That's what happened in the first half against Florida State. Malzahn ran complex read options and play action plays that confused the Florida State defense and gave Auburn a 21-10 lead at halftime. For the first time in his college career, Jameis Winston looked helpless in the first half of that game. He had been dealing with pressure very well all year long in his college career, and he couldn't do the same in the first half. However, it was the end of the first half that gave me a bit of confidence about the rest of the game.
Backed up on his on 30 yard line and facing a 4th and 6, Jimbo Fisher made one of the gutsiest calls in his tenure as a head coach. He called a reverse fake punt to Karlos Williams that barely picked up the first down for the Seminoles. The drive that ensued after this play was the first time that Winston looked confident in the BCS game. He made a few big throw and catches to Rashad Greene and Devonte Freeman was able to punch in a third yard touchdown to give FSU their first touchdown.
The third quarter of this game belonged to the Florida State defense. Partially due to a Cody Parkey shanked field goal, the Seminole D held the Auburn offense scoreless in the third quarter of this game. Roberto Aguayo nailed a 41 yard field goal (he never misses) and the score 21-13 heading into quarter 4. Just a quick note on a random aspect of the game. The Auburn punter almost single-handedly won the game for the Tigers. The amount of times that he pinned Florida State on their own 10 yard line was ridiculous. Best punting performance anyone's ever seen.
The grit of both teams in the final quarter of this game made this game an ESPN Instant Classic. In their second drive of the quarter, FSU was able to drive down the field and hit his full-back Chad Abram for an 11 yard score. After Parkey hit a field goal to expand Auburn's lead to 24-20, Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield showed his asafeleticism and brought back a kick 101 yards to give FSU the 27-24 lead. Jimbo Fisher also stole Red Lightning's thunder and camera time on the run-back.
After a demoralizing touchdown run from Tre Mason, Winston and the Noles faced the length of the field with only 1:11 left to score. Rashad Greene came up HUGE on the last drive, accounting for most of FSU's yards on their way down the field. Then, Kelvin Benjamin was able to redeem himself for his early game struggles, catching the game winning three yard touchdown with only 13 ticks left on the clock. That gave FSU the National Championship and finally broke the fucking SEC streak in title games.
Unreal football game though, goes right up there with the 2006 USC Texas Rose Bowl. Everything is gonna change next year though, no more BCS system, and a playoff system is finally in place. I think the game last night involved two teams that will undoubtedly be two of the best teams in College Football next season. Here's my early pre-season top 5.
2014 Pre-Season Top 5 College Football Teams
1. Florida State Seminoles
Until someone knocks them off, Jimbo Fisher's team will remain the number team in the land. Jameis Winston is returning for his redshirt sophomore year and will look to repeat on his amazing freshman year. The team could suffer some big losses in the next few days, as Kelvin Benjamin, Rashad Greene, Timmy Jernigan, and Nick O'Leary could all declare for the NFL draft. They will also lose seniors linebackers Christian Jones and Telvin Smith, defensive backs Lamarcus Joyner and Terrance Brooks, and starting O-lineman Bryan Stork and Jonathan Wallace. However, Fisher has dealt with big team losses in the past. Last year he lost 11 starters to the NFL draft and was able to bounce back with an undefeated season. Let's not forget that FSU's recruiting class has been ranked in the top three each of the past two seasons and their are studs waiting eagerly to play a bigger role. The team will certainly have a tougher out of conference schedule than last year, as they will play Oklahoma State, Louisville, and Notre Dame next year. They will have to earn it if they want to remain on top.
2. Auburn Tigers
The scariest thing about Auburn's incredible season is the youth of their football team. They had one of the best offensive lines in the entire country and they were starting two freshman and a sophomore. Those guys will only get better and it looks like star lineman Greg Robinson is leaning towards returning to be the anchor of the line in his senior season. Nick Marshall will be back and so will his favorite target Sammie Coates, who nearly amassed 1,000 yards in his sophomore year with the Tigers. If Tre Mason chooses to return to school, than the second year Malzahn offense could be terrifying for SEC opponents. They will need to improve many aspects of their defense, but their offense won't have many question marks going into next season.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Alabama and Auburn will be battling for the SEC at the end of next season. Many teams like LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, South Carolina, and Missouri will remain factors in the conference. But, Bama and Auburn are clearly the best two teams in the conference right now. The biggest struggle for Saban's team might be replacing quarterback A.J. McCarron, one of the most successful players ever for Bama's program. There has been talk of Jameis Winston's back-up Jacob Coker transferring to Bama and taking over the starting job. Regardless of who inherits the position, they will have a full arsenal of weapons to work with next season. T.J. Yeldon will return coming off of two extremely successful seasons as the Bama starting back. Amari Cooper and Derrick Henry will also return for the Crimson Tide, adding to their fast and athletic offense. With Nick Saban at the helm, nothing is out of reach in any season for Bama.
4. Oregon Ducks
Marcus Mariota is returning for his senior season with the Ducks, and with the incredible skill position players around him, that might be enough for this team to win the Pac-12 next season. They will be losing several starters on defense, including their stud defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olumu. But like many of the super powers in college football, the Ducks have great young players that have been chomping at the bit for more playing time. People will talk about the loss of De'Anthony Thomas, but I think he was one of the most overrated players in the country this season. He was hurt for most of the year, and when he played he just seemed to be messing up and costing his team. One of the biggest factors for the Ducks might be the lucky draw of their schedule next year. They will not have to play rising teams USC or Arizona State in conference play next year.
5. Michigan State
Michigan State could be the next rising power in the Big Ten. Their defense has been incredible for the past few seasons, and some credit needs to be given to the coaching of Mark D'antonio. He has built this program very well, and has owned rival Michigan in the past five years. The team's two most important offensive players, quarterback Connor Cook and running back Jeremy Langford will be returning next season. They got better all throughout the year, and if they can do the same next season then they will be a very scary team. I've gotta give them the edge over Ohio State in the Big Ten at the moment. One of the best games next year could come when the Spartans travel to Oregon to play the Ducks in non-conference play.
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