How FSU vs. Auburn Stacks Up Against Other Title Games from BCS Era

When Jan. 6 rolls around, Florida State and Auburn will play in the final BCS title game, ending the format's 16-year reign as the preferred way to determine the national champion. In its place will come a four-team playoff, something that football fans have yearned for for years. 

Year	Winner	Loser	Final Score
1998	No. 1 Tennessee	No. 2 FSU	23-6
1999	No. 1 FSU	No. 2 Virginia Tech	46-29
2000	No. 1 Oklahoma	No. 2 FSU	13-2
2001	No. 1 Miami	No. 2 Nebraska	37-14
2002	No. 2 Ohio State	No. 1 Miami	31-24
2003	No. 2 LSU	No. 1 Oklahoma	21-14
2004	No. 1 USC	No. 2 Oklahoma	55-19
2005	No. 2 Texas	No. 1 USC	41-38
2006	No. 2 Florida	No. 1 Ohio State	41-14
2007	No. 2 LSU	No. 1 Ohio State	38-24
2008	No. 2 Florida	No. 1 Oklahoma	24-14
2009	No. 1 Alabama	No. 2 Texas	37-21
2010	No. 1 Auburn	No. 2 Oregon	22-19
2011	No. 2 Alabama	No. 1 LSU	21-0
2012	No. 2 Alabama	No. 1 Notre Dame	42-14

The typical thing to do when an era ends is to reflect on it, to reminisce and compare it to the present. Florida State and Auburn may be a brand new matchup, but in the past, there's a few games that compare to it. 

The first that comes to mind is in fact last year's Notre Dame versus Alabama game. Notre Dame made it to the championship game despite many close calls, similar to Auburn this year. The Fighting Irish had five victories of seven points or less, the same number the Tigers have this year. 

Florida State and Alabama are both built in the same model, though the Seminoles enter the game undefeated and No. 1, two characteristics that the Tide did not posses. Alabama was favored by 9.5 over Notre Dame, according to oddshark.com, while FSU is favored by 8.5 over Auburn, according to bovada.com. 

For the Auburn faithful, this game might resemble the 2006 game, when undefeated Ohio State took on one-loss Florida, who were seven point underdogs. 

The Buckeyes had one of the nation's most potent offenses, lead by Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, and remained as the top-ranked team for the entirety of the season. They were considered a powerhouse, beating No. 2 Texas—the defending national champions—No. 24 Penn State , No. 13 Iowa and then No. 2 Michigan in the season finale.

Florida, on the other hand, defeated No. 13 Tennessee, No. 9 LSU and No. 25 Georgia while losing to No. 11 Auburn and barely getting past South Carolina, winning when Jarvis Moss blocked a last-second Gamecocks field goal. 

When it came time to play, Ohio State scored on the opening kickoff and then failed to score again until the second quarter, the Buckeyes' last touchdown of the game. The Gators would win 41-14 and begin the SEC's current streak of national titles. 

It was the third time that the No. 2 team won the national championship; the No. 2-ranked team is 8-7 in the title game. 

Florida State will try to make that 8-8, while Auburn will try to continue the SEC's dominance. They'll carve their own part of history while contributing to what has already happened. 

Let the games begin.