The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, in both the AP and Coaches poll.

2 was the site of the first ever "live" broadcast of the ESPN College GameDay show and did not fail to live up to expectations as Irish defensive back Shawn Wooden batted down a Charlie Ward pass in the end zone with three seconds left to play.

Despite the win over Florida State, Notre Dame's title chances ended the very next week when the Fighting Irish lost to No.

Further controversy surrounded the inclusion of one-loss Florida State in the national title game over undefeated West Virginia, who was ranked No.

2 (ahead of Florida State) by the final regular season coaches' poll but not the AP (Nebraska was No.

The Auburn Tigers had an 11-0 record but due to previous NCAA violations, they were not allowed to play in the SEC title contest or a bowl game, and were not included in the Coaches' poll (Auburn was part of the AP poll, and finished the year as the 4th ranked team in the country).

Florida State's Charlie Ward threw for 3,032 yards, completed 70 percent of his passes and became the first player to win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship in the same season since Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett in 1976.

1 Florida State continued their string of blowout victories with a 51-0 annihilation of Georgia Tech.

5 Alabama carried a 31-game unbeaten streak into their game against LSU, but the Crimson Tide threw four second-half interceptions to enable a 17–13 victory for the Tigers.

6 Nebraska was taken down to the wire by Kansas, but the Cornhuskers stopped a Jayhawks two-point conversion to preserve a 21–20 win and move back into the top five: No.

1 Florida State had defeated all nine of their opponents by 18 points or more, but now they would face their toughest test in a “Game of the Century” against No.

The Irish stunned the Seminoles by running off 24 consecutive points after an early Florida State touchdown, and they still led 31–17 with a few minutes left to play.

But FSU quarterback Charlie Ward led the Seminoles on a rapid drive which resulted in a touchdown pass on 4th-and-20, and the Irish went three-and-out on the next possession.

Getting the ball back with less than a minute left, Florida State made it all the way to Notre Dame's 14-yard line, but Ward's last-second desperation pass was knocked away, and the Irish prevailed 31–24.

4 Nebraska beat Iowa State 49–17 to clinch the Big 8 title and an Orange Bowl berth, and No.

17 Boston College (a team which they had beaten 54-7 the previous year), the only uncertainty seemed to be whether their national championship opponent should be Nebraska in the Orange Bowl or Florida State in a rematch.

However, the Eagles shocked the Irish by dominating the first three quarters, and BC held a 38–17 lead early in the fourth.

But, just as Florida State had done the previous week, Boston College went on one last drive into Notre Dame territory.

This time the Irish were not able to make the stop, as walk-on kicker David Gordon hit a last-second field goal to give the Eagles a 41–39 win.

5 Ohio State needed a win over unranked Michigan to clinch the Big Ten title and their first Rose Bowl berth in nine years.

Instead, the Buckeyes threw interceptions on four straight possessions and failed to reach the Wolverines’ 20-yard line at any point in the game.

12 Wisconsin, who held the tiebreaker advantage over Ohio State, in line for a trip to Pasadena.

11 Alabama 22–14 in the Iron Bowl; the Tigers finished the season with a perfect 11–0 record, but were ineligible for postseason play due to recruiting violations.

5 West Virginia came back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to win 17-14 and complete their undefeated season.

16 Alabama represented the SEC Western Division in the conference championship game on December 4.

9 Florida took revenge for the previous year's defeat with a 28–13 victory, earning the Gators a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

Even though the top teams had already finished their schedule, the AP voters slightly shuffled their order in the final poll of the regular season: No.

The organizers chose Florida State as the Cornhuskers' Orange Bowl opponent, feeling that the Seminoles’ pattern of dominant victories outweighed Notre Dame's head-to-head win and West Virginia's undefeated record.

(Florida State had easily beaten Miami and Maryland, two teams which the Mountaineers struggled to beat.)

Additionally, the Sunshine Classic was no longer sponsored by Blockbuster Entertainment, and was renamed the Carquest Bowl.