Ranking the 30 Greatest National Championship Games
By Zach Bigalke
5. 2011 BCS National Championship
#1 Auburn d. #2 Oregon 22-19
BEFORE THE GAME
Only two major conference teams managed to finish the 2010 regular season undefeated, and there was no way that the BCS was going to let Mountain West champion TCU pip either of their positions in the national championship game. The Horned Frogs were the only other unbeaten team, and they were forced to settle for a date with Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Two years before realigning with the Big 12, Gary Patterson’s team demonstrated both the advances that BCS Busters had made over the past five years as well as the limits that remained on smaller schools.
With transfer quarterback Cam Newton executing offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s game plan, the Auburn Tigers averaged more than six touchdowns per game as they ran the table and won the SEC. The defense was allowing over 24 points per game, with similar splits at home and on the road away from the Plains. With the SEC having won the four previous BCS titles, there was no way that the Tigers would be kept out of the championship game after running the table.
Their opponents were Pac-12 champions Oregon. In his second year as a head coach, Chip Kelly had the Ducks running on all cylinders. The offense ranked first in the nation, scoring an average of more than seven touchdowns per game on its way to an undefeated regular season. The defense, long a point of contention in Eugene, featured a top-20 unit that specialized in bending rather than breaking. Added all up, the Ducks were a surefire opponent to square off against Auburn in Arizona.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
One of the most competitive BCS championships featured four lead changes before halftime. Neither team managed to get in scoring range during the first quarter, and Oregon scored first on a Rob Beard field goal less than a minute into the second frame. Newton found Kodi Burns for a 35-yard touchdown catch a few minutes later to give Auburn its first lead of the game. LaMichael James regained the lead for the Ducks when he hauled in Darron Thomas’ TD pass 62 seconds after the Auburn score, but that lead evaporated right before halftime on another Newton scoring strike.
Oregon tied the game up with two and a half minutes remaining, and it seemed as though the Ducks would force overtime. Then Michael Dyer was tackled without actually hitting the ground, the whistle never rang, and he returned upright to rush into field goal range. The Tigers worked downfield and set up Wes Byrum for a 19-yard attempt to win the game on the final play of regulation. The kick was true through the uprights, and Auburn finally won its first national championship since the late 1950s. After going undefeated in 1993 and 2004 without a title to show for their troubles, the third time was a charm for Auburn.