This year’s BCS (Bowl Championship Series) National Championship was played in Pasadena, California on January 6, 2014.
The matchup featured the #1 Florida State Seminoles (13-0) and the #2 Auburn Tigers (12-1). Both teams brought their best game and ended up putting on one of the best BCS games in history. The Florida State Seminoles would end up winning the game 34-31.
The BCS or Bowl Championship Series is a way of determining what college football teams will participate in the National Championship game. A series of polls and other computer calculating programs rank all Division I football teams; the top two teams face each other for the AFCA trophy. The matchup between Florida State and Auburn was the last Championship in the BCS era. Starting next year, a playoff system will be incorporated that will be similar to the NFL playoffs. This will allow teams with imperfect records to make it to the National Championship.
Many fans are upset with the change saying it is going against tradition while others like the new system and can’t wait for next year. Senior Kyle Chmelewski says he doesn’t really care about the change, but he prefers the old system.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Chmelewski. “I like the BCS system, but the playoff system can work too. I just think the BCS rankings are more fair.”
Auburn’s path to the championship game was more unusual than most. The Tigers had only one loss going into their game against Georgia; this game would spark the 2013 Auburn Tigers into the “Team of Destiny.” With 35 seconds left in the game, Auburn was losing by one point. The Tigers faced a 4 and 18 situation against a tough Georgia defense. Quarterback Nick Marshall received the snap and dropped back waiting for a receiver, after realizing no one was open Marshall heaved up a deep pass hoping for the best. Georgia’s Tray Matthews tipped the ball in an attempt to knock it away. The ball came down and landed in the hands of Auburn receiver Ricardo Louis’s as he was headed straight for the end zone.
The next game would be against the defending two-time National Champion, the Alabama Crimson Tide. This time Auburn’s punt returner Chris Davis would be the hero. With only one second left in the game, Alabama and Auburn were tied at 28; Alabama was lined up for a game winning 57-yard field goal. Auburn put their kick returner Chris Davis in the end zone in case there was a chance at a return, and there was. Alabama missed the kick, and Davis was able to field the catch deep in the endzone. The crowd went wild, the game was going into overtime, or was it?
Davis ran out of the endzone looking for some blocks. After getting a big bloc, Davis ran to the sideline, and before anyone knew it, Davis was in the open field with no one around him. Auburn scored the touchdown and won the game as time expired. A team of destiny had been born.
As for Florida State, they went undefeated in the regular season, thanks to the arm of freshman Quarterback Jameis Winston. The freshman QB has put up big numbers all year and even won the Heisman Trophy. Everyone in college football had their eyes on Winston. Some of the scores from the Seminoles season were 63-0 (Maryland), 59-3 (Wake Forest), and 80-14 (Idaho). In every regular season game FSU put up more than 35 points. The Seminoles were able to win a lot of games by a large margin, but many wondered how they would play against Auburn.
The BCS game was an intense matchup through the first three quarters. Auburn had jumped out to an early 21-3 lead. Many fans were shocked considering the talent that FSU has displayed all year. Senior Logan Foore was one of the stunned fans.
“I was surprised”, said Foore. “FSU had played well all year with Jameis Winston and Auburn came out and played way better.”
After halftime, FSU’s game changed into what fans were used to all season. With 10 minutes to play in the game, FSU came back to trail the Tigers by only one point. Auburn burned the clock down to around four minutes after a good quality drive; a touchdown would have sealed the deal for Auburn, but they had to settle for a field goal instead. The lead wasn’t much, but it forced FSU to get a touchdown in order to win the game.
On the ensuing kickoff freshman wide receiver Levonte Whitfield returned the kick for a 100-yard touchdown, Just like that Auburn’s lead had gone up in smoke. Auburn regained the lead on a big play from junior running back Tre Mason on a 37-yard touchdown. With 1:19 to play, Auburn 31-27.
Winston put together a drive putting FSU at the 2-yard line with under 30 seconds to play. Just a few plays later, Winston connected with sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for the final go-ahead score. The FSU crowd jumped out of their seats, leaving Auburn fans in complete shock.
With 13 seconds remaining for the “Team of Destiny,” and if there was any team in college football that could win this game with 13 seconds left, it would be Auburn. The Tigers took their last snap and threw the ball back and forth, looking for an opening for a big play. For a second it looked like there was a chance for another miracle, but a tackle was made and the Seminoles charged the field in victory.
After the game the Seminoles celebrated and passed the AFCA trophy around. Reporters swarmed the team, but no one got more attention than “Famous Jameis.” Winston was named MVP after leading a classic comeback.
“Only thing is we’re victorious and glad to say Florida State is the national champion again, and I guarantee you we’re bringing that swag back,” Winston said, according to (http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=340060002).
The Future is Bright for the rookie QB, and he will be the first to tell you he has plans for a repeat.
