1984 Orange Bowl
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The 1984 Orange Bowl, played on January 2 between unbeaten Nebraska and once-beaten Miami has been listed among the most memorable college football games by various sources, including ABC Sports Online's five "classic Orange Bowl moments".[1]. After leading 31-17 in the fourth quarter, Miami held on for a 31-30 victory due to a failed two-point conversion by Nebraska. The win gave Miami its first national championship.
[edit] The Osborne decision
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne made a particularly memorable call, a trick play later named the fumblerooski at a score of 17-0 for Miami. However, the match became a textbook case in game theory because of Osborne's call for a two-point conversion in the closing minutes which his team could not execute, leading to the one-point loss. A simple extra point conversion would have tied the game and arguably given Nebraska the national championship. Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff note that the coach's fault was not in not going for the tie, but in not looking ahead earlier: "Tom Osborne would have done better to first try the two-point attempt (at the score of 31-23), and then if it succeeded go for the one-point, while if it failed attempt a second two-pointer." Dixit and Nalebuff offer the example as a case of faulty decision making under uncertainty.[2]
