The wild cheering at the downtown Panama City Marina around 6:30 p.m. Saturday didn’t signal the end of a successful Parade of Lights and Winterfest. It marked the end of one of the closest Iron Bowls in history, the beginning of a social media explosion and the likely ascent of FSU’s Seminoles to No. 1.
Hundreds of people gathered around a 20-foot inflatable screen at the marina saw what the rest of the country saw: a tense few minutes as referees determined if Alabama would get 1 second to try a game-winning field goal, the attempted kick that fell short and the wild 100+-yard-return by Auburn’s Chris Davis to break the tie and propel Auburn to victory – and presumably FSU to No. 1.
“Twitter is gonna break y’all! Woo hoo War Eagle!” Tweeted @pcbeachlaw. “#FSU is number one!! Proud of my Noles! #DukeHateWeek starts now. (Yes for football!)”
On The Panama City News Herald’s Facebook Page Lisa Shockley summed up what many felt in the minutes following the game: “Epic. Stunning. Unbelievable. These words come to mind.”
As big of a win as it was for Auburn, ranked No. 4 in the country going into the game, it may be a bigger win for FSU which began the day ranked No. 2 and shrugged off a slow start to roll past a fired up Florida Gator squad 37-7 in Gainesville.
(Click here for photo gallery of FSU's win over UF)
And FSU fans celebrated that fact across Twitter.
State Rep. Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis), an FSU fan, didn’t waste time weighing in, either. “It’s been 4,808 days since the Noles were #1. That ends tomorrow. #GoNoles #sayfie.”
And while social media is prone to hyperbole, anyone watching the game might agrees with @stevenconway who Tweeted: “2013 Iron Bowl will go down as the SHOCKER OF THE CENTURY!”
Of course, there are always those who relish anything that gives them a chance to take a shot a team from a state other than their own, particularly when it involves Alabama’s vocal fan base.
“At the end of the day, both Auburn and Alabama are still in Alabama … so no one really wins,” Tweeted @justinkirkland14. “Someone just loses less.”