Florida State Ends BCS Era With Title Game Victory

Undefeated and No. 1, Florida State came through in the clutch late to capture the final title of the BCS era, topping Auburn, 34-31.

After giving up a late lead to Tre Mason and the Tigers, Jameis Winston and the Seminoles marched quickly back up the field for a game-winning touchdown with just 13 seconds left.

With help from a costly pass interference penalty and a 7-play, 80-drive where Winston was 6-of-7, Florida State ended the SEC’s lengthy title streak and closed the BCS era out with style.

Florida State ends the era as the only non-SEC team to win multiple BCS titles.

Final 2013 BCS Rankings: Florida State And Auburn Finish Year On Top

The BCS was never much more than a result of the staples that have long ruled college football — tradition, formality and prestige. Pair teams that should play each other together in a bowl, sure, but make sure they’re also the biggest names.

Official BCS Rankings
Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Auburn Tigers
3	Alabama Crimson Tide
4	Michigan State Spartans
5	Stanford Cardinal
Scroll down for more

As the BCS sings its swan song, habits that seem old — like the SEC always being in the driver’s seat for the national title — are actually recent developments of the BCS era. But in 2013 it looked like there might be a chance to end the streak just before the BCS met its own end.

Then Michigan State stepped in the way. The Spartans topped Ohio State and the SEC’s Auburn will face Florida State in the national title game.

Not only that, but the SEC lands the No. 3 team in the country, Alabama, in another BCS bowl automatically, and ends the year occupying nearly half of the BCS’s top 10.

And so the BCS ends just like it was supposed to — granting 10 berths to 10 teams from the “power” conferences, though the AAC might have lost its claim to power long before it lost its “Big East” name.

The Big 10 and Pac-12 champions will meet in the Rose Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl will feature the Big 12’s champion. And the Sugar Bowl will get the replacement team of its dreams in Alabama. The BCS worked just like it should have, whether you liked it or not. We were just trying to make sense of it as it was handed down.

Some times we could, some times we couldn’t.

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The last-ever BCS rankings:

Final BCS Standings — December 8th

Rank	Team	BCS Score
1	Florida State Seminoles	.9957
2	Auburn Tigers	.9638
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	.9061
4	Michigan State Spartans	.8600
5	Stanford Cardinal	.8191
6	Baylor Bears	.7722
7	Ohio State Buckeyes	.7705
8	Missouri Tigers	.7256
9	South Carolina Gamecocks	.7152
10	Oregon Ducks	.5811
11	Oklahoma Sooners	.5756
12	Clemson Tigers	.5553
13	Oklahoma State Cowboys	.5233
14	Arizona State Sun Devils	.4416
15	UCF Knights	.4343
16	LSU Tigers	.4322

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Some thoughts:

• BCS Know How’s Projected BCS vs. Actual BCS Rankings
  • Not a great final showing, so be it! This is too much fun to be sad about.
• Again, we’re looking at a much different BCS Know How moving forward. We’ll figure it out after bowl season, which should actually be a ton of fun. Check out the non-BCS bowl schedule, too, if you’re looking for some interesting action.

2014 BCS Bowls

We take one more trip to the BCS this season, with five BCS bowls, 10 teams — fittingly all of which are from the “original” power six conferences that formed the basis for this change in championship crowning all those years ago. These pairings are according to multiple reports from early Sunday.

For more information on how the teams were selected, head over to the BCS Bowls page.

2014 BCS Schedule

	Rose Bowl January 1, 2014 5 p.m. ET
	Michigan State Spartans
vs.
	Stanford Cardinal
	—
	Fiesta Bowl January 1, 2014 8:30 p.m. ET
	Baylor Bears
vs.
	UCF Knights
	—
	Sugar Bowl January 2, 2014 8:30 p.m. ET
	Alabama Crimson Tide
vs.
	Oklahoma Sooners
	—
	Orange Bowl January 3, 2014 8:30 p.m. ET
	Clemson Tigers
vs.
	Ohio State Buckeyes
	—
	BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif. January 6, 2014 8:30 p.m. ET
	Florida State Seminoles
vs.
	Auburn Tigers

Projected BCS Standings: Last BCS Rankings To Set Up Florida State & Auburn

It seemed like it was going to play out just like we hoped — drama, controversy and loud yelling until the day the BCS died. And then Michigan State had to ruin all that.

Projected BCS Rankings
Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Auburn Tigers
3	Alabama Crimson Tide
4	Stanford Cardinal
5	Michigan State Spartans
Scroll down for more

When Auburn took the SEC title during its Saturday matinee television spot, the debate started to ratchet up. If Ohio State won the Big Ten title, would they be headed to the BCS title game or could Auburn jump the Buckeyes?

Turns out it didn’t matter. Michigan State surprised the nation, ending Ohio State’s 24-game winning streak and giving Auburn the chance to grab No. 2 in the very last BCS standings. With that, the title game is set. As are a few other of the yearly BCS scenarios we’ve come to love and count on each season.

Here’s what else we know so far:

• Stanford and Michigan State will be headed to the Rose Bowl after winning their respective conference titles
• Baylor will be going to the Fiesta Bowl after winning the Big 12 on a crazy day of conference action
• UCF will automatically claim a BCS bowl bid after winning the regular season AAC title, likely headed to the Fiesta Bowl
• Alabama will likely be automatically qualified for a BCS bowl by finishing third in the final BCS standings, thus eliminating all other possible SEC berths beyond Auburn. For more on this, visit the BCS Bowls page
• Teams likely eligible tomorrow for the at-large pool: Clemson, Oregon, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and possibly LSU
• For more, check out our final slate of projected BCS bowls

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Meanwhile, the BCS standings, after electing Florida State No. 1 and Auburn No. 2, will probably play out as expected. Alabama is likely to end the year at No. 3, followed by conference champions Stanford and Michigan State. Then expect Ohio State to land around No. 6 after its first loss in more than two years, followed by Baylor and Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina, and Oregon and Oklahoma State.

As for what to expect for tomorrow: We’ll get the Coaches’ Poll normal time, around noon ET. Then things will be quiet. We expect to have Jeff Sagarin’s BCS computer rankings early, but who knows for sure.

The Harris Poll will be withheld from public viewing until after the BCS pairings are announced to keep some “drama” but since most of the drama is gone, take that as you will.

Then, around 8:30, the numbers will start pouring in and the pairings will be announced and we’ll be on our way to the final BCS season.

—

Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day @BCSKnowHow and here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of the computers, human polls and everything in between.

Here’s what the BCS standings will likely look like when they are released tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Final Projected BCS Standings (December 8th)

Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Auburn Tigers
3	Alabama Crimson Tide
4	Stanford Cardinal
5	Michigan State Spartans
6	Ohio State Buckeyes
7	Baylor Bears
8	Oklahoma Sooners
9	Missouri Tigers
10	South Carolina Gamecocks
11	Oregon Ducks
12	Oklahoma State Cowboys
13	Clemson Tigers
14	LSU Tigers
15	UCF Knights
16	Arizona State Sun Devils

On a programming note: Obviously things around here are going to change very soon. This has been a ton of fun to do. More on what’s next after the craziness of tomorrow. Thank you all!

Final Projected 2014 BCS Bowls — December 8

The BCS — at least the part that everyone hated with an undying passion — ends Sunday. But the bowl games, which could range anywhere from epic showdowns to embarrassing blowouts, will stretch into January.

BCS Bowl Projections
Bowl	Matchup
Title Game	Florida State vs. Auburn
Rose Bowl	Stanford vs. Michigan State
Sugar Bowl	Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Orange Bowl	Clemson vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl	Baylor vs. UCF
Scroll down for more

When a BCS season ends like this one did, though, there isn’t much to say other than to just try as best as you can to relive the great games that filled the final week of the season.

It’s clear now that Auburn’s victory in the SEC championship game added to Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State will send the Tigers to the BCS title game. But where is everyone else headed? We project here:

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BCS National Championship Game: Florida State Seminoles (BCS No. 1) vs. Auburn Tigers (BCS No. 2)

Comment: Auburn waited all day to see if they’d either have to bite their fingernails or be a little less frazzled come Sunday when it came to their national title hopes. It turned out that Michigan State was ready to help the Tigers out, so Auburn will be walking into Pasadena with a chance to close out the BCS era with another SEC national championship. They’ll meet No. 1 Florida State, the only team to finish the year undefeated in regular season play.

Rose Bowl: Stanford Cardinal (Pac-12 champion) vs. Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten champion)

Comment: Stanford certainly looked the part of Pac-12 champion against Arizona State in the conference title game, and for that the Cardinal will be on their way to the Rose Bowl as Pac-12 champs. They’ll get the chance to take on Big Ten champions Michigan State, who closed out its season with a huge victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, clinching their spot here.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide (At-large selection) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (At-large selection)

Comment: Alabama will get the first look from the Sugar Bowl when it tries to replace its lost SEC champion in Auburn. Sure, the Orange Bowl will have a first shot to replace Florida State, but knowing the way the BCS bowls work, the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl are sure to work out a way to share the responsibility of getting their fans what they want. Oklahoma would be a nice pairing for the Sugar Bowl’s final BCS bow.

Orange Bowl: Clemson Tigers (At-large selection) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (At-large selection)

Comment: Clemson will be the first place the Orange Bowl will look when trying to replace Florida State, but the real question and big story here will be how the bowls treat Ohio State. The once-beaten Buckeyes looked ready for a trip to the BCS title game, but instead will be missing out on the chance to close out the BCS with a title. Instead, the Orange Bowl will have a chance to pick first and third, and could pick a variety of teams to square off with Clemson, but Ohio State looks like the pick.

Fiesta Bowl: Baylor Bears (Big 12 champion) vs. UCF Knights (AAC champion)

Comment: A final weekend of classic BCS football played right into Baylor hands. First, Northern Illinois dropped its final chance to secure a BCS bowl bid, opening up the door slightly for the Bears to get an at-large bid. But come Saturday night, Baylor was playing for it all — a Big 12 title opportunity after Oklahoma State faltered. And with a victory over Texas, Baylor is BCS bowl bound. They’ll likely get AAC champion UCF as the Fiesta Bowl will be saddled with the last pool choice pick, which in all likelihood will be the Knights.

Florida State Clinches Spot In BCS Title Game

With a dominant showing in the ACC Championship Game, Florida State clinches a spot in the BCS title game and finishes an undefeated 2013 season.

Florida State took care of Duke easily and will remain the No. 1 team when the final BCS standings of the year come out Sunday night. The Seminoles will await an opponent — either Ohio State or Auburn will be on the opposite sideline when the title game kicks off from Pasadena on Jan. 6.

Led by Heisman favorite Jameis Winston, the Seminoles will be headed to their eighth BCS bowl, and second straight after topping Northern Illinois in last year’s Orange Bowl.

Seventh 2013 BCS Rankings: Ohio State Holds Off Auburn For No. 2

The BCS just wont go down without a fight. Just more than a week ago we might have been wondering what would happen if we ended the season with four undefeated teams. Now we’re trying to piece together what just happened and explaining how a one-loss team is on the verge of making BCS history.

Official BCS Rankings
Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Ohio State Buckeyes
3	Auburn Tigers
4	Alabama Crimson Tide
5	Missouri Tigers
Scroll down for more

After Alabama’s reign over college football was seemingly cut down by Auburn things got a bit wonky in the BCS.

Of course, this opened up the No. 1 spot for the first time this season, and fresh from an in-state victory over Florida, Florida State was more than happy to claim its spot atop these seventh BCS rankings.

Then things got interesting. Undefeated Ohio State was supposed to cruise to the No. 2 spot tonight. After all, no undefeated AQ conference team has ever been leapfrogged for a top-two spot in the BCS standings by a once-beaten team. But No. 3 Auburn made the No. 2 Buckeyes sweat for the second position tonight. And both teams will sweat for another week while we chew on the scenarios.

Auburn has Missouri to prepare for, Ohio State has Michigan State on its plate. Wins from both squads next weekend might set up a final chase for the No. 2 spot that will rival any of the best controversy the BCS has had to offer. We can sit back and enjoy it.

The rest of the BCS falls mostly into place as expected. Alabama claims No. 4 with SEC title game-bound Missouri rounding out the top-five. Oklahoma State, in the driver’s seat for a AQ bid for the Big 12, is in at No. 6, and Pac-12 title game combatant Stanford is in at No. 7. South Carolina, Baylor, Arizona State and Michigan State are setting themselves up for BCS eligibility while Oregon and rounds out the top 12.

Northern Illinois is just a win away from a second straight BCS buster bowl bid after entering the top 14 and seeing Fresno State lose at the most inopportune time.

—

It’s all come down to one week. Not sure if we’re ready to say goodbye without one final blowout weekend.  Be sure to stay tuned to BCS Know How and @BCSKnowHow throughout the coming week for all the latest analysis and news.

Here’s the seventh BCS rankings of 2013:

BCS Standings Week Seven — December 1st

Rank	Team	BCS Score
1	Florida State Seminoles	.9948
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	.9503
3	Auburn Tigers	.9233
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	.8539
5	Missouri Tigers	.8428
6	Oklahoma State Cowboys	.7629
7	Stanford Cardinal	.7069
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	.7037
9	Baylor Bears	.6623
10	Michigan State Spartans	.6529
11	Arizona State Sun Devils	.5833
12	Oregon Ducks	.5321
13	Clemson Tigers	.5201
14	Northern Illinois Huskies	.4812
15	LSU Tigers	.4213
16	UCF Knights	.3838

—

Some thoughts:

• BCS Know How’s Projected BCS vs. Actual BCS Rankings
  • 1-9 great, 10 not good, 11-12 good.

Harris Interactive Poll Week 14: Auburn Looming At No. 3 Behind FSU, OSU

Florida State takes over at No. 1 in the Harris Poll, but with Auburn’s victory over Alabama, the Tigers position themselves for a last-week push for a spot in the national title game.

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Harris Interactive College Football Poll – December 1

Rank	Team	Votes	Share of Vote
1	Florida State Seminoles	2617	.997
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	2488	.948
3	Auburn Tigers	2422	.923
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	2262	.862
5	Missouri Tigers	2231	.850
6	Oklahoma State Cowboys	2083	.794
7	Stanford Cardinal	1873	.714
8	South Carolina Gamecocks	1841	.701
9	Baylor Bears	1778	.677
10	Michigan State Spartans	1758	.670
11	Clemson Tigers	1444	.550
12	Oregon Ducks	1398	.533

USA Today Coaches’ Poll Week 14: Florida State Takes Over

Florida State claims the USA Today Coaches’ Poll No. 1 spot after Alabama’s loss, while Auburn gains major ground on Ohio State, leaving the possibility for a title game bid for the Tigers well open.

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USA Today Coaches’ Poll – December 1

Rank	Team	Votes	Share of Vote
1	Florida State Seminoles	1546	.997
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	1462	.943
3	Auburn Tigers	1437	.927
4	Alabama Crimson Tide	1333	.860
5	Missouri Tigers	1315	.848
6	Oklahoma State Cowboys	1248	.805
7	Baylor Bears	1100	.710
7	South Carolina Gamecocks	1100	.710
9	Michigan State Spartans	1037	.669
10	Stanford Cardinal	1034	.667
11	Clemson Tigers	853	.550
12	Oregon Ducks	843	.544

Projected BCS Standings: Auburn’s Play For A Title Game Spot in Seventh Standings of 2013

The death knell for the BCS, perhaps most appropriately, will likely be one of controversy. The system would have it no other way.

Projected BCS Rankings
Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Ohio State Buckeyes
3	Auburn Tigers
4	Alabama Crimson Tide
5	Missouri Tigers
Scroll down for more

Auburn’s stunning victory over Alabama likely clinched at least a somewhat controversial end to the BCS’s reign over college football as the Crimson Tide’s spot atop the college football world is now over.

Where, then, does that leave the BCS when the seventh standings of 2013 come out Sunday? Obviously for the first time this year, Alabama will not be No. 1. That honor will fall to Florida State, making its way back to the top of the BCS for the first time in what seems like ages.

Then it gets interesting. Clearly, Ohio State surviving its rivalry meeting with Michigan will be a huge boon to its national title game hopes. But Auburn’s victory over the previously unassailable Alabama could mean a huge swing of support in the Tigers’ direction. Who will land at No. 2 this week?

It’s likely Ohio State, as the voters will give the benefit of the doubt to the undefeated and long-revered Buckeyes. But Auburn will lurk at No. 3. And with a chance to clinch the SEC title next weekend and the growing tradition of SEC champs playing for the BCS title, Auburn’s not out of this yet. A win over likely BCS No. 5 Missouri next weekend paired with a close Ohio State victory in the Big Ten title game could cause the chaos we’ve come to expect.

After Missouri, it’s all battling for the at-large and automatic BCS bowl bids, including Northern Illinois’ quest for a second-straight bowl game bid and Clemson, Oregon, Michigan State and Baylor angling for eligibility and spots. Plus, the auto-bids given to the champs of the six AQ conferences.

Just one more BCS standing after Sunday, ever. The end is close!

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Remember, we’ll be here to take you through all of it, starting with tomorrow’s releases of the human polls, computer rankings and BCS. Follow along all day @BCSKnowHow and here to stay up to the second with projections, mathematical breakdowns of the computers, human polls and everything in between. Then follow along this week as we break down scenarios and implications.

Here’s what the BCS standings will likely look like when they are released tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN:

Projected BCS Standings – BCS Week Seven (December 1st)

Rank	Team
1	Florida State Seminoles
2	Ohio State Buckeyes
3	Auburn Tigers
4	Alabama Crimson Tide
5	Missouri Tigers
6	Oklahoma State Cowboys
7	Stanford Cardinal
8	South Carolina Gamecocks
9	Baylor Bears
10	Clemson Tigers
11	Michigan State Spartans
12	Arizona State Sun Devils