Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs was already lobbying for his team, with one-loss, to jump the Buckeyes. He told reporters it would be a "a disservice to college football" if a one-loss SEC champion was left out of the national title game in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 6.
"That has to happen," Jacobs was quoted as saying by Al.com. "Now, we still have more work to do. ... This is not just about beating Alabama. It's about where this team has come from. Gus and these coaches and players brought Auburn football back. Auburn football is back."
The decisive play against Alabama came right at the end, as Chris Davis caught a missed field goal in the end zone, sprinted down the left sideline and cut back with nothing but teammates around him to notch a famous victory.
Alabama had seemed poised to continue its run toward the first hat trick of national titles in modern college football, with Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron completing 17 of 29 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns.
Auburn's Nick Marshall was 11-of-16 passing for 97 yards but also rushed 17 times for 99 yards.
Ohio State hung on for a 42-41 win over Michigan when Tyvis Powell intercepted Devin Gardner's pass as Michigan went for a go-ahead 2-point conversion with 32 seconds left.
Gardner threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess to make it 42-41, but instead of kicking for the tie, Wolverines coach Brady Hoke went for the lead.
Gardner tried to zip a pass into traffic near the goal line, but Powell came up with it. Buckeyes cornerback Roby Bradley recovered the onside kick to seal Ohio State's 24th consecutive victory.
Florida State's Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin as the Seminoles beat rival Florida 37-7 to move a step closer to playing for the national championship.
The Seminoles improved to 12-0 for the first time since 1999 and likely will earn a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game by beating Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game next Saturday.
Florida, meanwhile, ended its worst season since 1979 with a 4-8 record and will not play a bowl game for the first time since 1990.
Missouri's Henry Josey broke loose for the go-ahead score on a 57-yard run with 3:34 to go to secure a 28-21 win over Texas A&M, securing the SEC East.
Missouri advances to the SEC championship game against Auburn a matchup of schools very lightly regarded before the season. Missouri has made a six-win improvement from its initial SEC season and fourth-ranked Auburn (11-1, 7-1) has topped last year's total by eight.
South Carolina's Connor Shaw threw for one touchdown and rushed for another as the Gamecocks notched a record fifth straight win over Clemson, taking it 31-17.
Stanford's Wayne Lyons intercepted two passes late in the fourth quarter as the Cardinal held off Notre Dame 27-20.
Baylor's Bryce Petty threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while the Bears returned two interceptions for scores to beat Texas Christian 41-38.