Bye Bye BCS

If you were tuned to ESPN for this year's masterpiece of a national championship, you were not disappointed. No matter who you were rooting for, that was one of the best football games that has been played during the BCS era and it will always be remembered as the game that sent the BCS out on top. Tre Mason rushed for 195 yards and one touchdown, Jameis Winston went 6/7 for 77 yards on the Seminoles' go ahead scoring drive, Nick Marshall threw for 217 yards and 2 TDs. And that's just the offense. It was a beautiful game to end an era and usher in the newest national championship system, the playoffs.
Now, we all know the BCS hasn't been perfect and that the entire system seemed to favor the SEC (fairly or not) but there's been a stream of memorable moments throughout the 16 year tenure which featured 11 different champions and six different conferences with a representative. Not all of these memorable moments have been favorable towards the BCS but they are still part of the tale of college football from 1998 to 2013. So, as we prepare for 200+ days of college football drought we have the chance to look back before looking to the new age and so without further ado, I present the top 5 moments in the BCS era.

Crimson Tide SteamRoll
No other team in the last 16 years has won the national championship more often than Alabama. The Tide left their indelible mark on the crystal ball over the course of the 2009, 2011 and 2012 seasons when they rolled over competition. It honestly wasn't fair to have Nick Saban recruiting and coaching these men, but then again, the BCS doesn't go for fair they go for the best. The Tide's roll started with an undefeated season in 2009 however they would then go on a two year SEC championship drought before their shutout of SEC West foe LSU in the BCS National Championship in 2012. The Tide, once again the kings of NCAAF, were a forced to be reckoned with and had writers and fans speculating that they'd even be able to beat an NFL team on neutral ground. (Even Steve Spurrier said the Tide could matchup and beat some NFL teams) The Tide finished the BCS era 3-0 in the Championship game and 3-2 overall in BCS bowls including losses to Utah in 2008-'09 and to Oklahoma in 2013-'14 both in the Sugar Bowl.

Questionable Interference
One of the most controversial moments to come in all of college football came on the grandest stage of them all. In 2003, Miami was leading the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-17 in overtime of the Fiesta Bowl when the Bucks got the ball down to the 5 yard line on fourth down. With the game on the line and only 5 yards to go, Ohio State elected to go for a short pass to the side. OSU's Chris Gamble lined up opposite Miami cornerback Glenn Sharpe on the nearside. The pass left Craig Krenzel's hand and sailed for the end zone before escaping the outstretched fingertips of Gamble before Sharpe hit his side. The game was over and Miami had won back to back national championships. Then, after what seemed an eternity to any OSU fan, a flag fell. The celebration was halted as the call was announced, "Pass interference, defense. Ball will be placed at the one yard line. First down." The most controversial and questionable call of the BCS era was handed down before reviews and challenges were allowed in college football and resulted in a Buckeyes championship victory and stopped the Hurricanes from becoming the first back to back champs in the BCS era.

The Size of the Fight in the Dog
Boise State never got to the BCS national championship. They were good but the blue-field-Broncos were never good enough to top the power conference champions for a spot in the Championship game. However, that didn't stop them from providing one of the top moments in the entire BCS age when they played in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. With time running out on the little guys' hope to beat out the #10 Oklahoma Sooners, the Broncos were left with a 4th and 18 around midfield down 35-28 and were given little chance to convert, much less tie the game. A go big or go home attitude took over the Broncos' huddle as they knew this was their moment to shine. Always a threat to run a trick play Boise State lined up with Drisan James on the nearside and three receivers to Jared Zabransky's right. The pass sailed into the soft hands of James at the Oklahoma 35 who, almost immediately, flipped the ball to senior Jerard Rabb who was running a cross route underneath James. As soon as the ball was secured, Rabb took to the races and lept into the endzone with 7 seconds left. The extra point tied it at 35. But Bronco magic wasn't done yet. Down one after scoring a touchdown in overtime, Boise State decided it was yet again time to go all in. Zabransky's Statue of Liberty baited the entire Oklahoma defense into the right side screen allowing tailback Ian Johnson to take the ball to the left and in for the 2 point conversion and the 43-42 OT win. As the saying goes, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." This bowl game proved that mid major conferences can offer some of the most thrilling action in college football and that they can in fact play with the big boys when the time comes.

Stumbling to Victory
Cam Newton was the story of the 2010 Auburn War Eagle. Stunning numbers throughout his tenure and a sure first round pick in the NFL Draft, Newton was one of the most fun players to watch in the SEC that year. However, he's not the story that won the championship for Auburn. That role fell to Michael Dyer, who would then fell on Oregon's Eddie Pleasant. In the fourth quarter with the game knotted at 19, the War Eagle was desperate to get ahead in the final two minutes. Still in their own territory, Newton handed the ball to Dyer who rushed ahead for what looked like a simple six yard gain but the whistle never blew and no ref was raising his hand to stop the play. Under the urging of his coach and lone front blocker, Dyer took off again and turned the short six yard gain into a monster 37 yard run to set up the go ahead field goal. The Ducks were stunned thinking Dyer had been stopped when Pleasant brought him down. However, as the officiating crew knew, Dyer's knee never touched the turf and his forward progress was never stopped so much as it was slowed as he rolled over Pleasant. Auburn would go on to win 22-19 and extend the SEC's streak of crystal ball ceremonies to five.

The War Chant or the War Eagle
This year's championship might just go down as the single greatest game in the era. No controversy and no blowout, the game was played with heart and soul and sweat and blood. With Heisman winner Jameis Winston at the helm of a talented FSU offense and Chris Davis ready and waiting on the other side for Auburn, there was no doubt this was going to be a good football game. Yet, many were predicting a blowout by FSU's top offense giving little regard to Auburn's offensive (or for that matter defensive) talent. The doubters were proven wrong almost from the start when FSU's promising first drive was stuffed and they were forced to settle for a field goal. The Noles wouldn't put up points again until their final drive of the first half when Devonta Freeman ran it in from 3 yards out. The stunning half time score? 21-10, War Eagle.
However, FSU was far from done and was poised to receive the second half kickoff. On their second drive of the half, the Seminoles put together an 11 play scoring drive ending in a Roberto Aguayo field goal. The next four drives resulted in punts before the turning point of the game came. Nick Marshall made his single blunder of the night and was intercepted by P.J. Williams on a deep pass down the right side. The Noles would come back to score but were still down one. Then, after Auburn kicked a field goal to go ahead by 4, Levonte Whitfield ran his magic and returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the go ahead score. With the clock ticking down inside two minutes, the Miracle Eagle season seemed to be heading for the brink. Then Tre Mason did what Tre Mason does best and ran the ball in for a crucial score. Hindsight would prove that the Auburn war machine scored too quickly and gave "Famous Jamies" just enough time, 1:09, to run his offense down the field for what would prove to be the winning touchdown.

Of Note
The Seminoles were in each of the first three BCS National Championship games but only came out on top once, 1999, so it's only fitting the Noles be the team to take us out of the BCS era and into the new CFP system.