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Florida State finishes No. 1 in coaches' football poll

Florida State Seminoles Head Coach Jimbo Fisher holds up his arms in triumph after victory over the Auburn Tigers during the BCS national title game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 6, 2014. Florida State defeated Auburn by a score of 34-31. UPI/Jon SooHoo
Florida State Seminoles Head Coach Jimbo Fisher holds up his arms in triumph after victory over the Auburn Tigers during the BCS national title game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on January 6, 2014. Florida State defeated Auburn by a score of 34-31. UPI/Jon SooHoo | License Photo

MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The Florida State Seminoles, who completed a 14-0 season with a BCS title game win over Auburn, are a unanimous No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' football poll.

Florida State defeated Auburn 34-31 in Monday's Bowl Championship Series finale, capping a season in which the Seminoles swept through the ACC and then claimed what is considered college football's season title.

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Even with a perfect record it took a wildly swinging final few minutes of the college football season to come up with a winner. There were four lead changes in the final 4:42 of Monday's game with Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston connecting with Kelvin Benjamin for a 2-yard scoring pass with 13 seconds to play finally deciding the title.

Afterward all 59 voting coaches (three couldn't be reached, USA Today said) listed the Seminoles No. 1 and Florida State had its first college football title since the Jan. 4, 2000, BCS final win.

Florida State was No. 12 in the pre-season poll and took over the No. 1 spot Dec. 1, two days after Auburn stunned season-long No. 1 Alabama with a return of a missed field goal.

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Auburn (12-2), which didn't receive poll votes until early October and wasn't ranked until Oct. 20, is second. Michigan State (13-1) took the No. 3 spot with South Carolina (11-2) finishing fourth and Missouri (12-2) coming in fifth.

Oklahoma (11-2) jumps to sixth and Clemson (11-2) is seventh. Alabama (11-2) falls to eighth after the final regular-season game loss to Auburn and a 45-31 loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon (11-2) ends up No. 9 while Stanford (12-2) and Ohio State (12-2) tie for 10th.

Central Florida (12-1) is voted 12th followed by No. 13 Baylor (11-2), 14th-ranked Louisiana State (10-3) and Louisville (12-1), which is No. 15.

UCLA (10-3) comes in at 16th and Oklahoma State (10-3) ends up 17th with Texas A&M (9-4) at No. 18. South Carolina (1-4), unranked in the final regular-season poll, takes the 19th spot and Arizona State (10-4) is 20th.

Wisconsin (9-4) is 21st while Duke (1-4) is at No. 22. Vanderbilt (9-4), Notre Dame (9-4) and Nebraska (9-4) in order, complete the Top 25.

Fresno State, Northern Illinois, Georgia and Miami (Fla.) drop out of the final 2013-14 Top 25.

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