1993 NCAA Division I-A football season

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

1993 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams106[1]
Preseason AP No. 1Florida State[2]
Post-season
Bowl games19
Heisman TrophyCharlie Ward (quarterback, Florida State)
Bowl Coalition Championship
1994 Orange Bowl
SiteMiami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Champion(s)Florida State
Division I-A football seasons
← 1992
1994 →

Under the Bowl Coalition, undefeated Big 8 champ and No. 2 ranked Nebraska hosted ACC champ and No. 1 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl. This produced a clear champion in the Coaches Poll and the AP poll, despite Florida State's loss to Notre Dame 31–24 during the regular season, in a game known by many as the "Game of the Century". This much hyped clash between No. 1 and No. 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. 17 Boston College. 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. 2 in the AP).

Despite beating Florida State in the regular season, Notre Dame finished No. 2 in the two major polls. Florida State, during the 1993 regular season played No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Miami, No. 7 Florida, No. 13 North Carolina, No. 15 Virginia, and No. 17 Clemson. FSU went 3–1 vs top 7 teams while playing only 1 home game in the 4 contests.

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.

The Alamo Bowl played its inaugural game.

The Sunshine Classic was no longer sponsored by Blockbuster Entertainment, and was now known as the Carquest Bowl.

Rule changes
  • The distance between the hashmarks was narrowed from 53 feet, 4 inches (the same as high school football, with the exception of Texas, which is the same as College Football at 40 feet) to 40 feet (the standard used by the National Football League through the 1971 season). This cut down on severe angles for kickers who attempted short field goals, although angles would still be far greater than those encountered by kickers in the NFL, where the hashmarks are the same width as the goalposts, 18 feet, 6 inches.
  • The "fumblerooski" play is outlawed as intentional fumbles are now illegal.
  • Players who are bleeding or have open wounds are required to leave the game until the bleeding is stopped and the wound treated.
  • The loss of down penalty associated with offensive pass interference has been deleted. The yardage penalty remains at 15 yards.
  • Officials are instructed to flag players for unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yards) for actions on the field that are prolonged, excessive, or meant to bring attention to themselves (such as the "Heisman pose" and the firing of six-shooters).
  • On kickoffs, at least four players must be lined up on either side of the kicker.
  • All balls must be made of leather. Composite and rubber balls were outlawed.

Conference and program changes

Five teams changed conferences and one team dropped its football team prior to the season. As such, the total number of Division I-A schools decreased to 106.

School1992 Conference1993 Conference
Arkansas State IndiansI-A IndependentBig West
Cal State Fullerton TitansBig WestDropped Program
Louisiana Tech BulldogsI-A IndependentBig West
Northern Illinois HuskiesI-A IndependentBig West
Penn State Nittany LionsI-A IndependentBig Ten
Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' CajunsI-A IndependentBig West

Conference standings
1993 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 1 Florida State $  8 –0     12 –1  
No. 19 North Carolina  6 –2     10 –3  
No. 23 Clemson  5 –3     9 –3  
Virginia  5 –3     7 –5  
NC State  4 –4     7 –5  
Georgia Tech  3 –5     5 –6  
Duke  2 –6     3 –8  
Maryland  2 –6     2 –9  
Wake Forest  1 –7     2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Big East Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 7 West Virginia $ 7 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 15 Miami (FL) 6 –1 –0  9 –3 –0
No. 13 Boston College 5 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
No. 22 Virginia Tech 4 –3 –0  9 –3 –0
Syracuse 3 –4 –0  6 –4 –1
Pittsburgh 2 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Rutgers 1 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Temple 0 –7 –0  1 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 3 Nebraska $ 7 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 16 Colorado 5 –1 –1  8 –3 –1
No. 20 Kansas State 4 –2 –1  9 –2 –1
No. 17 Oklahoma % 4 –3 –0  9 –3 –0
Kansas 3 –4 –0  5 –7 –0
Missouri 2 –5 –0  3 –7 –1
Iowa State 2 –5 –0  3 –8 –0
Oklahoma State 0 –7 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Bowl Coalition representative as champion
    % – Bowl Coalition at-large representative
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 6 Wisconsin + 6 –1 –1  10 –1 –1
No. 11 Ohio State + 6 –1 –1  10 –1 –1
No. 8 Penn State 6 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
Indiana 5 –3 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 21 Michigan 5 –3 –0  8 –4 –0
Illinois 5 –3 –0  5 –6 –0
Michigan State 4 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Iowa 3 –5 –0  6 –6 –0
Minnesota 3 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Northwestern 0 –8 –0  2 –9 –0
Purdue 0 –8 –0  1 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Big West Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Southwestern Louisiana + 5 –1 –0  8 –3 –0
Utah State + 5 –1 –0  7 –5 –0
Nevada 4 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
New Mexico State 4 –2 –0  5 –6 –0
Northern Illinois 3 –3 –0  4 –7 –0
Pacific (CA) 2 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
UNLV 2 –4 –0  3 –8 –0
Louisiana Tech 2 –4 –0  2 –9 –0
San Jose State 2 –4 –0  2 –9 –0
Arkansas State 1 –5 –0  2 –8 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions
1993 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Ball State $ 7 –0 –1  8 –3 –1
Western Michigan 6 –1 –1  7 –3 –1
Bowling Green 5 –1 –2  6 –3 –2
Central Michigan 5 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Akron 4 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Ohio 4 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Eastern Michigan 3 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Toledo 3 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
Miami 3 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Kent State 0 –9 –0  0 –11 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
1993 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 10 Arizona + 6 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 18 UCLA + 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
USC + 6 –2 –0  8 –5 –0
Washington 5 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
No. 25 California 4 –4 –0  9 –4 –0
Arizona State 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Washington State 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Oregon 2 –6 –0  5 –6 –0
Stanford 2 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Oregon State 2 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Eastern Division
No. 5 Florida x$ 7 –1 –0  11 –2 –0
No. 12 Tennessee 7 –1 –0  10 –2 –0
Kentucky 4 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
South Carolina 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Georgia 2 –6 –0  5 –6 –0
Vanderbilt 2 –6 –0  5 –6 –0
Western Division
No. 4 Auburn 8 –0 –0  11 –0 –0
Arkansas 4 –3 –1  6 –4 –1
Ole Miss 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Mississippi State 3 –4 –1  4 –5 –2
LSU 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
No. 14 Alabama x 0* –8 –0  1* –12 –0
Championship: Florida 28, Alabama 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • Auburn had the best division record, but did not participate in postseason play due to NCAA probation.
    *Alabama (9–3–1, 5–2–1) later forfeited all 1993 regular season wins and one tie due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 9 Texas A&M $ 7 –0 –0  10 –2 –0
Texas 5 –2 –0  5 –5 –1
Texas Tech 5 –2 –0  6 –6 –0
Rice 3 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Baylor 3 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
TCU 2 –5 –0  4 –7 –0
SMU 1 –5 –1  2 –7 –2
Houston 1 –5 –1  1 –9 –1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1993 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Fresno State + 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
Wyoming + 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
BYU + 6 –2 –0  6 –6 –0
Utah 5 –3 –0  7 –6 –0
Colorado State 5 –3 –0  5 –6 –0
New Mexico 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
San Diego State 4 –4 –0  6 –6 –0
Hawaii 3 –5 –0  6 –6 –0
Air Force 1 –7 –0  4 –8 –0
UTEP 0 –8 –0  1 –11 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
1993 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 2 Notre Dame   –    11 –1 –0
No. 24 Louisville   –    9 –3 –0
Cincinnati   –    8 –3 –0
Army   –    6 –5 –0
Memphis State   –    6 –5 –0
Tulsa   –    4 –6 –1
Navy   –    4 –7 –0
Tulane   –    3 –9 –0
Southern Miss   –    2 –8 –1
East Carolina   –    2 –9 –0
Rankings from AP Poll

No. 1 and No. 2 progress

Florida State's Seminoles were the unanimous choice for No. 1 beginning with the October 19 poll and the three after that, receiving all 62 votes. After Notre Dame's 31–24 defeat of Florida State on November 13, Notre Dame got all 62 first place votes in the next poll.

WEEKS No. 1 No. 2 Event Date
PRE - 7 Florida State Alabama Tennessee 17, Alabama 17 Oct 16
8 - 11 Florida State Notre Dame Notre Dame 31, Florida St. 24 Nov 13
12 Notre Dame Florida State Boston College 41, Notre Dame 39 Nov 20
13-15 Florida State Nebraska Florida State 18, Nebraska 16 Jan 1

Bowl games

Final rankings
Main article: 1993 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Final AP Poll
  1. Florida State
  2. Notre Dame
  3. Nebraska
  4. Auburn
  5. Florida
  6. Wisconsin
  7. West Virginia
  8. Penn State
  9. Texas A&M
  10. Arizona
  11. Ohio State
  12. Tennessee
  13. Boston College
  14. Alabama
  15. Miami (FL)
  16. Colorado
  17. Oklahoma
  18. UCLA
  19. North Carolina
  20. Kansas State
  21. Michigan
  22. Virginia Tech
  23. Clemson
  24. Louisville
  25. California

Final Coaches Poll
  1. Florida St.
  2. Notre Dame
  3. Nebraska
  4. Florida
  5. Wisconsin
  6. West Virginia
  7. Penn St.
  8. Texas A&M
  9. Arizona
  10. Ohio St.
  11. Tennessee
  12. Boston College
  13. Alabama
  14. Oklahoma
  15. Miami (FL)
  16. Colorado
  17. UCLA
  18. Kansas St.
  19. Michigan
  20. Virginia Tech
  21. North Carolina
  22. Clemson
  23. Louisville
  24. California
  25. Southern California

Awards and honors

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year

Winner: Charlie Ward, Florida State, Quarterback (2310 votes)

Other major awards

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season
School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Houston John Jenkins April 30 resigned [3] Kim Helton
NC State Dick Sheridan June 29 resigned [4] Mike O'Cain
Washington Don James August 22 resigned [5] Jim Lambright
UTEP David Lee October 17 fired [6] Charlie Bailey

References
  1. "1993 NCAA Division IA Football Power Ratings". www.jhowell.net.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2009-01-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Associated Press (May 2, 1993). "Houston Football Coach Resigns". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  4. Chuck Carree (June 30, 1993). "Sheridan's resignation stuns, worries local Wolfpack fans". Star-News. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  5. Mike Downey (August 23, 1993). "Too-Harsh Penalties Don't Fit the Crimes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  6. Associated Press (October 18, 1993). "UTEP fires coach after loss to Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
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