Most Thrilling Wins in FSU History: First Round — No. 1 vs. No. 16

We’re starting a new segment here at The Daily Nole and this time, we need your help. Each day, we’ll be presenting two of Florida State’s most thrilling wins of all-time, but it’s up to you to decide which FSU victory was more thrilling.

For the contest to be on the list, it needs to have been decided in the final five minutes. The implication of the victory will obviously play a role, but ultimately, the criteria is simply which contest was more thrilling to watch.

We’ll kick off the series with our No. 1 seed vs. the No. 16 seed. The top-seed in our bracket is the 1994 Orange Bowl in which top-ranked FSU defeated No. 2 Nebraska for its first national championship. The No. 16 seed is also a bowl victory as we look at No. 4 Florida State’s Sugar Bowl win over seventh-ranked Auburn to conclude the 1988 season.

No. 1: Florida State 18, Nebraska 16 (1994 Orange Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1994
The 1994 Orange Bowl was ultimately the contest that handed Florida State its first national championship. Against No. 2 Nebraska, Florida State was a heavy favorite and led 15-7 entering the final quarter. After a Lawrence Phillips touchdown and a Byron Bennett field goal however, FSU found itself on the short end of a 16-15 score with 1:16 remaining. With Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward at the held, FSU drove deep into Nebraska territory to set up Scott Bentley’s 22-yard go-ahead field goal with 21 seconds remaining. With FSU head coach Bobby Bowden already doused with Gatorade after watching Nebraska’s Trumane Bell reach Florida State’s 28-yard-line as time expired, officials cleared the rushed field and put one second back on the clock, giving Bennett a chance to win the game for the Cornhuskers. Fortunately for the Seminoles, his kick sailed wide and FSU escaped.

No. 16: Florida State 13, Auburn 7 (1989 Sugar Bowl)
Jan. 2, 1989
After losing the season-opener to Miami, Florida State entered the 1989 Sugar Bowl on a 10-game winning streak. A Dayne Williams touchdown and two Bill Mason field goals gave FSU a 13-7 halftime lead. There was no scoring in the second half, but Auburn sought to change that in the final minute. The Tigers had drove from their own 4-yard-line all the way to the FSU 22, looking to score the go-ahead touchdown. Auburn quarterback Reggie Slack made a throw toward the end zone with time ticking away, but it would end up in the hands of the 1988 Jim Thorpe Award winner — FSU cornerback Deion Sanders. Sanders’ pick came with five seconds left, sealing the victory.

Make Your Pick

To pick which contest was more thrilling, click below to vote in our Twitter poll. If you do not have a Twitter account, you can vote by emailing TDN editor Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com. You can also vote in the comment section below. The winner will be announced with the next first round match-up.