Here's a fun topic of discussion...

If you could have one of App State's "recent" near misses vs big time opponents back...if we could go back and correct a mistake or two that cost us the game, which game would you want?

Here are some of our close calls...

1980 NC State 17-14
1985 South Carolina 20-13
1997 Clemson 23-12
1999 Auburn 22-15
2006 NC State 23-10
2009 ECU 29-24
2014 Southern Miss 21-20
2016 Tennessee 20-13

** Feel free to write in any of our big FCS games too.

'06 NC State for me. We easily could have won that game as State was really struggling and would have given us a perfect season.

Troy last year.

Tennessee. That one could have been a program changer. All the ones from the FCS days would have been second fiddle to Michigan anyway. Though that ECU game would have been awfully sweet, I admit.

Gotta agree with Troy but would that have changed the Bowl invite? Other than that I go with the ECU game (the no AE game). Wife and I sat with relatives in a sea of purple with no Apps around us. Got fed a bunch of crap in the first half while they ran down our throats. Then I watched the ECU fans nearly die as we rallied and nearly pulled it out. That would have been sweet to complete the incredible comeback.

It may not have changed the bowl game, but if we had beat Troy we would have been ranked instead them in November and we would have finished in Top 25 last year. To me that would have been huge.

Tennessee

Montana 09

I'm not sure I can decide among my top 3 want back games, but in no certain order . . . the ECU game with no AE (dude just get someone else to mow your grass), the Montana thriller in the snow, and last year at Tennessee.

Tennessee. It might have been possible to sneak into the top 25 with that win.

Oh man I didn't think about Montana! Tennessee would really be my #1 but I only picked ECU because of the shite being thrown my way for half the game!

Maybe because the sting is still fresh ...but out of all those we beat Tennessee across the board and and if not for the flukiest final play we win! Definitely Tennessee.
Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/BrRjQjBVnXA

Tennessee no question

Tennessee.

Tennessee and Troy. Would've left App with one loss (albeit bad) and a Top 25 ranking as well as air time when discussions of the NY6 bowl were occurring, even if App had no shot of being selected.

UT , with NCSU in 1980 a close second. Brownie has told me we got screwed by the call in the endzone that Beasleys foot was said to be on the line. A Wolfpack fan at the game told me the same thing.

Tennessee last year was a possible gateway game. The Auburn game gets an honorable mention.

Montana '09

Montana 09

Not to be the thread police, but the OP did say "big-time opponents," so I'm not sure Troy or Montana qualify. (Of course Southern Miss definitely wouldn't, and he listed them.)

If we're going to change a Sun Belt game, I'd probably pick stAte from '15 over Troy last year.