My wife and kids were kind enough to leave me home alone with a remote control, a television and a refrigerator full of Thanksgiving Day leftovers and thanks to a full slate of incredibly exciting rivalry games it was one of the most enjoyable days of football I've ever had.
Even the end of Ohio State - Michigan was thrilling, thanks in part to Wolverine head coach Brady Hoke's daring decision to try for the 2-point conversion in the game's final seconds rather than send it to overtime. That one ended just in time for me to flip to what will be forever known as the absolute best Iron Bowl of all time. It feels like an honor just to say I watched it on television. Those last two minutes were two minutes of excitement that would rival the excitement of any other two minutes of any sport ever played.
It was that good.
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall was money on the two-minute drive that tied the game at 21. He showed exactly how dangerous a read option offense can be when executed by a fast quarterback. Marshall had burned Bama's defensive backs so many times that you couldn't blame them for thinking Marshall was going to keep it around that left end and run....but he didn't, instead tossing the ball over the Bama defender's head to a wide open Sammie Coats who raced free for a 39-yard touchdown, tying the game and causing a minor eruption inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
But that was just a teaser of what was to come.
I don't think Nick Saban's decision to send his kicker in there for that 57-yard field goal attempt with 1 second on the clock was a bad one, but he sure did get burned by Auburn's Chris Davis. I never saw it coming, and from the look of the coverage, Alabama's field goal team never saw it coming either. Saban, for one of the few times in his career, appeared to have been unprepared. It was glorious! I was jumping up and down in front of the television as Davis ran those final 40 yards toward the end zone. I could see the fans inside Jordan-Hare jumping at about the same rate as me in sheer pandemonium. That was without a doubt the best ending college football has ever seen. It was unbelievable. I want to watch the entire thing again. It was that good.
Think about it.
Two bitter rivals. One of which was undefeated and gunning for a third straight BCS title. The other team was 10-1. An SEC Championship Game berth was on the line. And it ended with a two-minute scoring drive and a 100-yard game-winning touchdown return on a missed field goal against one of the most storied programs and most successful coaches in college football history.
That game will live in Alabama and college football folklore for 100 years. The highlights:
And let me just go ahead and go on the record saying both Alabama and Auburn are better than undefeated Ohio State and Florida State. The ACC and Big Ten are soooo weak. Florida State's 37-7 win over a hapless Florida team proved nothing to me. Michigan (7-5) nearly knocked off Ohio State. It was the same Michigan that beat Akron by 4 and 2-9 Connecticut by a field goal. Meanwhile, Florida State's best win - against Clemson - was blemished in its two touchdown loss to South Carolina. The Gamecocks are the SEC's 4th or 5th best team and they were far superior to the ACC's 2nd best team.
Ohio State and Florida State's undefeated records just don't stand up against 1-loss teams Alabama, Auburn and Missouri. I know the outside world is sick and tired of the SEC winning it all every year, but Alabama and Auburn are more worthy than FSU and OSU. They just are. There, I said it.
Auburn and Missouri both played five Top 25 opponents and were 4-1 against. Were combined 3-1 vs. Top 10 teams (AU 2-1; MIZ 1-0)
— Chuck Dunlap (@SEC_Chuck) December 1, 2013
But I digress.It was a great Saturday of college football. I feel blessed to have enjoyed it so much.
Thank you for today, college football.
I'm going to miss you so much.
I may even stay up for the end of Boise State and New Mexico. Parting is such sweet sorrow...