TUESDAY SPORTS: FSU wins title; USC, Clemson finish in Top 10

Number 1 Florida State topped Number 2 Auburn 34-31 Monday night in Pasadena to win the last-ever BCS national championship and seal their perfect season, getting the victory on a two-yard touchdown pass from Heisman Trophy-winning freshman quarterback Jameis Winston to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left in the game. The Seminoles rallied after being down 21-10 at halftime to the Tigers, becoming the first team to come back from a halftime deficit to win the BCS title game. Their comeback included a 100-yard kickoff return by Kermit Whitfield with 4:31 left to play. Winston — who was playing on his 20th birthday — went 20 of 35 for 237 yards with two touchdown passes.

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South Carolina has finished the football season with hits highest-ever ranking. The Gamecocks are ranked #4 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.  Clemson was voted 8th and 7th respectively in the two rankings. Newly crowned national champion Florida State was #1 in each with Auburn second. Michigan State, South Carolina and Missouri complete the top five in both rankings.

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Furman needed the full 2013 season to crack the national polls, but the Paladins finally made it — at No. 21 — in the final Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches Poll, which was released Monday afternoon. It marked the Paladins’ first appearance in a final season poll since 2006. North Dakota State is the #1 team.

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American Lindsey Vonn says she will miss Sochi Olympicks because of a knee injury. Vonn broke the news to Matt Lauer in an interview aired Tuesday on the Today Show on NBC.

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UNCG shot 67.9% in the second half and scored on 13 of its final 15 possessions to overcome Kendrec Ferrara’s career-high 21 points and edge Furman, 90-82, in Southern Conference men’s basketball action on Monday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.

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In the NBA Monday, Joe Johnson snapped out of a slump with 23 points against his former team, and the Brooklyn Nets matched a season high with their third win in a row by beating the Atlanta Hawks 91-86.