FSU Football’s Best 15 Games Of The Last 40 Seasons: No. 2

Here’s a look at one of the best 15 games over the last 40 seasons of FSU football.

For the four decades, two men have led FSU football: Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher. Over that span, the Seminoles have gone from a football program that seemed to be just weeks from being cancelled to one of the top teams in the country and a known brand across the country and all over the world.

There has been everything from big road wins that set the tone for FSU football’s “play anyone at anytime” attitude to rivalry wins against Florida and Miami. The 34 seasons with Bowden at the helm saw two national titles won and one of the greatest dynasty eras in the history of the sport take place. The last six seasons under Fisher have seen the ‘Noles bring another title to Tallahassee and restored FSU football’s place as one of college football’s elite teams.

Of all the games over the past four decades, which are the ones that meant the most to where FSU football is today? Let’s take a look at the best games over the past 40 seasons the ‘Noles have taken the field.

No. 2 – Florida State 34 Auburn 31 (January 6, 2014)

When the 2013 season started for FSU football, there were not many people (including the most hardcore fans of the Seminoles) who thought that head coach Jimbo Fisher and his team would be in Pasadena, California playing for the third national title in program history. With a redshirt freshman quarterback and after losing so much talent to the NFL from the season before, to say that the 2013 Seminoles exceeded expectations would be an understatement.

After winning their 12 regular season games (including blowouts over top 10 foes Clemson and Miami and a 30 point win over Florida), the Seminoles left the Duke Blue Devils in their wake during the ACC Championship Game and locked up a spot in the national title game. For the final time, the BCS would be in existence as the ‘Noles met the SEC champion Auburn Tigers in the historic Rose Bowl stadium (the first time FSU would ever play on that field). Facing the champs of the league that had won the last seven national championships made FSU football the fan favorite for some, but even with the year they had in 2013 (including quarterback Jameis Winston bringing home the third Heisman Trophy in program history), many thought the Tigers would be too much and FSU football’s dream season would end in defeat.

Early on, it looked like the clock would strike midnight for the ‘Noles, as Auburn jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the second quarter. With the Seminoles looking to punt the ball, FSU executed a fake punt that turned the game around. Devonta Freeman would score before the half to put FSU football back into the game, with the ‘Noles pulling within one point with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. After a Tigers field goal, Kermit Whitfield gave FSU football the lead with a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Auburn would quickly retake the lead and FSU trailed by four points with just 79 seconds left in the game. Winston would be magical, connecting with Rashad Greene on a long pass that put FSU in scoring range. With just 13 seconds left, Winston found Kelvin Benjamin on a post pattern and the rest was history.

FSU football had done it…they had taken down the mighty giant from the SEC and won their first national championship since 1999. It would be the middle of one of the best eras in the history of the program, as the Seminoles won 29 games straight from 2012-2014 that included three straight ACC titles to go along with another crystal ball that headed to Tallahassee.