The 2005 American football season delivered record-breaking individual performances, historic franchise milestones, and what is widely considered the greatest college championship game ever played.
The NFL: Super Bowl XL and the MVP
In the NFL, the regular season was defined by the unstoppable offense of the Seattle Seahawks, led by running back Shaun Alexander. Running behind a massive offensive line, Alexander shattered the single-season touchdown record with 28 scores and racked up 1,880 rushing yards to become the franchise’s first NFL MVP.
Despite Seattle’s dominance in the NFC, the AFC belonged to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After barely making the playoffs as a wild card, the Steelers became the first sixth seed to win three consecutive road playoff games to reach the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XL, held at Ford Field in Detroit, the Steelers defeated the Seahawks 21–10. The victory secured Pittsburgh’s fifth Super Bowl ring, sending legendary running back Jerome Bettis into retirement as a champion in his hometown.
College Football: The Ultimate Rose Bowl
The 2005 collegiate season was a collision course between two undefeated juggernauts: the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns.
USC was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive national championship, led by two Heisman Trophy winners: quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush, who won the 2005 award in a landslide. Texas, meanwhile, was anchored by dynamic quarterback Vince Young, who finished as the Heisman runner-up.
The two powerhouses met in the BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl, a game that lived up to its monumental hype. In a brilliant back-and-forth contest, Vince Young amassed 467 yards of total offense. Down 38–33 with 19 seconds remaining, Young scrambled for an 8-yard touchdown on 4th-and-5 to secure a thrilling 41–38 victory, snapping USC’s 34-game winning streak and giving Texas its first undisputed national title since 1969.
More Great 2005 Gridiron Moments
Beyond the championships, 2005 featured several notable milestones and structural shifts in how the game was played and broadcast:
- International Expansion: On October 2, 2005, the NFL played its first-ever regular-season game outside the United States. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–14 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in front of an NFL-record crowd of 103,467 fans.
- The “Bush Push”: Earlier in the college season, USC kept its undefeated streak alive with a dramatic win over Notre Dame. With the clock expiring, Matt Leinart was famously pushed into the end zone by Reggie Bush for the game-winning touchdown—a play that was technically illegal at the time but wasn’t flagged, sparking massive controversy.
- Coaching Legends: Penn State’s Joe Paterno orchestrated a massive turnaround, leading the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten title and an Orange Bowl victory, earning him consensus Coach of the Year honors. In the NFL, Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith won Coach of the Year after defensive superstar Brian Urlacher carried the team to a division title.
A Deep Dive into 2005 Football History and Highlights
- January 1, 2005 – The 91st edition of the Rose Bowl Game will be remembered as a shootout between two potent offenses. The Texas Longhorns battled the Michigan Wolverines in this New Years’ Day spectacle. The Horns “hooked” the Michigan bunch in a thriller 38-37. as the game selected co-MVPs : Offensive: Vince Young (QB, Texas) and Defensive: LaMarr Woodley (LB, Michigan). (Source)
- January 1, 2005 – Tempe, Arizona – The Fiesta Bowl saw Utah become the first non-BCS Conference team to appear in and win a Bowl Championship Series Bowl game, defeating Pittsburgh 35–7. According to Utahutes.com, quarterback Alex Smith’s performance in this game helped him become the #1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Utes later joined the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
- January 4, 2005 – Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens – The Sooners would be back as a participant in the 7th BCS National Championship in the Orange Bowl. This time, Bob Stoops and company would enter as the second-ranked team in the country and face a Pete Carroll-coached #1 Southern California team. The Orange Bowl site promotes the game as the battle of Award Winners, as 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart faced off against 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White. The posting goes on to say that the Orange Bowl hosted its 18th National Championship, six of which have included Oklahoma. The contest wasn’t even close as the Trojans jumped out to a 28-8 lead at the half and never looked back as they triumphed 55-19 to win the BCS Title. Leinart threw five touchdown passes in the game. But that is not the end of this story… A few years after the game was played in June of 2010, the BCS, according to the Conquestchronicles.com website, under the guidance of NCAA findings of USC’s “lack of institutional control,” stripped the Title from the Trojans. The investigation of college football’s governing board found that running back Reggie Bush was ineligible for violation of NCAA rules, which in essence disqualified Southern Cal in games that Bush played. Bush also had to vacate his 2005 Heisman Trophy. The BCS said in a statement that the 2004 national title will remain vacant. One team besides the Sooners that was upset about this matter was the Auburn Tigers, who, with a perfect 13-0 season in the rugged SEC, were not chosen to play in the big game.
- January 23, 2005 – Heinz Field, Pittsburgh – The New England Patriots ruined the party for the Pittsburgh Steelers, handily defeating them 41-27 in the AFC Championship game. Patriot wideout Deion Branch scored twice as New England won the Lamar Hunt Trophy. (source)
- January 23, 2005, The Philadelphia Eagles knocked around the Atlanta Falcons, 27-10, in the NFC Championship played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly. Chad Lewis caught two Donovan McNabb passes to help the Eagles advance to Super Bowl XXXIX, per the Pro-Football-Reference.
- February 6, 2005 – Super Bowl XXXIX saw the New England Patriots secure a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. WR Deion Branch tied a record with 11 catches for 133 yards to win MVP honors without scoring a touchdown.
- February 13, 2005 – Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii – At the 2004 season’s NFL Pro Bowl, the AFC team of all-stars knocked off the NFC squad by the final score of 38-27. Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, then with the Indianapolis Colts, was voted as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
- April 23, 2005 – The 2005 NFL Draft took place, headlined by Quarterback Alex Smith claiming the number one overall selection, a handful of Auburn players taken in the first round, and the slide of QB Aaron Rodgers. For more details, check out the 2005 NFL Draft coverage.
- May 25, 2005 – Ohio State announced that it would be expanding its drug policy investigations just days after stories arose about some of Coach Jim Tressel’s players.
- July 15, 2005 – The Wedding Crashers Backyard Football Scene Debuts – The hit comedy movie Wedding Crashers, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, officially premieres in theaters. The film features one of modern cinema’s most famous pop-culture football moments: a wildly aggressive, hilariously awkward backyard touch football game where Vaughn’s character gets completely leveled by Bradley Cooper’s hyper-competitive character.
- July 18, 2005 – The Retirement of “Mr. Raider”: Legendary wide receiver Tim Brown officially retired from the NFL after an illustrious 17-year career. The 1987 Heisman Trophy winner out of Notre Dame spent 16 of his seasons with the Raiders, establishing himself as the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (1,070), receiving yards (14,734), and receiving touchdowns (99). A 9-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, Brown retired sitting near the absolute top of the league’s all-time receiving charts before being enshrined in Canton in 2015.
- July 18, 2005 – The Passing of Jim Parker, Johnny Unitas‘ Ultimate Guardian: In a bittersweet coincidence on the exact same day Tim Brown stepped away, the gridiron world mourned the passing of Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jim Parker on July 18, 2005, at age 71. The Outland Trophy winner out of Ohio State was drafted 8th overall by the Baltimore Colts in 1957 with one primary instruction from coach Weeb Ewbank: do not let anyone touch Johnny Unitas’ blindside. Parker executed that mission flawlessly, earning eight straight All-Pro selections (dominating at both tackle and guard) and anchoring the line for the Colts’ legendary back-to-back NFL championships in 1958 and 1959.
- July 19, 2005 – Travis Henry’s Long-Awaited Homecoming Trade: A dramatic offseason standoff officially ended when running back Travis Henry reported to Nashville to take a physical, finalizing a major trade from the Buffalo Bills to the Tennessee Titans. Henry, who had logged back-to-back 1,300-yard rushing seasons in Buffalo before losing his starting job to Willis McGahee, forced the trade to return to the state where he was the all-time leading collegiate rusher for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Bills received a third-round pick in return.
- October 2, 2005 – The first NFL regular season game outside of the United States in Mexico City as the Arizona Cardinals triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 south of the border.
- October 27, 1984 – Per the NFF website, 2005 College Football Hall of Famer Willie Totten of Mississippi Valley State passes for 599 yards against Prairie View, the third-best single-game performance in I-AA history. Totten threw for over 530 yards in a single game four times in his collegiate career.
- November 19, 2005 – Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama – The 70th edition of the Iron Bowl was played as the Auburn Tigers hosted the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams entered the fray with one loss, stemming from their earlier losses to LSU. Warblogle.com captured the action and reported that, at the end of the first quarter, it was 21-0, and the Tigers seemed on track for a blowout, scoring on their first three possessions. Auburn’s Ben Obomanu accounted for two of the scores as he caught one and took another in on the ground, and Kenny Irons rushed for one more. The Tide finally got on the board on a 2nd quarter fumble recovery, but the Tigers responded with a Brandon Cox touchdown pass to Cole Bennett later in the 2nd quarter to make a halftime score of 28-7. The second half was pretty quiet as Alabama added a field goal and a TD with a two-point conversion as the Auburn Tigers held on for the 28-18 victory!
- November 27, 2005 – CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: Edmonton Eskimos beat Montreal Alouettes, 38-35; first time in 44 years Grey Cup goes into overtime.
- December 3, 2005 – The #22 Florida State Seminoles upset the #5 Virginia Tech Hokies 27-22 in the very first ACC Championship Game.
- December 10, 2005 – The 71st Heisman Trophy was awarded to USC standout Reggie Bush. However, if you look at the Heisman’s website, you will not see an entry for a winner in 2005. That is because Bush later forfeited his Trophy due to what ESPN.com describes as him and other Trojan athletes receiving improper benefits that violated NCAA rules.
