Tee Martin and Tennessee reached new heights after the wildly successful career of Peyton Manning. Vincent Laforet / Getty Images
All week, The Athletic has been looking back at college football in the 1990s, using the first men’s World Cup in the United States since 1994 as a good excuse for an offseason dose of nostalgia.
Were the 1990s really a golden age for college football? What do we miss most — and not miss? How much has changed? Who were the best teams, players and coaches? Plus, we reminisce about split national championships, Bill Snyder, Steve Spurrier, Ricky Williams, Tommie Frazier, giant shoulder pads and an infamously bad SEC team.
Check back for more stories, and test your college football knowledge below with 20 trivia questions. Let us know how you did — and feel free to share some of your favorite 1990s college football memories in the comments, too.
Jun 26, 2026
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