This was the first national championship of coach Tom Osborne's career at Nebraska, having come close the year before, when Nebraska lost to eventual national champion Florida State on a missed field goal as time expired.

Although Osborne's team finished the season unbeaten, the national championship picture again was engulfed in controversy.

For much of the second half of the season, Nebraska and Penn State were regarded as the top two teams in the country.

Following the 1991 season, where Miami and Washington split the national championship in the AP and Coaches' polls, the Bowl Coalition was founded.

The problem with this as far as 1994 was concerned was that the Rose Bowl, which featured the Pac-10 and Big Ten champions playing each other, was not included in the Coalition and thus a team that finished No.

Nebraska, as a member of the Big Eight Conference, was part of the coalition while Penn State was not.

As Nebraska went on to win the conference title, it earned an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl to face off against No.

Thus Miami, who as recently as two years earlier was in the Coalition championship game, had a chance to stake a claim as the national champion with a win (as they would have been awarded the Coaches' Trophy) and all but ensure a split title with Penn State provided they defeated No.

The next day Penn State defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl by a count of 38–20 and secured the No.

In February 1994, before the season began, an announcement was made regarding the future of the Southwest Conference.

Following this decision, another decision was made regarding the future of remaining SWC members SMU, Houston, TCU, and Rice; SMU, TCU, and Rice would join the Western Athletic Conference while Houston joined Conference USA.

After being played for the first two years at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the SEC Championship Game moved to its now-permanent home in Atlanta - first at the Georgia Dome, then at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, the demolition and reconstruction of Gator Bowl Stadium that coincided with the Jacksonville Jaguars' entry into the NFL for 1995 forced the Gator Bowl to move to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville for its 1994 season edition.

Ohio State finished the season ranked 14th in the AP poll while Michigan was No.

Due to several fighting incidents that occurred during the 1993 season (including one between the Miami Hurricanes and the Colorado Buffaloes that resulted in 12 ejections), the following changes were made: The top five of the preseason AP Poll were No.

2 Nebraska defeated Pacific 70–21, but the Cornhuskers' star quarterback Tommie Frazier was sidelined for the rest of the regular season with blood clots in his calf.

4 Michigan thanks to Kordell Stewart's 64-yard Hail Mary for a touchdown as time expired.

5 Colorado pulled off a buzzer-beating play for the second week in a row, this time beating No.

6 Auburn, who capitalized on a late interception to score the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds left; it was the Gators' first home loss to a conference opponent in coach Steve Spurrier's five years with the team.

2 Penn State held a 35–14 lead over Indiana midway through the fourth quarter, but the Hoosiers mounted a comeback and cut the final margin to 35–29.

1 Nebraska won 28–12 at Iowa State to clinch the Big 8 title and an Orange Bowl berth.

3 Auburn brought a 20-game winning streak into their game against Georgia, but the Tigers missed a last-second field goal and had to settle for a 23–23 tie.

4 Florida beat South Carolina 48–17 to clinch the SEC Western Division title.

Alabama was already assured of a spot in the SEC Championship Game because Auburn was barred from postseason play due to NCAA violations, and the Crimson Tide won the division title outright with a 21–14 triumph.

The Crimson Tide had won in 1992 and the Gators prevailed in 1993, and the rubber match was a very close game.

Alabama held a 23–17 lead in the fourth quarter, but Danny Wuerffel threw a touchdown pass to put Florida back up by a point, and the Gators closed out the game with an interception on Alabama's final drive.

Alabama's loss in the SEC title game left Nebraska and Penn State as the only undefeated and untied teams in the nation.

However, since they were the Big Ten champions, the Nittany Lions were required to play in the Rose Bowl against the Pac-10 winner, No.

8 Texas A&M finished with a 10–0–1 record and easily won the SWC title, but the Aggies were on probation and ineligible for postseason play.

Texas Tech, who finished in a five-way tie for second place and sported a less-impressive 6–5 record, replaced A&M in the Cotton Bowl against No.