As we begin the stretch run of the college football season, there are still several teams in play for the national championship. Only 2 control their own destiny, Alabama and Oregon. That means there’s the potential for some very good teams to get left out. A Florida State team that won 51-14 at #3 Clemson and beat #7 Miami 41-14. Baylor a team that’s scoring at an alarming rate, and Ohio State a team that hasn’t lost since Urban Meyer arrived all are potential hard luck candidates.
It happens though and it’s happened before. Who are the 5 best Best BCS era teams not to make the National Title Game?
1) Auburn Tigers 2004 : 13-0 (SEC Champion)
An undefeated untied SEC Champion not making the BCS title game? It seems impossible now, but it happened. This Tiger team beat 5 teams ranked in the top 15 at the time they played them. Auburn was coached Tommy Tuberville and featured Jason Campbell at quarterback. Auburn started the season behind the USC Trojans and Oklahoma Sooners and just never could overtake them.
2) Miami Hurricanes 2000 : 12-1 (Big East Champion)
How do end up with the same record as a national title participant whom you beat and still get left out of the National Game? The 2000 Miami Hurricanes can tell you. They went 10-1 and defeated Florida State who also was 10-1. The Seminoles ended up in the national championship game. Miami was ranked ahead of FSU in both human polls. Could you imagine if that happened today? Twitter would literally explode.
3) USC Trojans 2003 : 13-1 (Pac 10 Champion)
USC finished the season ranked #1 in both Human Polls, and they were left out of the National Title Game. This was a team that went the road to a top 10 Auburn team, and they shutout the Tigers 23-0. Among a whole of future NFLers was Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. They lost a 3OT game to California that was their only blemish.
4) Oklahoma St. Cowboys 2011 : 12-1 (Big 12 Champion)
There was a lot of controversy in 2011. Oklahoma St. was the Big 12 Champion and was 11-1. Alabama was 11-1 and was not the SEC Champion and lost at home to LSU. The Cowboys did have the one ugly loss to an an Iowa St. squad than finished 6-7. This Cowboy team beat 5 teams ranked at the time they played them, including a #3 Stanford in the Rose Bowl. Had they beat Iowa St., Oklahoma St. would have been a lock for the national title game.
5) Texas Longhorns 2008 : 12-1
This was a strong Texas team that was national championship caliber. They won 3 consecutive games over teams ranked in the top 12. They lost an epic 39-33 game at #6 Texas Tech when Red Raider WR Michael Crabtree scored with time running out. The beat Oklahoma who was #1 at the time, and beat both B12 Divisional championships. Multiple Tie-breakes kept Texas out of the Big 12 Championship game. Florida ended up playing Oklahoma for the title, as both were 12-1 heading into the title game.
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