Tigers or Noles?

Who do like in tonight’s BCS national championship game?

Auburn or Florida State?

Most of my friends from Gainesville, Fla., have an easy answer. Neither. Loving the Gators usually means hating the Tigers and the Seminoles.

For the rest of us, it’s an intriguing matchup … Auburn, an apparent team of destiny coming up with two miracle finishes at the end of the SEC season with two of the biggest plays in college football history. … Florida State, the team quarterbacked by the exciting but controversial Jameis Winston, which dominated from the start of the season, albeit against a much weaker schedule than Auburn played.

Will the layoff affect either team adversely? The Tigers, and their momentum? Or the Seminoles and their freshman leader?

I like Auburn, in a shootout … I just think it’s the better story and I root for the story. And running back Tre Mason is unstoppable; the month of rest had to be good for this workhorse, who is only 205 pounds.