College football history remembers champions.
But sometimes the teams we remember most are the ones that never quite finished the job.
Welcome to Missing Rings, a series revisiting some of the greatest teams of the modern era that came agonizingly close to winning a national championship but fell just short.
Few teams fit that description better than Auburn’s 2013 Tigers.
The 2013 season wasn’t supposed to happen.
Just one year earlier, Auburn had bottomed out at 3-9, finishing winless in SEC play and firing Gene Chizik. The program appeared to be in complete disarray. Then Gus Malzahn returned to The Plains and authored one of the most remarkable single-season turnarounds college football has ever seen.
By the end of the year, Auburn was SEC champion, owner of two of the most famous plays in the sport’s history, and only 13 seconds away from a national championship.
Instead, the Tigers became one of college football’s most unforgettable “what ifs.”
From Rock Bottom to Atlanta
Malzahn inherited a roster that looked nothing like a future championship contender. Yet behind quarterback Nick Marshall, running back Tre Mason, and one of the nation’s most explosive rushing attacks, Auburn quickly became one of the most dangerous teams in the country.
The Tigers finished the regular season 11-1 and led the nation in rushing offense. Their lone loss came at LSU in September, but as the season progressed, Auburn’s confidence grew and Jordan-Hare Stadium became the center of the college football universe.
Then came November.
The Prayer at Jordan-Hare
No discussion of the 2013 Tigers can begin anywhere else.
On November 16, Auburn trailed Georgia 38-37 with less than a minute remaining. Facing fourth-and-18 from their own territory, the Tigers needed a miracle just to stay alive.
They got one.
Nick Marshall launched a desperation pass deep downfield. Two Georgia defenders collided while attempting an interception, tipping the ball into the air. Auburn receiver Ricardo Louis caught the deflection in stride and raced into the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown.
Jordan-Hare Stadium erupted.
The play instantly became known as the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and remains one of the most iconic moments in college football history. Even a decade later, members of that team still describe it as a play that will be remembered forever.
Yet somehow, it wouldn’t even be the most famous play Auburn produced that month.
The Kick Six
Two weeks later, No. 1 Alabama arrived in Auburn with a chance to secure another national championship opportunity.
The Iron Bowl was tied 28-28 with one second remaining.
Alabama attempted a 57-yard field goal.
The kick came up short.
Chris Davis caught it at the back of the end zone.
The rest is history.
Davis sprinted 109 yards down the sideline as Auburn players formed a convoy in front of him. By the time he crossed the goal line, one of the greatest calls in sports history followed:
“There goes Davis!”
Auburn had defeated Alabama 34-28 and ended the Crimson Tide’s pursuit of a third consecutive national championship. The Kick Six instantly joined the short list of the most famous plays college football has ever produced.
For many programs, that moment alone would define a generation.
For Auburn, there was still more work to do.
The SEC Championship Masterpiece
A week later, Auburn met Missouri in the SEC Championship Game.
While the Prayer at Jordan-Hare and Kick Six dominate memories of the season, Auburn’s performance in Atlanta may have been its most impressive accomplishment.
The Tigers rushed for an astounding 545 yards and defeated Missouri 59-42 to capture the SEC Championship. Tre Mason delivered one of the greatest performances in conference title game history, running for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
The victory sent Auburn to Pasadena and the final BCS National Championship Game.
One more win would complete one of the most improbable championship runs ever.
Thirteen Seconds
Waiting for Auburn was undefeated Florida State.
The Seminoles entered the game loaded with NFL talent and led by Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, but Auburn refused to be intimidated.
In fact, for much of the night, it looked like the Tigers were going to finish the story.
Auburn carried a 21-3 lead into halftime and still held a 31-27 advantage late in the fourth quarter. With less than two minutes remaining, the Tigers appeared poised to complete one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in college football history.
Then Florida State mounted one final drive.
With 13 seconds remaining, Winston connected with Kelvin Benjamin for a game-winning touchdown.
Florida State 34.
Auburn 31.
Just like that, the dream was over.
Why They Belong in Missing Rings
Many national runner-ups fade into history.
The 2013 Auburn Tigers never will.
Part of that is because of the Prayer at Jordan-Hare and the Kick Six. Part of it is because of the incredible turnaround from 3-9 to SEC champion in a single season. And part of it is because Auburn was so close to completing the story.
This wasn’t a team that simply got hot.
This was a team that reshaped the national championship race, produced two of the most iconic moments in the sport’s history, won the SEC, and pushed an undefeated Florida State team to the final seconds of the BCS era.
The championship trophy never made it back to The Plains.
But more than a decade later, college football fans still talk about that team.
In many ways, that’s what makes the 2013 Auburn Tigers the perfect team to begin the Missing Rings series.
They didn’t win it all.
But they’ll never be forgotten.
