Paul Myerberg

USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 Florida State topped No. 2 Auburn to win the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg ranks the 16 national champions of the Bowl Championship Era, which ended Monday night. In 2014, the Football Bowl Subdivision will decide its national title with a four-team playoff.

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16. 2007 LSU (12-2): LSU is the only team in the BCS era to lose two games and win the national championship. That's impressive, but it's also a reason to put the Tigers low on this list.

15. 2002 Ohio State (14-0): The Buckeyes didn't win pretty. OSU pulled out several late comebacks during the regular season and needed overtime to beat Miami (Fla.) to win the championship, but there's something to be said of a team with the mental toughness needed to win close game after close game.

14. 2010 Auburn (14-0): A very good team with an elite quarterback. That's all it took for Auburn to go 14-0 – though it helped that Alabama was having a down year.

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13. 2006 Florida (13-1): The Gators would hit the jackpot in Urban Meyer's second season as coach, losing only once before beating Ohio State to win the national championship. Led by the two-quarterback duo of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow, the Gators were tough to handle.

12. 2003 LSU (13-1): Then coached by Nick Saban, LSU was able to get into the championship game only after Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. But outside of a loss to Florida, the Tigers had little trouble during the regular season. Not a legendary team, but a very, very good one.

11. 1998 Tennessee (13-0): The Volunteers clinched the first BCS national championship by beating Florida State 23-16 in the Fiesta Bowl. Tennessee survived a few scares (Florida and Arkansas in particular) to win its first title since 1951.

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10. 1999 Florida State (12-0): FSU's offense, led by wide receiver Peter Warrick, was one of the best in program history. The Seminoles' defense was good enough to hold seven teams to 14 points or less – and good enough to stop Virginia Tech's Michael Vick to win the national championship.

9. 2000 Oklahoma (13-0): The Sooners put on a defensive clinic for the ages in a 13-2 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. But the story was on offense, where quarterback Josh Heupel (and offensive coordinator Mark Mangino) torched teams all season. This remains Bob Stoops' lone championship at OU.

8. 2012 Alabama (13-1): Alabama again lost a game during the regular season, this time to Texas A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel, but rebounded to win its third national title in four years. When at their best, the Crimson Tide effectively controlled the line of scrimmage on offense and harassed the opposition with an aggressive defense that held 11 opponents to 14 points or less.

7. 2008 Florida (13-1): The Gators' last championship came about despite one loss to Mississippi during the regular season. Even with that blemish, few teams in the BCS era matched Florida's combination of potent offense and stifling defense.

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6. 2009 Alabama (14-0): Nick Saban's first championship team with the Crimson Tide used a tough finish to the 2008 season as the ultimate motivator. But this wasn't even Saban's best team at Alabama.

5. 2013 Florida State (14-0): They needed every second to beat Auburn, but the Seminoles' regular season was one of the most impressive of the BCS era. Auburn was the only team to lose by fewer than 14 points.

4. 2011 Alabama (12-1): How did this team lose a game? After stomping LSU in the BCS championship game, it's hard to imagine how the Tide could have lost to the Tigers at home during the regular season. This team was outstanding.

3. 2004 USC (13-0): The Trojans delivered on their preseason expectations by going a perfect 13-0, ending the year with a 55-19 win against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. This was the best team of the Pete Carroll era, which speaks volumes

2. 2005 Texas (13-0): The Longhorns ended USC's run at a second national championship in a row by beating the Trojans 41-38 in a memorable Rose Bowl. For Texas, it was smooth sailing from a September win over Ohio State through the end of the regular season.

1. 2001 Miami (Fla.) (12-0): Best team of the BCS era? Yep. One of the most talented teams of all time? Yep. The 2001 Hurricanes were a team for the ages.