Top 10 college sports stories of 2013

1. Famous Jameis in the spotlight

This was a cinematic setup — a superstar athlete in the midst of an incredible season running into alleged trouble off the field. Every day, it seemed, there was a new twist in the sexual assault allegations levied against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. The alleged assault was said to have taken place last December, yet reports didn’t surface until November. The woman’s family accused Tallahassee police of a cover-up. Then there was the uncomfortable press conference — full of chuckles and strange smirks — announcing charges would not be filed against Winston because of lack of evidence and the woman’s inconsistent memories.

And after it all Winston won the Heisman in a landslide, nabbing 82 percent of the vote — the seventh largest margin of victory in the 79 years of the award — after one of the best freshman seasons in college football history. Winston led Florida State back to national prominence with a 13-0 record, setting freshman records in passing yards (3,820) and touchdowns (38), also a single-season ACC mark. The 19-year-old Alabama product, also a baseball star at Florida State, became the youngest player to win the prestigious award. He will lead the top-ranked Seminoles in the BCS national championship game against Auburn on Jan. 6.

2. The greatest Iron Bowl ever

The Iron Bowl is 78 years old. They can play the annual rivalry 78 more times and it may never equal the 2013 edition, won on the game’s final play by Auburn, 34-28, in front of 87,451 astonished fans. Each team’s national title hopes rested in the balance. The game seemed headed for overtime, until Chris Davis did the unthinkable, returning a missed 56-yard field goal by Adam Griffith 101 yards to the house, ending the Crimson Tide’s reign as two-time national champions and ensuring he’ll never have to buy a drink in Auburn ever again. The return, now known as the “Kick Six,” was called the greatest ending in sports history by The Post’s Mike Vaccaro.

Auburn never is in position for their unforgettable win over Alabama without an even bigger miracle two weeks prior. Playing at home, Auburn had blown a 20-point lead and were trailing by two, facing a fourth-and- 18 from their own 27-yard line with 25 seconds remaining. Quarterback Nick Marshall was under pressure and fired a deep pass to Ricardo Louis. Two Georgia defenders were in position to make a play, but they collided, deflecting it into the hands of Louis, who ran in for a game-winning touchdown.

3. The break heard 'round the world & a title

Everyone will remember where they were when Kevin Ware went down — even if they would like to forget. A new generation received its Joe Theismann moment when Ware – a Bronx native — jumped to block a 3-pointer against Duke in the Elite Eight and landed awkwardly, shattering his right leg upon impact. Bone could be seen sticking out of the leg, causing players and coaches around him to become visibly ill. Some cried on the court. With Ware in their thoughts, the Cardinals rallied to win the tournament, and Rick Pitino elevated his legacy to another level by becoming the first coach to win national titles at two different schools, his first since leading Kentucky in 1996. Ware was somehow ready to play for Louisville when the team returned to defend its title in the fall.

4. Fired Rice

Rutgers drew nationwide headlines, but for all the wrong reasons, when video of basketball coach Mike Rice verbally and physically abusing players during practice was released and shown on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” on April 2. Rice, who was suspended three games without pay earlier in the season for what the school termed “violating athletic department policy,” was fired the next day, following his third losing season, and athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned. Rice has attempted to rehabilitate himself, attending the John Lucas Wellness and Aftercare Program in Houston over the summer and is now working as an administrator with The Hoop Group, a grassroots basketball organization in New Jersey. Five players transferred amid the firestorm, and one of them, Derrick Randall, is suing the school. Rutgers, meanwhile, hiredalumnus Eddie Jordan, a former NBA coach, but the Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily, compiling a 6-7 record with losses to Fairleigh Dickinson and Princeton.

5. The Super Freshmen arrive

This group was billed as the best freshmen class in over a decade, a series of one-and-done prospects that have supposedly inspired tanking among a host of interested NBA teams. Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins received LeBron-like hype and was supposed to be the top draw, yet through the first six weeks of the season, Duke phenom Jabari Parker has been the best of the bunch. A 6-foot-8 Carmelo Anthony clone who scores like others breathe, Parker has shined in marquee games at Madison Square Garden and Chicago’s United Center.

6. Rolling Tide

It was No. 1 Alabama against No. 2 Notre Dame – two undefeated teams, two legendary programs. The Fighting Irish were back in the national championship, looking for their first title in 25 years, against the defending champions. But the build-up was better than the game. Shortly after Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o went through the embarrassing revelation of having a fake dead girlfriend, the linebacker and his teammates were humiliated by Nick Saban’s unstoppable machine. The Tide won their third national title in four years and became the first repeat champion since Nebraska (1994-95), after opening the game with a 28-0 lead and winning 42-14.

7. Dunk City becomes America’s favorite city

There have been Cinderellas before, but none had ever been this cool. The 15th-seeded school that only started offering classes in 1997 knocked off second-seeded Georgetown in the Round of 64, 78-68, then followed it up with a 10-point win over seventh-seeded San Diego State. Before losing to Florida in the Sweet 16, the Eagles won over the nation with their high-flying attack filled with no-look passes and alley-oops. Coach Andy Enfield instantly became the most envied man in the country, enjoying his success with his supermodel wife. He parlayed that weekend into the head job at USC.

8. No return of the Mack and exit Lane

The inevitable finally became a reality on Dec. 14, when football coach Mack Brown and Texas announced they would be parting ways after 16 years. Brown was an institution in Austin, winning a classic national championship over USC with Vince Young at quarterback in 2005, and compiling a 101-16 record from 2001-09. But he lost his fastball in recent years, failing to land recent Heisman Trophy winners – Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel – from in-state as Texas lost at least four games each of the last four years.

Lane Kiffin also was banished from Southern California. He turned one of the sport’s flagship programs into a disaster, full of paranoia and turmoil. Between NCAA sanctions and injuries, USC had just 56 scholarship players for a 62-41 loss at Arizona State on Sept. 29, which marked the end of Kiffin’s dismal tenure. He finished a mediocre 28-15 in four seasons.

9. Game of the century ... at least this year's

The two-time defending champions (Alabama) lost only one game in 2012, falling at home to Texas A&M in the game that helped secure the legend of Johnny Football. The No. 1 team in the country had a shot at revenge in College Station in the second week of the 2013 season. The Aggies looked ready for another upset, taking an early 14-0 lead, but Alabama responded with 35 straight points, behind AJ McCarron’s 334 yards passing and four touchdowns. However, Manziel just wouldn’t go away. He threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns against the country’s top defense — which allowed eight points per game in their other 11 games — and nearly pulled off the improbable comeback before falling, 49-42.

10. Michigan guards are just Fab

You couldn’t believe it, even as it was happening. With Michigan’s Trey Burke — the National Player of the Year — sidelined in the first half of the national championship game with two fouls, unknown freshman guard Spike Albrecht entered and provided one of the most exciting stretches in championship history. Albrecht, who averaged 1.3 points during the season, hit his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, to help Michigan take a 12-point lead over Louisville. He finished the first half with 17 points, but was held scoreless in the second half. Albrecht’s instant fame gave him the confidence to send a tweet to Kate Upton.

The Wolverines already had their forever moment, though. Their rally against top-seeded Kansas was what March is all about. Michigan trailed by 14 points with less than seven minutes left in regulation, before Burke became Reggie Miller, scoring a dizzying eight points in the final minute and forcing overtime with a 30-foot heave with four seconds left. The crazy victory, behind Burke’s 23 points – all in the second half and overtime — propelled Michigan to its first Final Four since 1993.