Two of college football's best teams took the field in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday and delivered a gift to the world.
They flipped a coin standing on a logo for a mayonnaise brand. They fought through a punishing war of attrition, delivering one punishing blow after another, when victory was measured in inches, not yards. They played a game without an offensive touchdown and managed to enthrall the sellout crowd, half in orange, half in red. We often compare these games to heavyweight fights, but the analogy feels anachronistic. When was the last time a heavyweight bout mattered so much to so many people?