Ten years ago Tommy Tuberville led the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated regular season, yet his 12-0 team was left out of the BCS national title game. The Tigers went on to beat none other than Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl that year to cap a 13-0 regular season.
Auburn was left out of the championship game despite its 12-0 record, SEC title, and three wins against top-10 opponents. Instead, USC went on to win the championship over Oklahoma. To add fuel to the fire, USC was later stripped of the title for NCAA violations.
Even 10 years ago Tubs knew what was up during his postgame speech. “Guys, here’s the deal. You guys started something tonight that will change college football. It’s going to take five, 10, 15, 20 years, but because of what this group did, went undefeated, it opened the eyes of people across the country.”
In typical riverboat gambler fashion, Tuberville gave his players national championship rings following the Tigers’ 13-0 season despite being left out of the national championship game.
Coach Tuberville reflects on that special team in this video:
By Andy Smith