The 2005 Paradise Bowl was the culmination of the 2004-05 NCAA Division-I college football season, the staging ground for that season's national championship, as agreed upon by the presidents and athletic directors in 1999. This would mark the first time since 1996 that the Paradise Bowl hosted a national title game. The game pitted the No. 1 Huron Highlanders against the No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers, and resulted in a dramatic and now-legendary 20-19 Huron win. The victory handed Huron their 11th national championship and second under relatively young head coach Brett Estevez.