Top 5 Rose Bowl games of all time ft. 1997, 2006 and more

The upcoming January 1 will witness the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide writing another page in the history of the famed Rose Bowl. First played in 1902, the game was thought initially to be a championship encounter, pitting the best team on the East Coast against the best one on the West Coast.

The game evolved to become an event that mainly held games between the Big Ten and Pac-12 sides. Nowadays, the game is one of the New Year's Six bowls that rotate the honor of being one of the national semifinals for the CFP every three years.

During non-CFP semifinal years, the bowl manages to retain its historic ties to the Big Ten and the Pac-12.

The USC Trojans have, by far, the most appearances in the event, with 34. They also happened to be the winningest team in the history of the Rose Bowl, with 25 victories. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the team with the second-most victories, with nine, and in the third spot are the Michigan Wolverines with eight wins.

With just around two weeks to go for the Rose Bowl, it's worth looking back at the five best games that this event has seen.

Top 5 Rose Bowl games of all time

#5 1988 Rose Bowl: Michigan State 20-17 USC

The Spartans came with a mission of taking revenge for their conference. In 1988, the Pac-12 had won 16 out of the 18 previous Rose Bowls.

The Spartans had to defeat the Trojans at their home stadium, and they took an early lead. However, the Trojans managed to tie the affair at 17-17 late in the fourth quarter.

Michigan State got a field goal lead of 20-17 in the dying embers of the game. Astonishingly, it looked like USC might turn it around, but with two minutes left on the clock, they fumbled it at the Spartans' 29-yard line.

#4 1997 Rose Bowl: Ohio State 20-17 Arizona State

A classic underdog story, the Buckeyes managed to defeat a Sun Devils squad that included future NFL stars like Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman.

Plummer managed to turn things around in the fourth quarter with a score of 14-17, and the Ohio State's dreams seemed over.

However, true freshman star David Boston caught a five-yard touchdown pass with only 19 seconds left on the clock. Final score - 20-17.

#3 2011 Rose Bowl: TCU 21-19 Wisconsin

This game is famous because the then Mountain West Conference's TCU Horned Frogs featured in a game that usually has Pac-12 vs. Big Ten. Not only that, but the Horned Frogs prevailed over their Big Ten rivals, the Wisconsin Badgers.

Led by future Cincinnati Bengal Andy Dalton, TCU was able to hold on to a 21-13 lead in the fourth quarter. The Badgers needed a two-point conversion to win the game, which they were unable to get.

#2 2005 Rose Bowl: Texas 38-37 Michigan

This was the first clash ever between the Longhorns and the Wolverines, and it was one to remember.

Led by Vince Young's performance of 350 yards of offense and five touchdowns, Texas was able to cut short a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Still, the Longhorns needed walk-on senior kicker Dusty Mangum to score a 37-yard field goal. Despite being iced twice, he managed to give the sweet, sweet victory to Texas.

#1 2006 Rose Bowl: Texas 41-38 USC

If the previous game is one of the best-ever editions of this event, this game is simply one of the best games of football (College football or otherwise) ever.

The defending national champions, the USC Trojans, faced the Vice Young-led Texas Longhorns. With less than seven minutes left in the clock, quarterback Matt Leinart gave the Trojans a 38-26 lead.

Young cut the difference to five points, and Texas' defense managed to stop Lendale White at 4th and 2. With 24 seconds left on the clock, Young ran into the endzone, giving the Longhorns their fourth national title.