The result would have been a split national championship similar to what occurred the previous season.

Even if the Hurricanes are left out of the Orange Bowl, it's quite possible they can be part of a split national championship.

Under the circumstances, it was somewhat routine to have a split national championships with the Coaches Poll.

A split national championship has happened on several occasions since then as well (1997, 2003).

Had they both won, there would have likely been a split national championship.

So a split national championship - something that has not happened since 1997, the year before the B.C.S. was formed - is a possibility.

In the weeks that led up to the game, the notion of a split national championship became a major storyline.

This preserved the Tigers' perfect 13-0 season; however, it effectively ended Auburn's faint hopes for a split national championship.

The Bowl Championship Series ranking returns tomorrow with plenty of changes to avoid the recurrence of a split national championship.

In the last two years of the Bowl Alliance, the possibility existed for a split national championship.