zone, risking losing the game, instead of simply lining up and kicking the easy game winning FG.

LSU-Kentucky: Same year. Triple O.T., completely back and forth, the underdog manages to pull off the crazy upset against unbeaten, supremely talented, #1 LSU.

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:05 am

I thought this was about games we saw in person, so with that in mind......

UM/bama 2000 Orange bowl. Shawn Alexander runs wild, Brady and Terrel are unstoppable, the game might still be going on if the poor bama kicker makes the extra point in overtime.

UM/Florida in Lloyd's swan song. Where was ths imaginative offense the last 14 years? UM rolls into hostile territory in Florida and hands the messiah his lone bowl game defeat. Henne, Hart, Long, and Carr depart with a bowl game victory.

UM/osu 1997. Charles Woodson does what he did all year, make the huge game changing plays. He picks one off in the end zone, runs back a punt and the strength of the team, the defense, holds on to finish the campaign undefeated and sends the Blue to the Rose Bowl with a chaqnce to win it all.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:14 am

In person, or on tv. Either way is fine, just so long as you saw the game.

TheJON · Post by **TheJON** » Mon May 25, 2009 4:53 am

Best games I've been to in person....

1.CapitalOne Bowl 2005- Iowa vs LSU. Drew Tate hail mary to Warren Holloway to win the game! It will forever been known as "The Play" in this state. Every time I see the highlight, I have chills down my spine!

2.Penn State at Iowa 2008- Last second field goal ends Penn State's national title hopes and turns Iowa's season around. It was so fucking cold out that day but I had completely forgotten about the temperature by the 4th quarter.

3.Iowa at Minnesota 2002- Okay, so we completely destroyed the Goofers in this one, but that's not why it was great. It was the game that clinched the Big-10 title and we stormed there field and tore down their goal posts. It was the ultimate smack. To run on your rivals field and tear down their goal posts. It was also the game I stuck my dome in front of the ESPN cameras when Holly Rowe was interviewing one of our players after the game and she gave me a dirty look for it. I was so fucking trashed at that point!

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:08 am

Again, this doesn't have to be in person. Otherwise, with the exception of only a few people here, this is just going to turn into a list of the greatest homer games we've ever seen.

Jon's a perfect example. How dreary would life be if your "greatest" of anything revolved strictly around Iowa games??

Include games you saw on tv.

Terry in Crapchester · Mon May 25, 2009 8:01 am

ND-Miami '88: The "Catholics vs. Convicts" game. ND came out on top, 31-30, after stopping a Miami 2-point conversion attempt with less than a minute to go.

ND-FSU '93: #1 vs. #2, the game didn't disappoint with ND coming out on top 31-24.

To be fair, I'll throw in a few that we didn't win . . .

ND-USC '05: The "Bush push" game that Van mentioned above.

ND-Fredo '93: The week after the FSU game above. ND mounted a furious comeback from 21 down to actually take the lead at 39-38, only to see Fredo mount one last drive capped off by their kicker making the game-winning FG, and knocking ND out of the national championship picture in the process.

Harvdog · Post by **Harvdog** » Mon May 25, 2009 12:39 pm

Texas/Virginia 1995. Good defensive game. UVA gets a 56 yard field goal to take the lead late. James Brown gets the horns within range with :03 left. Phil Dawson hits a 50 yard field goal into a 20 MPH wind made it over the bar by inches. This was when we had Mackovic. Any win was nice.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Mon May 25, 2009 1:54 pm

In Person (in no particular order)

2004 - Michigan v OSU at the Shoe, Troy Smiths coming out party...plus Ted Ginn returns a punt for a score...awesome

2006 - Michigan v OSU at the Shoe, 1 v 2...nuff said

1993 - PSU v OSU - PSU's first game at the Shoe as part of the Big 10...awesome

On Television

the 7 OT Arkansas v whomever game...WOW...

2001 Michigan v OSU at the outhouse...JT guaranteed we would be proud of the kids on the field...Michigan had the better team...and winning that was sweet

Toledo v Michigan...the Dick Rod era in full swing...couldn't happen to a nicer coach...

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 25, 2009 3:47 pm

Michigan vs App St

end thread.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 5:22 pm

I didn't see Michigan-App St, I only saw the "Upset Special" reports of it given periodically by the studio crew during the game I was watching (obviously, Michigan-App St was never going to be televised on the west coast), but yeah, had I seen that one, I'm sure it'd be on my list too.

For App St fans, or Michigan Haters, that one had to've come as close as anything to the all time greatest thing I've seen, which was the U.S. hockey college kids beating the mighty Soviet Red Army team in the '80 Olympics.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 25, 2009 5:53 pm

A lot of people in Michigan didn't even see the game. Hell, I was living but a few miles from Michigan Stadium at the time and a lot of people in Ann Arbor didn't even see the game, unless they were at the game itself. Comcast hadn't yet obtained the Big Ten Network, so only dish subscribers like myself could watch the game from home. A hardcore Michigan friend of mine was at home and I had to text him scores and updates, as he sat and watched some other game on ESPN. When I texted him after the blocked FG which ended the game, he didn't believe me until he got on the internet and found out for himself.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 6:02 pm

I'm sure he really appreciated your oh so altruistic and completely friendly gesture...

Mgo's friend: Score?

Mgo: App kik'n ass

Mgo's friend: Blo me. Really...score?

Mgo: Serious. App up big, early.

Mgo's friend: U R mak'n me mad, dude. Quit fuck'n w/me.

...later...

Mgo: Don't sweat it. Mich is about to win.

Mgo's friend: Jesus fuck...brutalz.

Mgo: Dude, move. Move away. Pack your shit and move...

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon May 25, 2009 6:08 pm

It was mostly me typing in scores, accompanied by long and hearty bwahahahahahahahas

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 6:14 pm

That must've been the lowest moment of dude's life...

...and then Toledo happened.

socal · Post by **socal** » Mon May 25, 2009 6:29 pm

Gutty little Bruins.

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon May 25, 2009 6:45 pm

God, I hated USC's red face masks era. I still prefer the '70s and early '80s USC unis, with the horizontal stripes on the sleeves, and the normal helmets, with the gray face masks.

Stupid Gutties...

socal · Post by **socal** » Mon May 25, 2009 9:23 pm

SC vs. ND ''74

Van · Post by **Van** » Tue May 26, 2009 1:29 am

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Tue May 26, 2009 2:23 pm

Ok, so I'll try a little bit not to be a complete homer. Three Ohio State games that I attended in which they lost but were still great games:

2002 Outback Bowl (vs. South Carolina): Down 28-0 in similar fashion from the prior year, Tressel's first team managed a 2nd half rally to tie the game only to lose on a last second field goal. I left the stadium disappointed but calmly optimistic for the following season.

2003 @ Wisconsin: Night game in rainy Madison with absolutely zero rushing attack, Buckeyes tie the game at 13 late but let UW's 2nd string QB hit Lee Evans for a long TD to win the game in the final minute.

2005 vs. Texas: Truly one of the best games I've seen in person, the atmosphere at the 'Shoe that night was crazy. Vince Young vs. AJ Hawk. Troy Smith to Santonio Holmes. Hamby's double-drop in the endzone. Young to Sweed to win it. An instant classic, glad I attended all three in this series.

TheJON · Post by **TheJON** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:18 pm

Who gives a shit about games we saw on TV? That makes for an incredibly gay topic. How very SoCal of you, Van! That's right.......you should only go to a football game if it's the "cool" thing to do on that day, right?

More on my list of games I've attended since I couldn't give 2 shits about games I've seen on TV.....

2003- Michigan at Iowa. Huge win for the Hawks en route to another 10 win season and Top 10 finish. Wolverines were big favorites and up 14-0 in the first half but Iowa stormed back. John Navarre was unable to lead Michigan down the field for a game winning drive.

1993- Kansas State at Iowa State. I used to go to ISU games when I was a kid just for the fun of it. I would somewhat cheer for ISU, but I spent most of the time playing football with my friends on the hillsides. Anyways, this game I actually watched quite a bit of and it was a great game. K-State came in ranked, ISU was......well- ISU! Clones pulled a big upset. Best part of the game- the streaker that ran on the field during the game!! Nothing more hilarious than that when you're 13 years old!

2002 Orange Bowl- USC vs Iowa. Yeah, USC kicked our asses but the atmosphere at Pro Player Stadium was awesome. 50,000+ Iowa fans and maybe 18 USC losers. It was literally Kinnick South.

2003 Outback Bowl- Florida vs Iowa. Had a lot of fun tailgating with Florida fans. Hawks buttfucked Florida in the mouth. Best part of the game was when Matt Roth sacked Chris Leak and did the Gator Chomp!

2005 Outback Bowl- Florida vs Iowa. This was one of the biggest screwjobs by the refs in the history of sports. There's videos on YouTube to show just how bad the officials were. They even had to offer an apology and i believe some of them were fired. Iowa made a great comeback, recovered an onside kick with about 2 minutes to play and all the momentum on our side but the refs made up an "offsides" call on the kick so Florida got the ball and the game was over. The sad thing is this wasn't even 1 of the top 10 worst calls by the refs in this game.

2005 (or 2004) Texas A&M at Iowa State. Game was a blowout but a blast. Got to meet the A&M team and sat in the Aggie section since a relative of my wife and my bro-in-law played football there. Aggie fans were probably the most annoying and idiotic fan base you could ever encounter and this game (also went to the ISU-A&M game last year and sat in the Aggie section) has given me a lifetime worth of mocking these fucktards. Best part of the game was when I started making fun of the Aggie band and some fat lady got offended and then smacked back by pointing to the ISU band and talking shit about them. I then pointed to the IOWA shirt I was wearing and told the fat bitch "why would I give a fuck about the ISU band?". She turned her fatass back the other way. That "AAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY" chant is so fucking annoying in person. I wanted to punch every one of those rednecks. And a couple fans started yelling some other chant at the refs that was way too incoherent to actually understand. It was something like "rubble rubble rubble, aaaaaaaahhhhh". I thourougly enjoyed laughing at these retards. It was definitely a game to remember!

Van · Post by **Van** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:23 pm

Jon, you're dead nuts proof that I'm correct in allowing games we've seen on tv.

It's Iowa. Nobody cares. It's so bad that you're calling USC-Iowa, which was a complete asskicking, one of the greatest games you ever saw.

Please, shut up and buy a tv. There's a whole wide world out there that you're missing, including a helluva lotta really good football games.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:27 pm

Not to go all Jon, but damn. What with ESPN, Fox, the net, it sure seems like even if we didn't see the game live on Tv, by 10:30 that night we know every damn play. And buy sunday you can watch the game as an instant classic.

Given that and excluding games I played in the best game would have to be back in 1994.

Thanksgiving weekend, Florida State v Florida. AKA the Choke at Doak.

Florida leads Florida State 31-3 entering the 4th quarter. Danny Waffles is clicking. FSU looks slow. Then the 4th quarter starts.

First drive of the quarter FSU goes 80 plus yards for a TD. After that it was all FSU. Waffles throws an INT and FSU goes 60 yards for the TD. 4 plays later and a punt and FSU goes yard again.

They tie the game with 1:45 to go and they stop UF again. :22 left ball at their own 29. Two plays later it is at the uf 39 and time runs out as they spike the ball to try to stop the clock for one more play. Amazing comeback and all of the 4 TD drives are over 60 yards. Only one of the drives was less than 7 plays.

For good measure FSU beat UF later in the Sugar Bowl in what was called the 5th quarter as this was prior to OT.

Van · Post by **Van** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:38 pm

Lefty, you're old enough and a lot of people here are old enough to remember college football, pre-cable era. It wasn't always the 24/7 tv circus it is now. It used to be a pretty big deal, to be on national tv.

For instance, in '77, when those fucking Domers came out of the tunnel and the place exploded when they saw those green jerseys, that was a big deal nationally televised game. Most games back then...weren't.

Point being, most people don't travel to all the greatest games they ever saw. Most of those games were seen on tv, and the point of this thread wasn't to have people merely list their favorite homer episodes.

Boise St-OU, hardly anybody here attended that game. Hardly anybody here had any real rooting interest in that game. Nationally, it was a bit of an afterthought game.

Nationally, it ended up being one of the most spellbinding games any of us had ever seen, and it was because most of us did watch the game, on tv. Otherwise, it would've just been a few highlights on Sportscenter.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Tue May 26, 2009 7:53 pm

1983: NU 28 OU 21

you could choose almost any of OU-NU games from 76-88 for me--attending the ones in Norman. both teams ranked in the top 10 14 of the 18 years from 71 to Switzer's last year. this is one of the non top 10 years with NU #1 and OU unranked. 76, OU wins in Lincoln a game they have no business winning. 78, heartbreak for OU fans as Sims puts the ball on the turf and costs OU the NC. 86 and 87 were classics. 80 underrated classic: Buster Rhymes goes 50 yards in the last minute to set up OU's game-winner after NU had taken the lead with less than a minute left. but, this is 83 and NU's Gill, Rozier, Fryer team of the famous Osborne for the W/Orange Bowl loss to Miami.

this was a helluva football game and i was there. the highlight package is Nebraska oriented but fairly representative....unlike the UCLA-USC one above where SC has 31 points but you don't see them gain a yard or score until about 4/5's of the way through.

it was raining like a mother and in the mid 30's but a really well-played game with a lot of big plays. lot of Turner Gill converting 3rd and 8, 3rd and 12 type situations after being flushed from the pocket....I remember. the game turns in the final minute with OU, coming from behind, inside NU's 5 and jumps off-sides, gets behind chains and explains why the last two plays here are passes/long yardage situations. a helluva Husker team and a great effort by an OU team that mos def had their number a lot of the time. good option football, minus the impossible FG kicking situation.

Spencer Tillman TD: replay

Blueblood · Post by **Blueblood** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:58 am

King Crimson wrote: Buster Rhymes goes 50 yards in the last minute to set up OU's game-winner after NU had taken the lead Spencer Tillman TD:

Funny you bring up Buster. He was my workout buddy when I spent 6 months in Miami trying to take care of my grandma when I was a soph. in high school. I went to North Miami Senior High and Buster went to another school. I only attended spring practices and the guy that started ahead of me (a senior who was all-state) was friends with Buster. Needless to say, I didn't do a great job of taking care of my grandma and was sent back to California where I ended up playing at Terra Linda.

I remember doing a lot of coke and ludes with Buster and friends.... which is one of the reasons I was sent packing back to California by the family.

the truth

Moby Dick · Post by **Moby Dick** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:07 am

Blueblood wrote:
King Crimson wrote: Buster Rhymes goes 50 yards in the last minute to set up OU's game-winner after NU had taken the lead Spencer Tillman TD:

Funny you bring up Buster. He was my workout buddy when I spent 6 months in Miami trying to take care of my grandma when I was a soph. in high school. I went to North Miami Senior High and Buster went to another school. I only attended spring practices and the guy that started ahead of me (the waterboy who got the nod to start due to an unforseen injury) was friends with Buster.

the truth

FTFY.

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:30 am

King Crimson, who are you quoting in your sig?

I just noticed it. I like it.

TheJON · Post by **TheJON** » Wed May 27, 2009 4:11 am

Van wrote:Jon, you're dead nuts proof that I'm correct in allowing games we've seen on tv.

It's Iowa. Nobody cares. It's so bad that you're calling USC-Iowa, which was a complete asskicking, one of the greatest games you ever saw.

Please, shut up and buy a tv. There's a whole wide world out there that you're missing, including a helluva lotta really good football games.

Who says I don't watch games from all teams in all conferences? But who gives 2 shits about games we've seen on TV? Watching a game on TV just ain't the same. We've all probably seen most of the same games over the last 5-10 years anyways.

How's about I start a thread about the greatest BTPCF players you ever read about in a magazine? Matter of fact, let's just merge it with this epic thread. I'll start......

Barry Sanders fo' sho' #1!
I read about Brian Bosworth too. That cracka was a roider.

Whose next? Let's keep this going until the season starts, so if you log on and it's at the bottom of the board, make sure you bump it back to the top cuz it's fucking awesome and shit!

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 4:59 am

But who gives 2 shits about games we've seen on TV?

All of us, that's who, since 95% of the games we see, we see on tv. You go to, what, six or seven games per season? How many do you watch on tv?

If you're like most CF fans, it's probably well over a hundred per season.

So, yeah, it stands to reason that you've seen more great games on tv than you have in person.

Even simply using tv-games-only, we're still going to get a whole bunch of different answers. If we stick to games we've seen in person, guess what? We'll get lame homer answers of games that weren't really great, like your USC-Iowa pick.

Read the title of the thread, slappy. It's pretty clear cut and simple. It doesn't read, "Greatest NON national title HOMER games you ever attended in person; games which nobody but you cared about."

MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan · Wed May 27, 2009 7:31 am

I've gotta stick up for Jon here (and beat Indy to the punch)...

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Wed May 27, 2009 1:45 pm

Van wrote:King Crimson, who are you quoting in your sig?

I just noticed it. I like it.

i wrote it in an email to a buddy after a few gins. heh.

Buster Rhymes: Buster was at times a bit of a marginal citizen. As I recall he liberated one of his teammates stereos and sat out a year. but, he was a versatile player in the bone and outside Steve Sewell, probably the most versatile (run-pass) of his era. with Lott, Sims, Kenny King and Overstreet and that bunch, Switzer didn't even pretend to throw the ball. but the last Watts year and the underrated (but All-Big 8 ) Danny Bradley he had guys who could throw it some while at the same time lacking the feature back (Pruitt, Washington, Sims) and overall talent he had most of the 70's and then again in the mid 80's. in the interim years, guys like Buster, Sewell, Derrick Shephard were play-makers with the newfangled forward pass.

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 4:08 pm

King Crimson, you're quoting yourself, in your own sig??

Nice!!!

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed May 27, 2009 4:08 pm

Nasty weather

Why do you hate real football?

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 4:23 pm

Mgo, I gotta stick up for Sam there, 'cause I know exactly what he means, literally, about the "grayness." It seems that every time I watch an Ohio St-Michigan game, it's always just plain gray. Ugly, dour, gray. Gray skies don't make the game better, or more interesting. They just make everything look more somber and dull.

It's not a clear, crisp and toally bitchin' autumn day, perfect for college football; no, it's being shipped out to the Eastern Front.

Snow...rain...sleet...that's "real weather," in terms of bad weather, for football. Gray skies, but no precipitation, and everyone's bundled up like it's South Park?

Dreary. Then, combine the dreary look and feel of the place with dreary, stone age offense and yeah, a lot of Big 10 football looks awfully bland and desultory to people from other parts of the country.

I think that's why I prefer the Notre Dame-Big 10 match ups. Those games are always held earlier in the season, often times beneath brilliantly blue Fall skies. Those games just look more exciting. Those games just make you wish you were there. They stir the soul, just clicking on the tv and seeing the pre-game.

Clicking on a late season Big 10 football game, it's like flipping through the channels and landing on Schindler's List.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Wed May 27, 2009 4:52 pm

Van, I get what you are saying, but if that is the case then only shots from Air Force, Hawaii, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico need be shown. Every game in every big city has the required blimp shot with the urban jungle and smog. Smog hardly makes me think of football.

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:21 pm

Lefty, most big cities don't have BTPCF programs. The large majority of college football powerhouse programs are located in medium to small sized towns.

Lessee here..

Norman, Ok
South Bend, IN
Lincoln, NE...

Hell, screw it. Just call it every Big XII, SEC, Pac 10, Big 10, Big East and ACC team, with the exceptions of USC, UCLA, Washington, Cal, Stanford (debatable), Arizona St (debatable), Rutgers, Boston College, The U and Georgia Tech.

Smog is typically not a problem near Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay or the desert in Tempe. I doubt smog is a problem in Broward County, Fl.

I dunno, maybe smog is a problem for the Red River Shootout? I couldn't say.

Besides, smog can actually make for some bitchin' refracted light blimp shots! You sorta get these cool "fire in the sky" scenes, at sunset, over the Coliseum.

Gray skies? They're just pure enthusiasm (and, apparently, offensive play calling) wet blankets.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:28 pm

Come on man, Norman is a suburb of OKC. As is Tempe, as is Palo Alto. Just because it has a different name doesn't mean it isn't part of the overall metroplex.

King Crimson · Post by **King Crimson** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:49 pm

Left Seater wrote:Come on man, Norman is a suburb of OKC. As is Tempe, as is Palo Alto. Just because it has a different name doesn't mean it isn't part of the overall metroplex.

Norman has arguably only been "a part" of the OKC metro area for less than 10 years. i would still argue that it isn't. Edmond is a suburb of OKC. when you are driving on 1-35 it may seem like that because the commercial interstate culture (Burger Kings and Chilis and stuff) is somewhat continuous .....but, as a townie, i would disagree that Norman is a suburb of OKC. Norman certainly doesn't see itself that way. There's a town with 2 high schools in the largest state classification *between* Norman and OKC.

if you get off the interstate, there's 25 miles of wheat land and horse ranches between OKC and Norman. increasingly, the horse ranches are turning into subdivisions but i still say no suburb.

Moby Dick · Post by **Moby Dick** » Wed May 27, 2009 6:02 pm

King Crimson wrote:
Left Seater wrote:Come on man, Norman is a suburb of OKC. As is Tempe, as is Palo Alto. Just because it has a different name doesn't mean it isn't part of the overall metroplex.
Norman has arguably only been "a part" of the OKC metro area for less than 10 years. i would still argue that it isn't. Edmond is a suburb of OKC. when you are driving on 1-35 it may seem like that because the commercial interstate culture (Burger Kings and Chilis and stuff) is somewhat continuous .....but, as a townie, i would disagree that Norman is a suburb of OKC. Norman certainly doesn't see itself that way. There's a town with 2 high schools in the largest state classification *between* Norman and OKC.

if you get off the interstate, there's 25 miles of wheat land and horse ranches between OKC and Norman. increasingly, the horse ranches are turning into subdivisions but i still say no suburb.

agreed with KC here.

there's been a massive boom of stores and apartments, office buildings etc in the last 5 yrs alone.

my boy still asks me "where's king kong's grave?" when we pass norman on our way to OKC.

(for those who are familiar with the area, you get it)

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:42 pm

Lefty, I'm from L.A. I don't consider OKC to be a large city. I sure as hell don't consider those blimp shots of OU's stadium in Norman to be evidence that their stadium is situated in a large city.

Don't see a lot of smog there, either.

Palo Alto is also not a large city. It's down the peninsula, being neither San Francisco nor San Jose, and Stanford Stadium is in a fairly bucolic setting.

Sun Devil Stadium ain't exactly in downtown Phoenix, either.

None of these stadums have much in the way of big city smog to deal with, is the point.