Games 1 – 5 | Games 6 – 10 | Games 11 – 15 | Games 21 – 25
16. #3 Clemson 14 #13 Auburn 6 – September 9, 2017
This game was headed for the top 10 of this list before Auburn fell apart in their final 2 games of the year against Georgia and UCF. Prior to that Auburn was in position to be the first team to make the playoffs with 2 losses. Don’t let the score fool you, Clemson dominated this game. Auburn could barely cross mid-field for the final 3 quarters of the game, and totaled only 117 yards on offense. Auburn would later beat both teams that would appear in the national title game Alabama and Georgia, and still finished the season in top 10.
17. #23 Florida State 26 #19 South Carolina 17 – December 31, 2010
This was one of the first games where you really got the feeling that Jimbo Fisher would be capable of turning the Noles into a National Power. This Chick Fil A Bowl win was against a South Carolina team that won the SEC East and had defeated #1 Alabama earlier in the year. Florida State showed a physicality in this game that would be part of the the Noles national title run a couple of years later.
18. Boston College 37 #9 USC 31 – September 13, 2014
People have forgotten what an impressive win this was for Boston College. The Pac 12 was considered the best or second best conference in college football in 2014, and this USC team finished 9-4 and in the top 25. They entered this game in the top 10, and Boston College ran for a whopping 452 yards in the 37-31 win. Boston College QB Tyler Murphy was unstoppable in this one.
19. Pittsburgh 42 Penn State 39 – September 10, 2016
At the time this Pittsburgh win over Penn State looked like a nice rivalry win, and not that much else. As the year progressed it became one of the best non-conference wins of the 2016 season. Penn State went on to win the Big 10 Championship and just miss the playoffs, but they couldn’t beat the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt RB James Conner had 117 yards on the ground.
20. Clemson 38 #21 Auburn 24 – September 17, 2011
This was the game that began Clemson’s march from unranked team to an 8-0 start and a top 10 ranking. Auburn was the defending national champion and was on a 17 game winning streak. The final score was closer than it really was. This was Dabo Swinney’s first really noteworthy non-conference win at Clemson, and led to a 10 win season. It was the Tigers first 10 win season in more than 20 years.
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