Editor’s note: As the World Cup continues in the United States for the first time since 1994, The Athletic is looking back at college sports in the 1990s and how much has changed since then.The most interesting part about the YouTube rabbit hole of 1990s college football isn’t the Starter jackets or opportunities to remember some guys (Peerless Price, Napoleon Kaufman).It’s the little moments that, three decades later, seem as outdated as bulky shoulder pads. Like this one from the famous 1990 “Fifth Down” game between Colorado and Missouri: Buffaloes’ ball, fourth-and-3 at the Missouri 20 late in the first half. Today, Colorado’s staff would have weighed analytics on a kick-or-go-for-it decision. Back then, coach Bill McCartney’s decision was straightforward.“They fire coaches who go for it on fourth-and-2 or -3,” Colorado broadcaster Dave Logan said on the telecast.But, announcing partner Les Shapiro replied, job scrutiny at this level isn’t like the NFL, and McCartney had just signed a 15-year contract.“A college coach like McCartney doesn’t have to worry about that at all,” Shapiro said.James Franklin and Brian Kelly might disagree.The kicker to the story: Colorado drained the clock, then missed the field goal on the last play of the half.The Fifth Down game was among the 10 I recently watched from the ’90s — one per season from a sampling that hit every major conference and region — to bring fresh eyes to the formative years of my college football experience:
I watched 10 college football games from the 1990s. Here’s what has (and hasn’t) changed
A '90s college football binge revealed many things I didn’t know I’ve been taking for granted to the debates we still haven’t settled.
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