Time to start preparing

Sounds like you need to do a VHS to DVD convert and then your copy will live forever in the digital age, amigo!
 
91 days to go ...

Quite a catch: Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy in 1991, the most recent wide receiver to win the Heisman. Will Marqise Lee be the first wide receiver to win the Heisman in the past 20 years?

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Date: Sept. 14, 1991

Result: No. 2 Michigan 24, Notre Dame 14

What happened: Desmond Howard and Elvis Grbac were teammates long before Grbac threw that ever-famous pass to Howard for "The Catch" during the 1991 Michigan-Notre Dame game. The two had played together at St. Joseph's High School in Cleveland for two years. During those years, Grbac threw only one touchdown pass to Howard. But the pair would be remembered for the risky pass and miraculous catch that put Michigan 10 points ahead of visiting Notre Dame.



The Wolverines had suffered four consecutive losses to the Fighting Irish coming into the '91 season. They were facing top-ranked Florida State the following weekend in Ann Arbor, but first Notre Dame rolled into town the second weekend in September.


Michigan charged out to a 17-7 halftime lead. Grbac, the senior quarterback, was making his way through a nearly flawless game, completing 20 of 22 passes for nearly 200 yards.


In the third quarter, Notre Dame cut the lead to three when quarterback Rick Mirer threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tony Smith. With just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Wolverines clutched to a 17-14 lead.


Just a few minutes into the fourth quarter, on a play that made Howard a household name -- even for those who'd never heard of Michigan football -- Grbac threw that famous pass to Howard on fourth-and-1.


Coach Gary Moeller called the play, but once Grbac got onto the field and looked over the lines, he felt that he wouldn't be able to run it. He looked over to the sidelines and called a timeout. Again, Moeller called the same play. He had a deep respect for his senior quarterback and knew that even though the Wolverines had controlled the ball for much of the game, this play was vital if Michigan wanted to come out with a win.


Notre Dame came out in single coverage, and the defense rotated, but Grbac saw that Moeller's play call still would be effective.


"He [Desmond] just jukes the guy and takes off to the outside," Moeller said. "As he went to do that and juked the guy, Elvis saw what was happening and saw him take off, and he just laid it up there. He did a great job throwing it with a lot of height on the ball so Desmond could adjust to it."


Grbac threw it with so much height, in fact, that he believed he'd overthrown Howard and blown the entire play.


"When it left my hand it was kind of wobbly. It was really high," Grbac said after the game. "Des was running as hard as he could and the ball was just floating."


But Howard, who would eventually earn the nickname Magic, seemed to be the one floating when he caught the pass in the back of the end zone. The play would be replayed millions of times, and it stands out as one of the most historic moments in the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry.

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Michigan would finish the game by eating up the final six-plus minutes, keeping the Irish from mounting one of their famous comebacks or allowing any kind of luck to come into play.


Later, when asked about the play, Moeller said, "When it works, it takes a guy like Elvis to throw it, a guy like Desmond to make it work and make me look smart."
The Wolverines' defense didn't look bad either, holding the Irish to their lowest scoring total since 1985.


"That was a good player making a great play," Moeller said. "And that was very special, all the particulars. Some of those things kind of get away from you, but to have Elvis and Desmond do that in that situation against that team, with all the pressure of that game, was very, very special."


Significance to season: The win helped to push Michigan to the next weekend, when it faced top-ranked Florida State. The Wolverines came out of that game with a 20-point loss but would go on to finish first in the Big Ten and sixth in the AP poll. The Wolverines would make their way to the Rose Bowl that year, falling to Washington 34-14.


Historical significance: The win and The Catch shot Howard onto the radar for Heisman voters. He would finish the season with 62 receptions for 950 yards and a whopping 19 touchdowns. He added two rushing touchdowns (one against the Irish), a kickoff return for a TD and a punt return for a TD en route to winning the Heisman Trophy by the third-largest margin in history.


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They said it: "There's no doubt that catch made me a candidate for the Heisman," Howard said before the Rose Bowl game. "I didn't think much about anything but catching the ball at the time it happened, but when I went home that night and watched it on TV, I could see how spectacular it was."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON:







The season ended with a split champion for the second consecutive season.

Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated (12-0) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll.

[video=youtube_share;OUjptl4Anco]http://youtu.be/OUjptl4Anco[/video]

Here's a 10-minute tribute to the Washington Huskies with some great highlights of them running roughshod on Drew Bledsoe, the Heisman winner and hapless Pac-10 teams.

Under the conference-bowl selection alignments of the time, the Hurricanes and Huskies could not meet in a decisive title game because (A) Washington was slotted into the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10 champions and (B) the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to the Big 10 champions, in this case Michigan.

The Rose Bowl's selection terms also thwarted potential title match-ups of undefeated teams in 1994 and 1997; since the 1998 BCS realignment, several Pac-10 and Big 10 teams have been able to play in a BCS title game instead of being forced to play a non-title contender in the Rose Bowl; examples of this include Ohio State in 2002, USC in 2004 and Oregon in 2010.


The Hurricanes closed the 1991 season with a 22-0 shutout over #11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then-#1 ranked and perennial rival Florida State. That game ended with the FSU place kicker missing a field goal, wide right, which would become a theme in the Miami-FSU rivalry; this game later took on the moniker "Wide Right I."

Nebraska lost to both national champions in 1991 and finished at 9-2-1, ranked fifteenth in the AP poll.


The Washington Huskies posted a 15-point victory at #9 Nebraska in September, a 7-point win at #7 California in October, and consecutive Pac-10 and Rose Bowl championships. Washington defended its Rose Bowl title with a 20-point victory in the 1992 Rose Bowl over #4 Michigan, the Big Ten champions with Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. The Wolverines scored a late touchdown to tighten the final score to 34-14, and finished at 10-2, ranked sixth in both polls.


The Florida Gators captured their first SEC title in school history (excepting the 1984 SEC title, which was vacated by the NCAA) in dominating fashion. Alabama finished second in the SEC in 1991 with an 11-1 record, but were annihilated 35-0 by the Gators, led by head coach Steve Spurrier. Florida's luck ran out in the Sugar Bowl, as #18 Notre Dame powered their way to a 39-28 win.


The SEC expanded from 10 to 12 members, adding Arkansas from the Southwest Conference and South Carolina, independent in football and a Metro Conference member for other sports. The two schools, however, would not begin SEC play in football until the 1992 season.


Independent Florida State joined the ACC in 1991; known primarily as a basketball conference, the ACC would never be the same for football. Dominant from the moment they joined, Florida State went undefeated in conference play for years and won the conference title for the remainder of the 1990s.


The Big East began to sponsor football, adding powerhouse Miami and other independents, though conference play wasn't yet fully integrated and standings were not kept in 1991.
 
ive been gone so missed some

28- Mississippi

Heading into '04, Ole Miss was the only team in the SEC West to be bowl eligible for 7 str yrs but ironically, they are still the only SEC West tm without a trip to the SEC Title gm.Ole Miss' last SEC Title was in 1963. From 1954-1971, the Rebels went to 17 bowls (12 NY's Day). From '05-'11 they had only 2 winning yrs finishing 9-4 (#14) in '08 and 9-4 (#20) in '09. After B2B losing years they let go of Houston Nutt. LY I pointed out that my Stock Market Indicator was +4.5 for the Rebels and they had 16 st'rs back for new HC Hugh Freeze. He clearly got the most out of his '11 Ark St and '12 UM squads. Freeze even admitted mid year that he was not really expecting Miss to get to a bowl.They opened with a couple of blowout wins and their 77 pts through the first 2gms was the most for a new cch here since Billy Kinard in '71. They were rolled by Texas at home66-31 in front of a huge crowd.UM shutout Tulane on the road and became the first team all year to lead vs Bama but it lasted just :15 (KR td). They led a powerful A&M 27-17 mid-4Q. In a high scoring shootout, Freeze gambled and went for it on 4&1 at their own 39 with the lead with just over 3:00 remaining and were SOD setting up an A&M td and they lost 30-27. After whipping Aub, they got a 31 yd fg on the last play to get past Ark 30-27. They outplayed Georgia the first 1.5Q's leading 10-0 but UGA got a couple of key passes in the 2Q and went on for a 27ptwin.VU got a 26 yd td pass with:52left to knock off the Rebels. LSU HC Les Miles was so relieved at the end of their game, he had a wild post game press conf as LSU got a td with :15 left to pull out the 41-35 win (Miss led 35-28). In the Egg Bowl,they hada 527-333 yd edge in a dominating win and dominated Pitt as well in the bowl. TY they have 19 ret sts and are in Freeze's 2ndyr.They had 2 net close losses,a poor def ypp (13.6) and despite a 3-5 SEC record, were +5.4 yds in SEC play(t#7).They also avoid the Big3 out of the East drawing Missouri and Vandy.Freeze did say they were fortunate with inj's LY and are a few years away from having the needed depth to win the SEC. However, four of my 9 sets of PR's call for Ole Miss to have a DD win ssn.
 
27 Arizona st


In '06 ASt was just 7-6 but in Dennis Erickson's first season ('07) I looked at their schedule and said they had a great shot at opening 8-0.The Sun Devils did not disappoint winning their first 8 before losing to #4 Oreg, USC and #17 Texas (bowl) and finished 10-3 (#16). That was the high point for Erickson as they would not have another winning season in his final 4 yrs. He had already been let go but coached vs Boise in their 56-24 Las Vegas Bowl loss. LY ASt had the fewest ret sts (8) in the P12 but I mentioned that after under achieving the previous year, they had a shot at a bowl and new HC Graham delivered. ASt opened with a solid 63-6 win over N Ariz. Ill was w/o QB Scheelhaase and the Sun Devils rolled over them 45-14. QB Franklin was out for Mizz but ASt still trailed 24-7and lost by 4. Utah was w/o their starting QB and ASt rolled to a 37-7 win. Facing their first starting FBS QB of the ssn,they still beat Cal on the road (1st win at Cal s/'97), 27-17 and then whipped Col, 51-17 to move to 5-1. They had a huge showdown vs #2 Oreg and DL Sutton broke through and caused a fmbl on the first play and they took a 7-0 lead. Unfortunately he was inj'd on that play and they trailed 43-7 at the half. The next wk vs UCLA with Sutton out, ASt got a td with 1:33 left to lead 43-42 but UCLA got a 33 yd fg on the last play to win by 2. Trailing #13 Oreg St 36-19, ASt got a 77 yd drive for a garbage td with :22 left to make it look more respectable.They were tied with USC at 14 at HT but suffered their 4th str loss, 38-17. On Senior Day they whipped WSt 46-7 (32-0 1H). They then trailed Ariz 27-17 in the 3Q but got 2 TO's and a blk'd punt that turned into 3 td's, which turned the game around for a 41-34 win.That was the only win in the regular season that came vs an FBS team with a winning record. In the bowl, ASt destroyed Navy 62-28 scoring almost at will vs an overmatched D. TY ASt has 15 ret st'rs and is in their 2nd year under Graham. They were #3 in the P12 LY at +78.7 ypg and were just 2 pts away (UCLA loss) from winning the P12 South. They do take on a much tougher schedule,but are led by QB Kelly,my#1rated RB'sand#1 D-line in the P12, ASt could be the preseason favorite to win the South. Five of my 9 sets of power ratings actually call for a double digit win season but my main one does not.The key will be their 4 game stretch from Sept 14 thru Oct 5th when they play Wisconsin, Stanford, USC and ND.
 
26- northern Illinois

NIU put together 7 str winning seasons from '00-'06 but after a 2-10 ssn in '07, Joe Novak retired. Jerry Kill led the team to bowls in each of his 3 yrs and the record improved annually from 6-7 to 7-6 to 11-3 incl a tough loss in the MAC Title gm. Kill moved on to Minn in '11 and Dave Doeren managed to maintain the success with another 11-3 record. NIU opened 2-3 but won their final 9 and the MAC Title, a gm they trailed 20-0 at the half. NIU was +122.9 ypg and reset the off records they set in '11 with 536 pts and 6,664 yds despite returning only 3 st'rs and replacing Harnish. It was a shocker that they managed to become the first ever MAC tm to make it to a BCS Bowl. NIU led Iowa 17-9 in the 4Q but came up short by 1 before winning their next 12.They did have a close win vs Army trailing 40-35 but rallied for a 41-40 win.They trailed Kansas 23-13 in the 4Q but rallied for a 30-23 win.They got their 3rd 4Q comeback of the yr trailing 23-21 to Ball St on the road, winning 35-23. After blowing out Buff and Akron, WM was w/o QB Alex Carder and NIU trailed 21-17 at home but rallied for a 14 pt win. They rolled over Mass 63-0 and got a 73 yd td pass :18 into the 3Q to tie Toledo and went on to a 31-24 win. They trailed Kent St 10-0 early but won in 2OT to not only win the MAC Title but get to a BCS Bowl payday and a pounding by Fla St. Naturally, things appear on the decline this year as they lose HC Doeren, were +7 in TO's LY, had +3 net close wins, an 18.6 def ypp and a 12.2 off ypp and TY have just 12 st'rs ret. Despite those factors, all 9 sets of my power ratings call NIU the most talented team in the MAC and they have a great shot at a 4th consecutive double digit win ssn with 3 sets of my PR's (not my main one) calling for them to go unbeaten (avg 10-2). With QB Lynch and the entire OL back, NIU has the most explosive offense and they've done a great job replacing players the past few years so they should be able to overcome having just 4 ret st'rs on D
 
25- Miami

Miami has claimed 5 National Titles with their last coming in '01. UM almost repeated in '02 when they came up just short in the Fiesta Bowl vs Ohio St (2OT). They finished 11-2 (#5) in '03 but after going 9-3 (#11) in '04 and 9-3 (#17) in '05 they were 7-6 in '06 and Coker was let go. Randy Shannon opened with a 5-7 season but got to a bowlin '08 and in '09.They got as high as #8 in '09 and finished #19 after a loss in the cold to Wisc in the bowl to put them at 9-4. In '10 they finished just 7-6 (NR) despite opening #13.Al Golden took over.They were gutted by 9 players being susp in the opener incl 5 st'rs and Golden did not expect the investigation/probation/susp's that occurred.After they announced that they had given themselves a bowl ban, UM lost to BC in the finale to finish 6-6. After '11 they had 6 players leave early for the NFL (3 more than any other schl) and had just 10 st'rs back. It was a frosh/soph dominated team facing a killer schedule (#9) and I thought if Golden got the team to bowl eligibility he would have done a great job.It was a team coming off 4 net close losses (pg 28).They won their opener at BC 41-32 but were destroyed in a 2nd str AG by K-St, 52-13. They only led Beth-Cook 17-7 at half but won 38-10.It was a wild one vs GT as UM jumped out to a 19-0 lead but trailed 36-22 after 3Q getting a td with :27 left then winning in OT. QB Morris set an ACC record with 566 yds passing in a win vs NCSt as UM got an int and a 62 yd td pass 2 pl later with :19 left. UM never plays well in cold weather and vsND in Chicago,off of 2 down to the wire gms,they lost 41-3.UM trailed wire to wire vs NC but was SOD at the NC 24 down 4 at the end. FSt was finally a game where UM had a decent home crowd but they lost by 13. They were outgained 309-218 at half but led VT 20-12 and pulled out a 30-12 win. UVA got a 10 yd td pass with :06 left to beat them in another back and forth showdown 41-40. UM beat USF 40-9 with USF's top QB, RB and WR all OFY after becoming bowl elig. UM turned down a shot at the ACC Title gm but still beat Duke.Had they not given themselves the bowl ban,they would have won the Coastal (NC inel) but they were -34.8 ypg in the ACC (#8). UM did have positive off (14.0) and def (15.9) ypp's and also benefitted from+7in TO's all signs pointing downward. On the positive side, this is clearly Golden's best team and a much more veteran unit (18 ret sts) than LY. They have a potent offense and a much improved defense and 6 of my 9 sets of PR's call for their first DD win seasons/'03 despite the fact that they face 3 potential Top 10 teams.
 
Smails, nice idea counting the titles backwards. That 1992 article makes me think of George Teague's strip-fumble from behind against Lamar Thomas.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CHJfQGVmjmc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
 
This thread is always great. Thanks smails and others. Love reliving memiories from my childhood.
 
24 Michigan

Heading into '08, the Wolverines had 40 str winning ssns (33 consec bowls), the NCAA's longest streaks. In 12 of Lloyd Carr's 13yrs,they finished in the Top 25(5Top10).Carr's final game was a Capital One Bowl win over #9 Florida but in '08 I did not have Michigan ranked in my Top50! Rich Rodriguez did not have a mobile QB to fit his system and the bottom dropped out as UM stunningly went3-9(-112ypgB10,2nd worst).UM got better his next 2 yrs going 5-7 and 7-6 but I had set the magic number at 8 for Rich Rod to keep his job and despite getting to 8 wins, he was let go after a 52-14 bowl loss. Brady Hoke wanted to run a pro-style attack but inherited spread personnel, namely their #1 weapon QB Robinson. UM had a season that was beyond everyone's expectations as they went 11-2 in '11 and were +130.8 ypg in B10 play(2ndbest).They got a fortunate win in the Sugar Bowl (outFD'd 22-12) and finished #12 after 3 str yrs of not being ranked. They had numerous factors pointing downward LY as they had benefitted from 3 net close wins, +7 in TO's, my Stock Market Indictor was -5.0 and I also pointed out that the schedule was much tougher as they faced only one ranked team on the roadin'11.LY they played4 (allontheroad) who ended the ssn ranked as #1 Ala, #3 OSU, #4 ND and #25 Neb and comb'd for a reg ssn record of 46-4!! The Wolves were dominated by Bama. They barely escaped AF by 6(AFSODlate).After pounding Mass, DRob had 4 int and a fmbl and apologized to the team after their 13-6 loss to ND. UM pounded PU and Illinois (comb 89-13) then got a 38 yd fg with :05 left to get past Mich St, 12-10. DRob was inj'd late 1H vs Neb and they lost by 14. The Devin Gardner era began and they passed the ball a lot better in the final 4. After beating Minn 35-13, their next game appeared lost when NW punted with :18 left but a 53 yd pass was tipped by a DB and caught setting up a miracle fg to tie it and UM won it in OT. After pounding Iowa, UM led OSU 21-20 at half but was SOD and didn't cross midfield in the 2H. In the bowl UM gave up a td pass with :11 left and lost by 5. TY UM has 12 ret sts (13 LY), was -9 in TO's and +82.8 ypg in the B10 (3rd best). Michigan did not have a player drafted in the first 4 rounds of the draft for the first time s/1968. Their road schedule is considerably softer with no pressn Top 10 tms. UM is a legitimate contender to get to the Big 10 Title game and this would be the only yr they could play Ohio St in B2B wks if they get there.
 
23 Michigan st

Mark Dantonio inherited the Big Ten's biggest underachiever in '07. In John L. Smith's debut season in ('03) they opened up 7-1 but despite plenty of talent, went just 15-25 through '06. Dantonio immediately improved the team to 7-6 and then 9-4 (#24). In '09, due to numerous susp, they lost the Alamo Bowl and fell to 6-7. MSU made my Most Improved List in '10 and I called it Dantonio's best edition here.MSU won a share of its first B10 Titles/'90(3-way tie OSU & Wisc) but was passed over for a BCS bowl. They got to their 4th str bowl for the 1st time s/'90 but were blown out 49-7. In '11 they had just 12 ret sts and played 5 road gms vs bowl teams. MSU won most of its close games on the year incl a comeback win vs UGA in 3OT for an 11-3 finish.LY MSU had 6 players taken in the NFL Draft, the most s/'00. MSU had its highest ever preseason rankat#13(#17in'11).Spartan players thought that might have been a little too low but playing on the close win/close loss theory, MSU went from winning all the close games(+3netclosewins) to losing most of them.This time MSU lost all 4 Big Ten HG's but only by a comb 11 pts. Five of their losses were by 5 or less as they dropped 1 in OT and 2 on the last play (Mich, Neb). They did have some close wins and only had 2 net close losses.After opening the ssn w/a 17-13 win over Boise (461-206 yd edge, they crushed CMU 41-7. ND ended their 15 gm home winning streak and then after trailing EMU 7-3 at HT they rallied for a 16 pt win. Their next 7 gms were all decided by 4 pts or less (2-5) but needing a win to become bowl elig they beat Minn 26-10. In the bowl, they trailed TCU 13-0 at HT but got a 47 yd GW fg in the final play to finish 7-6. LY the Stock Market Indicator had the Spartans at -2.5 but this year the Indicator is at+4.0! They had 2 net upsets LY and despite their 3-5 BigTen record,were+59.8ypginB10play(6thbest).LY the Spartans drew OSU and Wisc out of the Leaders and replaced them TY with Illinois and Purdue. They also have 15 ret sts (13 LY).Despite losing their top 2rushers,if their WR's can hold onto the ball better,they should get much better QB play and be more balanced. The def has 7 ret st'rs and looks like the best unit in the B10 for a 2nd straight season.They have just 13 lett lost which is the 2nd fewest in the league and if they catch some breaks and win those close games like they did in '11, they could find themselves back in the B10 Title game. All 7 sets of my PR's call for them to top last year's 7 win total with 2 calling for DD wins.
 
90 days to go ...

First of many: 1890 was the year Minnesota and Wisconsin first met on the gridiron. The Gophers and Badgers have met 122 times, the most played rivalry among FBS schools. This season's game is Nov. 23 in Minneapolis.

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The trophy is a symbol of one of the most storied rivalries in college football, representing the most-played rivalry in Division I-A football, with 122 editions dating back to 1890. The Golden Gophers lead the all-time series 58-56-8, while the Badgers lead the Axe series 38-24-3.


Earlier, the schools played for the Slab of Bacon, a piece of wood with an M or a W, depending from which angle one would look on it. Minnesota led that series 11-3 until the trophy was "lost" in 1943. It would not resurface until 1994.


The Paul Bunyan Axe was created by the Wisconsin letterwinners' organization (the National W Club) and would be instituted as the trophy in the series in 1948. The scores of each game are recorded on the axe's handle, which is 6 feet long. The original axe was retired after the 2003 game and a new axe was created for the 2004 game.

When the game ends, if the team holding the trophy wins, they run to their own sideline, take the axe and carry it around the field. If the team not holding the trophy wins, they are allowed to run to their opponents' sideline and "steal" the axe away. Usually, after the winning team claims the axe, it is custom for the team to carry the axe to one of the goal posts and "chop" it down with the axe.

The series is pretty lopsided with Wisconsin winning 16 of the last 18 games (from 1995 to present) including the last 9 in a row.


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1990 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON:

It ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy helped lead to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The Buffaloes (11-1-1) took the AP poll while the Yellow Jackets (11-0-1) took the UPI poll by one vote over Colorado, 847 to 846. During the season Colorado had a particularly controversial victory in a game later known as the "Fifth Down Game".



  • Maxwell (MVP) and Heisman - Ty Detmer, BYU
  • Camp (Back) - Raghib Ismail, Notre Dame
  • O'Brien Award (Quarterback) - Ty Detmer, BYU
  • Lombardi (Linebacker) - Chris Zorich, Notre Dame
  • Outland (Interior) - Russell Maryland, Miami-FL
  • AFCA Coach of the Year - Bobby Ross, Georgia Tech





GAME OF THE YEAR --- November 3, 1990

[video=youtube_share;YKEQ1vrq-fw]http://youtu.be/YKEQ1vrq-fw[/video]

The conference matchup of two undefeated teams in midseason drew great national interest. The game was televised nationally by CBS with Jim Nantz handling play-by-play duties. The night before the game, vandals broke into Scott Stadium and set fire to the Astroturf surface, burning a large midfield patch. The morning of the game, school officials questioned holding the game that day. Field personnel took spare turf from Virginia's baseball field and, after cutting out the burned sections, stitched it into the field as patches, enabling the game to be played as scheduled.

Virginia took 10-0 lead in 1st quarter, and then UVA had 28-14 lead by half time. However, Georgia Tech took advantage of two 3rd quarter errors by Virginia to tie the game with score of 28-28. First, Tech scored 4 plays after recovering UVA fumble on opening possession of 3rd quarter. Then Georgia Tech Linebacker Calvin Tiggle's interception at the Yellow Jacket's 10 yard line stopped ensuing UVA drive.

Georgia Tech gained field position for quarterback Shawn Jones' 26 yard scoring pass to wide receiver Emmett Merchant. Virginia's quarterback Shawn Moore then countered with long touchdown pass to Herman Moore, but GT running back William Bell tied the game again with score of 35-35 with 8 yard run late in 3rd quarter.

Tech took its first lead 38-35 with Scott Sisson's 35 yard field goal kick with 7:17 minutes left.

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Virginia came back, obtaining 1st-and-goal achieved by 48 yard Moore-to-Moore pass. However, Virginia was penalized twice during next 5 plays, once nullifying tight end Aaron Mundy's touchdown catch. Virginia had to settle for Jake McInerney's tying field goal kick with 2:30 minutes left and score 38-38.

The Yellow Jackets then went 56 yards in 5 plays to position Sisson for game-winning field goal with 7 seconds left. Key plays in that drive included Jones-to-Bell 23 yard pass, Bell's 13 yard run on which he fell on his own fumble, and Jones-to-wide receiver Greg Lester 15 yard pass completion.

Georgia Tech quarterback Shawn Jones finished the game with 17 pass completions with 29 attempts for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns. Virginia quarterback Shawn Moore set UVA school record with 344 yards passing on 18 completions with 28 attempts.

Georgia Tech would win its remaining games with Virginia Tech (also with a last second Sisson field goal), Wake Forest, and arch-rival Georgia to complete its fifth undefeated regular season in school history at 10-0-1.

Virginia's season spiraled downhill from the game, going 1-3 to finish 8-4 and ranked #22 (AP) at the season's end.

As ACC champion, Georgia Tech received the then-automatic bid to the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando against Nebraska. Tech would dominate the Cornhuskers and win the game 45-21.

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Georgia Tech finished the 1990 season with a record of 11–0–1, while the Colorado Buffaloes' record was 11–1–1. Georgia Tech tied North Carolina 13-13 on October 20. Colorado tied Tennessee 31-31 on August 26 and lost to Illinois 23-22 on September 15 of that year.

On October 6, Colorado controversially defeated Missouri 33-31 on the game's last official play - a "fifth down". Referees in that game lost count of the downs at the end of the game and inadvertently awarded the Buffaloes a fifth down and goal that resulted in the game's deciding touchdown. Due to its result - and its effect on the 1990 national championship voting - the 1990 Fifth Down Game has subsequently been viewed as one of the most controversial game endings in college football history.

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Colorado would be crowned 1990 national champion in the AP poll of sportswriters. By one vote, Georgia Tech would be crowned 1990 national champion in the UPI poll of college football coaches, its fourth national title in school history (after 1917, 1928, and 1952). Tom Osborne, then Nebraska head coach (the only school that played both schools that season), cast the deciding vote in favor of the Yellow Jackets.

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89 days to go ...

Scary punt return: On Halloween night in 1959, with top-ranked LSU trailing third-ranked Ole Miss 3-0, LSU's Billy Cannon returned a punt 89 yards to give the Tigers a 7-3 win. It was perhaps the most famous punt return in NCAA history. Cannon would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that season.


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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Sept. 8, 2011
WE WERE ALWAYS EXCITED ABOUT PLAYING OLE MISS. WHEN YOU PLAYED a Johnny Vaught team, you knew you had to bring your A game or you'd be embarrassed.

The 1959 game had extra electricity. We used to take a bus from our dorm to the stadium, and as soon as we pulled up you could feel it in the crowd. This wasn't just a game, it was a happening.


It was the first game everyone wanted a ticket for. A lot of the Ole Miss people got tickets through LSU, so there were a lot of Ole Miss fans. It was a great mixture. Everybody expected and saw an outstanding football game.


The heritage at LSU is rich. Back then Louisiana was an agronomic state with chemical plants along the Mississippi. All the stores were open on Saturday and would close at 5 or 6 p.m. to watch LSU play night ball. The farmers worked half the day and could make it to Baton Rouge for kickoff.


Ole Miss had kicked a field goal to go up 3-0. We were running out of time. It didn't take a genius to say, If you don't score soon, y'all will lose the game. I'd made a nice return before, but we couldn't move the ball. I knew if I got my hands on another one, I was going to take it up the field.


Jake Gibbs didn't get off the best punt. It hit the ground, and I got the perfect bounce. I moved two or three steps and wanted to go left, but Larry Grantham cut me off. Perfect play by him, but he slipped. From there on you're basically running the course. You're looking for your guy to help you while trying to get away from guys coming after you.


I got a terrific block. Then two guys had hands on me. The last one to have a shot was Gibbs, and I later teased him about this. I'd like to say I ran him over, but he missed the tackle. That was the only tackle he ever missed—the only one he attempted. That's because no returner ever reached him.


It never entered my mind that this would go down as a marquee play. It just was a play to do your best to win the game. My worry was that I had to make it to the goal line. I rounded into the end zone and the crowd erupted, and I tossed the referee the ball and placed my hands on my knees.


Some guy came on the field and started beating on me. I'm trying to breathe not knowing if this guy just won a bet for $100,000 or lost $100,000. A teammate pulled him off, and I started taking oxygen on the sideline. When you see that picture, that's my career at LSU—deep breathing.


Whenever my teammates and I get together, we look at old film, and they love to bring people to TJ Ribs in Baton Rouge, where my Heisman Trophy is displayed, because they were a part of it.


Radio station WWL in New Orleans broadcasted LSU Saturday-night football games everywhere, even into foreign countries, which was unheard-of at that time. Years later I was at a gathering in Chicago with a bunch of 65-year-olds, and all of them had heard me play. These guys were lifetime Chicago residents. I told them I had never realized that with WWL we had so many fans in Chicago. "Fans my a--!" they said. "It was the last bet of the day!"

I once ran into a guy at a party, and he told me that his wife had had heat stroke at the stadium the night of the game. The paramedics put her on a stretcher and brought her to the EMS station so she could get a breeze. Well, this big roar became louder and louder as I ran back the punt, and her husband let go of her hand to watch the last half of the run. She still hasn't forgiven him to this day.

[video=youtube_share;GIHdlAg4Uic]http://youtu.be/GIHdlAg4Uic[/video]
 
22- Fresno st

A very surprising stat to me heading into LY was that Fresno St had not finished higher than 2nd in the WAC s/'99 and their last outright conf title came in '89(BigWest).This despite the fact that Fresno St has pulled a lot of upsets, flirted with a BCS bowl and had been one of the WAC's marquee teams.Their high point came in '05 when they were 8-1 after destroying Boise 27-7and then nearly upset #1 ranked USC the very next week. There was talk that it was the greatest team in schl history.Fresno St accepted the bid to the Liberty Bowl after the USC gm and would actually lose 10 of their next 11 stretching into '06 (7 str losses were worst in 77 yrs). After that unusual 4-8 record in '06, they rebounded with 4 str bowls incl '08 when they were surprisingly the preseason WAC favorite(IpickedBoise).In '11 I said they would be a dog in 7 or 8 games.They were a dog in 7 and finished a poor 4-9. Pat Hill was let go after 15 seasons and I pointed out LY that Tim DeRuyter stepped into a situation where almost every factor pointed up. Fresno St had 2 net close losses in '11, was -14 in TO's, had a def ypp of 12.4, earned a 4.0 in my Stock Market Indicator (pg 29), had 13 st'rs back and was +25 ypg in the WAC despite a 3-4 record. Fresno St made my coveted Most Improved List and was picked 3rd in the MW poll and exceeded expectations. They were +171.5 ypg in the MW, which was #1 (49 ypg better than Boise).They won a share of a conf title for the 1st time s/'99. After a win over FCS Weber St they trailed Oregon35-6 at the half with the Ducks playing their bkps in the 3Q. Vs Tulsa, Fresno St had 2 IR td's but still lost 27-26. At 4-2 they trailed Boise 17-0 at the half and never got closer than 10. After expected wins over WY, NM and Haw, Rouse rushed for 261 and they had 3 def td's in their 52-36 win over NV (21-21 half). In the reg ssn finale, they beat AF 48-15 with a 603-317 yd edge finishing in a 3-way tie with Boise and SD St at 7-1.However,in the bowl they were ambushed by SMU, 43-10. TY Fresno St has 15 ret st'rs incl QB Carr. The Bulldogs were +15 in TO's and the StockMarket(pg29)points downward, however FSU gets a key game at home vs Boise.Two of my9 sets of PR's (incl my main one) actually call for Fresno to go unbeaten and if that happens, they could be hosting Boise St with a shot at a BCS bowl in the MW Title game.
 
21 tcu

TCU was left out when the Big 12 was formed in 1996 playing in the WAC from '96-'00, CUSA from'01-'04 and the MW from '05-'11. In the past, TCU did not land many VHT's but built bigger, stronger and faster athletes with a great weight training program. Almost 75% of the roster can bench 400 lbs and TCU was an- nually the MW's fastest tm, especially on D. They went 48-7 in MW play with 0 conf losses the L3Y. In '09 had Texas missed a fg vs Nebraska in the B12 Title gm,TCU would have been in the Nat'l Title game. In '10 TCU was ranked in the preseason Top 10 (#6) for just the 4th time. Eight of my 9 sets of power ratings called for TCU to go 12-0 and I had the ONLY magazine which had them ranked higher than Boise St. TCU went a perfect 13-0 (+313 ypg MW) finishing #2 AP (3 #1 votes).The Frogs were just the 3rd tm with 3 str #1 finishes in the FBS def rankings. They announced their then-planned move to the BE prior to'11and had a fine 11-2 ssn with an upset loss in the opener to Baylor and an upset loss at home to SMU. They ended #5 Boise's 47 gm home conf win streak.They opened #14 in the AP and that's where they finished. Their Oct switch to the B12 meant a step up in competition in '12. I called for their streak of 4 str 11+ win seasons to end. Patterson called them the youngest tm he'd ever had(just12Sr,11 Jr total on tm).They opened 4-0 but QB Pachall then was susp'd. In Boykin's first start they had 5 TO's and lost to Iowa St, 37-23, despite a 455-350 yd edge. They beat Baylor 49-21 this time benefitting from a 6-0 TO edge.They caught TT off a big win vs WV and had the highest scoring game in Amon G.Carter Stadium history but lost 56-53 in 3OT.They were blown out at Okla St, 36-14. Things looked bleak vs WV when a short pass went 94 yds for a td with 1:28 left to force OT. They won in 2OT 39-38. Patterson is a KSt alum and they got #3 KSt at home. TCU lost 23-10 despite a 274-260 yd edge.On Thanksgiving night they benefitted from 4 Texas TO's (out FD'd 22-15)and won 20- 13. They finished winless at home in the B12 with a loss to Okla 24-17. After a td was called back, TCU was SOD on the OU15 at the end. In the bowl they lost a def struggle to Mich St, 17-16 (led 13-0 HT). TY TCU is a much more veteran team with 16 ret st'rs has 2 veteran QB's.My Stock Market Indicator is a bullish+5.0 and despite their 4-5 record in the B12 they were +33.1 ypg (4th best). Four of my 9 sets of PR's call for a DD win season.
 
88 days to go ...

Gathering touchdowns: Randy Moss had 25 receiving touchdowns in 1997, second most ever in a single season (does not include bowl game that season). Moss won the Biletnikoff Award and finished fourth in the Heisman voting.

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FROM THE AUGUST 25, 1997 SI article:
Cut Off From The Herd

Randy Moss, the most gifted player in college football, is leading the revival of a Marshall program still haunted by a devastating 1970 plane crash. But Moss cares little about the Thundering Herd's past—and won't be around for its future


Everybody's watching him. Randy Moss can feel the eyes of the lunchtime crowd at the Bob Evans restaurant, the double takes and furtive glances from the men in short sleeves and wide ties. He's got his act down: gray hood over his head, butt slumped in the booth, eyes as lifeless as buttons. Moss is a wide receiver at Marshall University, in Huntington, W.Va., and he figures to be rich before long. He jabs at his toast with a plastic straw.


"If I didn't have this hood on, and they saw us sitting here, people would say an agent picked up Randy Moss and took him to Bob Evans," he says. "That's why I got this hood on. Some people are looking, and some are not. Some know I'm here and you're here, they see a bill and they'll say, 'The agent paid for his food.' Anything can happen."


He shrugs. Moss says he doesn't care about the world's judgments anymore, and it's easy to believe he means it. Certainly no player in college football bears more stains on his name. Two and a half years ago, as a high school senior, Moss stomped a kid in a fight, pleaded guilty to two counts of battery and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and a year's probation.

That cost him a scholarship to Notre Dame.

He enrolled at Florida State.

The following spring he broke probation by smoking marijuana, was kicked out of Florida State and served two more months in prison. Then last fall, as Moss was on his way to shattering various NCAA and Marshall records with 28 touchdowns and 1,709 receiving yards as a freshman, he was charged with domestic battery against the mother of his baby daughter.


Yet Moss is not much interested in image-mending. His first words this morning were that he slept through his communications class. His hair is braided in long rows against his skull, a style he knows will give the wrong impression. "People perceive: Only black thug guys have braids," he says, his voice carrying to a dozen tables. "If I want to grow hair, I'll grow it. If I want to wear lipstick and makeup, I'll do that. God didn't put makeup on this world just for women. They perceive me as a thug? I'm not. I'm a gentleman. I know what I am, my mom knows what I am, most people know what I am. Don't judge me until you know me."


Notre Dame did just that, and Moss will never forgive the school for it. "They didn't take me, because they see me as a thug," he says. "Then Florida State...I don't know. You win some, you lose some. That's a loss." Moss pauses, laughs a humorless laugh. "But in the long run I'm going to have the victory. In the long run...victorious."


Moss is sure of this because he has sports' trump card: talent. Better, Moss has the kind of breathtaking athletic gifts seen once in a generation. At 6'5", with a 39-inch vertical leap and 4.25 speed in the 40, he established himself as West Virginia's greatest high school athlete since Jerry West. Irish coach Lou Holtz declared him one of the best high school football players he'd ever seen. Moss was twice named West Virginia's Player of the Year—in basketball. "He does things you've never seen anyone else do," says Jim Fout, Moss's basketball coach at DuPont High in the town of Belle. Moss also ran track for a while. As a sophomore he was the state champ in the 100 and 200 meters.

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Nearly every college wanted him, troubled or not. During Moss's trial for the stomping incident, Kanawha County prosecutor Bill Forbes received a half-dozen calls from football coaches around the country assuring him they could make Moss a better citizen if he was released to their care. Florida State coach Bobby Bowden ultimately got Moss and quickly understood his colleagues' hunger. Early in the fall of 1995, during an impromptu late-night footrace among the Seminoles' fastest players, Moss came in second. When he went through practice the following spring as a redshirt freshman, the defense couldn't stop him from scoring.

"He was as good as Deion Sanders," Bowden says. "Deion's my measuring stick for athletic ability, and this kid was just a bigger Deion."

Marshall took Moss in last summer after his chances elsewhere had dwindled to nothing, and he was instantly recognized as the best player on the practice field. He then strolled through Marshall's Southern Conference schedule like a grown man dropped into Pop Warner games. His teammates called him the Freak. In the Division I-AA title game, a 49-29 rout of Montana, Moss caught four touchdown passes to tie the single-season college record of 28 set by Jerry Rice in 1984 as a senior. Then, in February, Moss entered the Southern Conference indoor track championships after only three days of practice and won the 55 meters in 6.32 seconds and the 200 meters in 21.15—just .02 off the conference record.


Before coming to Marshall last year, football coach Bobby Pruett spent two years as defensive coordinator at Florida watching dominant Gators wideouts such as Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony, who went seventh and 16th, respectively, in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft. Neither, Pruett says, has Moss's weaponry.

"He's the best athlete I've ever been around," Pruett says.

Last year against Western Carolina, Marshall running back Llow Turner took a handoff on a sweep with Moss five yards behind him. "Next thing I know," Pruett says, "Randy's five yards in front, and in a matter of 15 yards he threw two blocks and sprung Llow for a touchdown. Llow runs a 4.5, and Randy caught him.


"Here's a guy who's 6'5". That's hard to find. Can jump out of the gym. Hard to find. Great body control. Hard to find. He's got great hands, and he can run faster than anybody else on the field!"

By now Pruett has his hands up around his face, mouth wide open, looking like one of those horror-struck victims in a Dracula flick.

Here's the rest of the story if you would like to read on: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1010673/2/index.htm

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON FROM 1988


UCLA's Bruins, featuring stellar quarterback Troy Aikman, had attained the #1 ranking for weeks 7 and 8 after demolishing then #2 Nebraska 41-28, before sustaining a huge upset loss to unheralded Washington State 34-30 in week 9, opening the door for Notre Dame.

The 1988 season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

Notre Dame had several notable victories this season, including a 19–17 victory over #9 Michigan, won on a last drive field goal, which started off the championship season. The season's marquee game was a 31–30 victory over #1 Miami. Entering the game, Miami had a 36 game regular season winning streak, 20 straight road victories and a 16 game winning streak overall. This year was also the first time Notre Dame and USC had ever met when ranked #1 and #2. Most notable about this game is Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz's decision to leave behind two of his stars, Tony Brooks and Ricky Watters because they were late, cementing discipline as the main theme of this championship team.

This year's edition of the UCLA-USC rivalry game featured a second ranked USC and a fourth ranked UCLA. For the second year in a row the Rose Bowl berth was on the line but for USC it also had national title implications as the rivalry game with Notre Dame was the following week.

USC beat UCLA but lost to Notre Dame, and then lost to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

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Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders ran the Wing T offense all the way to the Heisman Trophy and numerous rushing records.



  • Heisman: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
  • Maxwell (Player): Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
  • Camp (Back): Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
  • Davey O'Brien Award (QB): Troy Aikman, UCLA
  • Rockne (Lineman): N/A
  • Lombardi (Linebacker): Tracy Rocker, Auburn
  • Outland (Interior): Tracy Rocker, Auburn
  • Coach of the Year: Don Nehlen, West Virginia





GAME OF THE YEAR: Oct. 15, 1988 @ Notre Dame Stadium

CATHOLICS v. CONVICTS
The two teams met on October 15, 1988 in Notre Dame, Indiana, with both teams being undefeated. Miami, the defending national champion, came in ranked #1 holding a 36-game regular season winning streak while the Irish were ranked #4. The game, which was preceded by a pregame fight between the two teams in the entrance tunnel, was named by USA Today as one of the greatest college football games of the period 1982-2002.


After a closely contested game, Miami scored a touchdown with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to pull within one point of Notre Dame, 31-30. Rather than kick the extra point and likely end the game in a 31-31 tie, Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson decided go for the two-point conversion, later reasoning that "We always play to win." However, Steve Walsh's pass on the play was knocked down by Pat Terrell, and Notre Dame snapped Miami's winning streak and won 31-30.


Notre Dame would finish the season 12-0, beating #2 Southern California 27-10 on November 26 in the last game of the season and #3 West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl 34-21 on January 2, 1989 to win the national title. Miami would win the rest of its games and finish #2 behind Notre Dame in the polls.


Miami fans still question the accuracy of a Cleveland Gary fumble on the 1-yard line, which they allege was an incorrect call.

With Miami trailing 31-24 and facing a critical fourth-and-7 from deep in Irish territory midway through the fourth quarter, Walsh connected with Miami running back Cleveland Gary streaking across the middle of the field at the Irish 11-yard line for an apparent first down. He caught, turned, was hit and dropped the football. Notre Dame inside linebacker Michael Stonebreaker recovered the football. After the game, Johnson was adamant that Gary was down before the ball came loose and Miami should have retained possession with a first-and-goal at the Notre Dame 1 yard line.

As the game was broadcast, Pat Haden and Brent Musburger seemed certain that the call was correct based on the replays. In its recap of the game, the Notre Dame student newspaper, The Observer, agreed Gary appeared down before the fumble.

Regardless, Notre Dame's quarterback fumbled three plays later giving Miami the ball on ND's twenty-one yard line from which they scored the game's final touchdown four plays later.


In a 2005 poll conducted by the University of Notre Dame, the 31-30 win over Miami was voted the Greatest Victory in Fighting Irish history by a landslide.

[video=youtube_share;CcRNUFbwPiE]http://youtu.be/CcRNUFbwPiE[/video]

Gonna get goosebumps with this one ... Harry Kalas is doing the voiceover!!!!
 
I really like the fact that in that video the play at the :47 second mark is called a fumble. Yeah, the arm was going forward but he never got to pass it and clearly lost control of it. That should be a reward for the defense for getting to him. I wish they would do away with all the tuck rule nonsense. Either its a fumble or its not.
 
87 days to go ...

In the beginning: The first ever game between Michigan and Notre Dame was Nov. 23, 1887 (Michigan won 8-0 in South Bend). The two schools are not scheduled to play each other in the foreseeable future after the 2014-15 season.

Michigan and Notre Dame are considered to be among the most elite college programs. Michigan and Notre Dame respectively rank #1 and #2 in winning percentage and #1 and #3 in all time wins. The rivalry is heightened by the two schools' competition for all-time win percentage, which each has held during their history, as well as national championships, with each school claiming 11.

The teams agreed to have a break in the series for the 2018 and 2019 football season, and Notre Dame decided to cancel the 2015 through 2017 games. Possible games for 2020 are yet to be determined.

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Notre Dame and Michigan first played in 1887 in Notre Dame's first football game. The Wolverines proceeded to win the first eight contests, before Notre Dame notched its first win in the series in 1909. In 1942, in the first meeting since 1909, Michigan beat then #4 Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium. The next season, on October 9, top-ranked Notre Dame defeated second-ranked Michigan in the first match-up of top teams since the creation of the AP Poll 1936. The two teams ceased to play each other until the series was renewed in 1978. It has since been played annually with the exception of hiatuses in 1983–84, 1995–96, and 2000–01.

Including the 2012 season game, Michigan leads the overall series 23–16–1; since the 1978 renewal, it is tied 14–14–1.


1947 AP title dispute
In 1947, Notre Dame and Michigan both fielded undefeated teams that traded the top spot in the poll all year. Notre Dame was ranked #1 and Michigan #2 on October 6, October 27, November 3, November 10, November 24, December 1, and in the final poll on December 8. Michigan was ranked #1 and Notre Dame #2 on October 13, October 20, and November 17. After the final poll was released but before the bowls, as was the custom in those days, Notre Dame was awarded the AP National Title and trophy, which the school still holds. Both schools were 9–0.

After the final AP Poll, Michigan went on to beat USC in the 1948 Rose Bowl by a score of 49-0, a greater margin than Notre Dame victory over USC (38-7) in the final game of the regular season. Michigan's 49-point victory was the largest margin of victory ever against a USC team and the most points scored in Rose Bowl history.

Football writer Pete Rozelle reported on the reaction of the assembled writers in the Rose Bowl press box. "From Grantland Rice down through the ranks of the nation's top sports writers assembled in the Rose Bowl press box yesterday there was nothing but glowing expletives for the synchronized Michigan Wolverine wrecking crew that powered over Southern California, 49-0. While for the most part hedging from a comparison of Michigan with Notre Dame, the consensus of the scribes was that the offensive-minded Ann Arbor squad deserved no less than a co-rating with the Irish as America's Number One Collegiate eleven."

Grantland Rice, the dean of the nation's sports writers, wrote of Michigan: "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year. The backfield's brilliant passing and running skill gives Michigan the most powerful offense in the country."

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Notre Dame supporters argued that the post-season AP poll was final and should not be revisited. They contended that Michigan had run up the score on USC, noted that Notre Dame had not had an opportunity to play in a bowl game, and asserted that Michigan and other Big Nine schools were unwilling to schedule Notre Dame in the regular season.

Detroit Free Press sports editor, Lyall Smith, argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two team's performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21." Smith also pointed to Michigan's strength of schedule: "The teams Michigan played won 42 games, lost 48 and tied five. Notre Dame's adversaries won only 30, lost 45, and tied 6."

In response to the debate over which team deserved to be recognized as the nation's best, the Associated Press decided to hold a post-bowl poll. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team -- Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. Michigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded." Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."

Michigan was voted #1 in the post-bowl poll by a vote of 226 to 119. The AP reported: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one — including those who saw both powerhouses perform. . . . In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie." The 357 votes cast in the post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting."

Commenting on the special poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy as a "superb coach." Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team."

Despite the magnanimous statements of Coach Crisler and Father Cavanagh, the reversed decision in the post-bowl poll only stoked the debate over which team was best. Said one columnist: "Hottest argument of the moment is the one over which had the better football team, Michigan or Notre Dame." Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan center Dan Dworsky noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we."


2011—Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31
This time Michigan was the team to come back from a steep deficit. The Wolverines trailed 24-7 entering the fourth quarter and took a 28-24 lead with 1:22 left. Notre Dame scored a touchdown with 30 seconds left to take the lead 31-28, but Michigan's quarterback Denard Robinson drove the team 80 yards to score again with two seconds remaining. It was the latest point in the game that an opponent has scored a touchdown to beat Notre Dame.

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Robinson ran for 108 yards and passed for 338 yards and four touchdowns. This was the first night game in the history of Michigan Stadium. A crowd of 114,804 was in attendance, setting a post-1948 NCAA collegiate football attendance record. (A 1927 Notre Dame – Southern California game at Soldier Field in Chicago, prior to NCAA record keeping for attendance, drew an estimated 117,000 – 123,000.)
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20- Wisconsin

Bret Bielema did a fine job taking over for B10 legend Barry Alvarez going 68-24 with his teams finishing #7,#24,NR,#16, #7,#10 and NR.The ‘11 team migh thave been his best led by Russell Wilson and replacing him was a big ? heading into LY. The Badgers were a B10 best +156 ypg in ‘11 but benefitted from +16 in TO’s and an off ypp of 10.6. They did sign another ACC QB hoping lightning would strike twice in Danny O’Brien but he lost his job after 3 sts. UW also lost numerous coaches incl their OC Paul Chryst.Their new OL cch decided to change some things around. The offense struggled in the first 2, barely getting past NIowa 26-21(did lead 26-7 in 4Q)then losing at OregonSt (outgained354-207).They fired the OL cch but it took a few weeks to get going. USt, under new HC Andersen, missed a 37 yd fg with seconds left and UW escaped with a 16-14 win. They led UTEP 37-19 but only won 37-26. They went into Neb and had a 27-10 lead but lost 30-27 then whipped Illinois, Pur and Minn by 22 ppg before giving up a late td to Mich St to force OT and eventually lost.UW destroyed Indiana (led41-7 3Q)w/a 564-61 rush edge and wrapped up the B10 Title game despite having 2 games left as Ohio St and Penn St were ineligible.Vs Ohio St, Ball fmbl’d near the GL and they missed a 40 yd fg and lost in OT. Vs PSt they scored a td w/:18 left with the B10 Champ gm on deck and PSt playing an emotional game for inj’d LB Mauti. Surprisingly they didn’t go for 2 and instead went to OT and lost it there. In the Title gm, UW rushed for 539 (10.8) vs Neb and for the 1st time in school history won a 3rd consec B10 Title(only schl in nation to win a conf champ in each of L3Y).They did become the first 5 loss team to get to the Rose Bowl (11th str bowl, #1 B10). Alvarez cch’d the bowl as Bielema left for Ark. UW is just the 3rd B10 tm to play 3 consecutive Rose Bowls (Ohio St, Michigan). UW had 27 Jr’s on the team. TY UW has 14 ret sts (11 LY) and figure to get an upgrade at QB play. UW had 4 net close losses LY and were +115.4 ypg in reg ssn B10 games (2nd best) despite their 4-4 conf record. The D has all’d fewer than 20.0 ppg the L2Y, the first time that has happened here s/’98-’99.The Badgers avoid Neb, MSU and Mich out of the Legends and I will call for them to top LY’s 8 win total. Gary Anderson did a fine job at Utah St and the big ? is can the Badgers make it 4 Rose Bowls in a row.
 
19-Oklahoma

In Stoops' 2nd year ('00) OU did not have a starter miss a single gm due to inj. They stunned the nation winning the Nat'l Title despite not being in the preseason Top 20. Early on, he earned the name "BigGameBob" winning most of his biggest contests incl beating Texas for 5 straight yrs. OU finished #6 and #5 then were #1 for almost all of '03 but lost the B12 Title game to KSt, still got to the Nat'l Title game vs LSU and lost by 7. In '04 they ret'd to the Title game but were buried by #1 USC. After 8-4 (#22) and B2B 11-3 finishes (#11, #8), they got back to the Nat'l Title game again in '08 but lost to Florida 24-14 and finished #5. In '09 they lost QB Sam Bradford at the start and stumbled to an 8-5 record (NR). In '10 they were #1 in the BCS when they lost at Missouri and finished 12-2 (#6). In '11 they were 10-3 (#16). LY the Sooners opened 2-0 but vs KSt they fmbl'd in their own EZ giving KSt a td then fmbl'd at the KSU 6 costing them a td. They also had a 9yd td overturned and settled for a fg and lost 24-19 despite a 24-19 FD edge. After blowing out TT, Texas and Kansas by a comb'd 156-48, they were a large fav over ND but had 2 td's called back on penalties and a 13-13 tie with 9:10 left turned into a 17 pt loss at home. It was only their 3rd home loss in 2Y after they had lost just 1 HG from '02-'11! They blew out Iowa St, led Baylor by 16 but allowed a td w/1:26 left. (won by 8).They jumped to a 31-17 HT lead vs WV but needed a td with :24 left to pull out the 1 pt road win. They did have a 618-490 yd edge vs Okla St but trailed the majority of the game pulling out a 3 pt win in OT.They went into TCU and had a 209-78 yd edge at half but leading 24-17 missed a 42 yd fg with 2:49 left. TCU got down to the OU15 but fired inc on 4&13. In the bowl, the Sooners had a 274-248 yd edge at the half but trailed 14-13 after settling for a couple of short fg's (23 and 24 yd).They were dominated in the 2H in a 28 pt loss.TY OU has just 11 ret sts and benefitted from 2 net close wins LY.They were +105.7 ypg which was by far #1 in the B12 (45 ypg better than #2) and were -4 in TO's and had 2 net upsets.The Sooners could play potentially 5 ranked teams away from home but are arguably better than their 10-3 record LY and will be flying under the radar this preseason. OU is a legitimate Big 12 Title contender.
 
86 days to go ...

Vinny Testaverde's Heisman: In 1986, Vinny Testaverde was a unanimous first-team All-American and Heisman Trophy winner. He went 23-3 as a starter at Miami and threw for more than 6,000 yards in his career. Testaverde is a part of the 2013 College Football Hall of Fame class that will be induced on Dec. 10.

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While working as a construction foreman in Manhattan, Al Testaverde occasionally took his lunch breaks on the steps of the Downtown Athletic Club. One day, he dreamed, my kid will be here to win the Heisman Trophy.

When the Heisman ceremony would be on TV every December, Testaverde would watch it with his son and they'd talk about him being there someday. Improbably, that day came to pass.

On Dec. 6, 1986, Vinny Testaverde of Elmont, N.Y., was given the stiff-armed statue while his father rejoiced. Vinny directed much of his acceptance speech toward his father, saying that they won the trophy together. Indeed, Al had been instrumental in guiding Vinny to Fork Union Prep School in Virginia after college, and it was there that Vinny flourished into a prospect worthy of joining the quarterback tradition at Miami. He didn't just follow in the footsteps of Jim Kelly and Bernie Kosar; he did what they could not -- he won the Heisman.

That came at the end of an '86 regular season in which the Hurricanes were a seemingly invincible juggernaut, rolling to an 11-0 record and the nation's No. 1 ranking. Along the way Testaverde shined, never more so than when the Canes knocked off then-No. 1 and defending national champion Oklahoma 28-16 in late September. After that game, Sooners coach Barry Switzer declared Testaverde the best quarterback he'd seen in 21 years of coaching.

But Miami could have learned from the history it helped shape three years earlier, when the Hurricanes shocked seemingly unbeatable Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to win the national title. Playing Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, Miami was beaten 14-10. Testaverde went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and had a lengthy pro career. But for Al Testaverde, the football highlight of his life might have been watching his son come back home to win the Heisman they'd dreamed about years before.

1986 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

This 1987 Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game's history to decide the national championship, launching it into the top tier of bowls.

Miami came into the game #1 and Penn State #2. In a move that would come to symbolize the game for years to come, Miami arrived wearing combat fatigues while Penn State arrived wearing suits and ties.

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Despite all the hype surrounding Miami, Penn State's defense harassed and harried Heisman trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throughout the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes committed seven turnovers, including five interceptions thrown by Testaverde - the last of which, in the end zone with 18 seconds left, won the game for the Nittany Lions.

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Final Miami Hurricane possession of the 1987 FIESTA BOWL (NBC feed)



  • Maxwell (Player):Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • Camp (Back): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • O'Brein Award (QB): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • Rockne (Lineman): N/A
  • Lombardi (Defensive Front Seven): Cornelius Bennett, Alabama
  • Butkus (Linebacker): Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
  • Outland (Interior): Jason Buck, BYU
  • Coach of the Year: Joe Paterno, Penn St.

With Arizona State having clinched the Rose Bowl berth on November 8, and the Fiesta Bowl and Citrus Bowl scrambling to bid for the #1 Miami (Florida) vs. #2 Penn State Game, the Cotton Bowl Classic struck an agreement to take the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game. All the bowl games attempted to line up participants before the official bids were extended on November 22.

The Sugar Bowl agreed to take the loser of the Oklahoma-Nebraska game to match the SEC winner, and the Orange Bowl agreed to take the second place SWC team to match the Big 8 winner. The Citrus Bowl, which moved to January 1, got a second place SEC team in Auburn, and, what they hoped would be a good matchup, in 7-2 USC. The Trojans would lose to UCLA and Notre Dame after they were invited.






Minnesota, a 25-point underdog to number two ranked Michigan, was regarded as being likely to provide an easy victory for the Wolverines in the November 15 game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor; especially since the Gophers had not defeated the Wolverines since 1977.

With two minutes to go, and Michigan just having scored a touchdown to bring the score to Wolverines 16, Gophers 17, Coach Bo Schembechler called for the extra point to be kicked, tying the game at 17. On the ensuing Minnesota possession, quarterback Rickey Foggie scrambled to put Chip Lohmiller in field goal position; Lohmiller connected for a 20-17 Gophers victory. The Gophers took home the Little Brown Jug from Michigan for the first time since 1962.

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18-Florida

Everything went the Gators' way in the magical '06 National Title ssn with many close and fortuitous wins. They narrowly got to the Title gm in (BCS ranking) but dominated Ohio St, allowing just 82 yds. In '07 UF was the favorite to win the SEC (#6 AP). I was beat up pretty good by Gator fans as I had UF tied for 3rd in the SECEast and #14 which was lower than any other source documented by stassen.com.UF finished just 9-4 and #13. In '08 Georgia was the AP #1 but I called for the Gators to not only be the top team in the SEC East but to win the Nat'l Title. The Gators were a stronger team than their '06 version. In '06 they were +43 ypg (#4 SEC) and in '08 they were #1 (+133 ypg). In '06 their avg win was only 30-14. In '08 it was a dominating 44-13. UF's only loss in '08 was a 1 pt loss to Ole Miss despite a 443-325 yd edge. Unlike '06 which featured weekly escapes, '08 did not have a single win by less than 10. Everyone always asks me which tm is my favorite and I reply, "the team I pick #1" so I was clearly a Gator fan in the BCS Title game when they beat Okla 24-14 (480-363 yd edge). In '09 they were the preseason #1 team but lost in the SEC Title game to Bama and finished "just" #3. In Meyer's last season they opened up #4 but finished 8-5 (NR). In '11 I pegged the Gators 3rd in the East (many Gators fans accused me of being a Gator Hater) and that is where they finished. They were just 3-5 in SEC play (-39 ypg) and needed a bowl win over Ohio St to finish 7-6. LY UF was either NR or outside the Top 20 (picked 3rd in East by most) but I had them #10 and a top the SEC East.UF lived up to my expectations but needed to make seven 2H comebacks on the year. They beat A&M 20-17 after trailing 17-10 at half. They trailed LSU 6-0 at HT but finished with a 176-42 rush edge in their 14-6 win. They caught SCar on their 3rd str tough game and blew them out leading 37-8 in the 3Q. In the big game vs UGA, the world was picking UF to win but the Gators had 6 TO's and lost by 8. They struggled to get past Mizzou in a let down spot(out FD'd 23-11) but had 4 crucial int in their 14-7 win. The next wk was more stunning as they needed a blk'd punt for a td to get past Louisiana and then celebrated like they had won the Super Bowl instead of just beating an SBC team. After beating JSt they trailed FSU 20-13 in the 4Q but rallied for a 37-26 win. UF finished #3 in the BCS standings and would have played in the Nat'l Title game had USC beatbND.UF was a huge fav vs a BE team in the bowl and gave a poor effort, losing by 10 to L'ville.TY the Gators are improved on offense and figure to top 400 ypg for the first time s/'09 with a veteran QB in Driskel.While the D has just 4 starters back, I rate them tied for the best in the SEC at both DL and DB and #4 at LB. Unfortunately, the schedule maker did them no favors as they play at LSU, at S Carolina and of course face UGA in Jacksonville.They also play a strong Miami,Fl on the road and Florida St at home. LY's squad was one 6 TO game away from playing in the SEC Championship game but they have the toughest schedule of the top 3 in the East this yr.
 
17- lsu

When the orig AP poll was voted on LY,LSU was the preseason #1 team. After "Honey Badger" was susp'd, they allowed a re‐vote and LSU opened #3. It would have been the first time s/'59 (Billy Cannon and the Chinese Bandits '58 Nat'l Champ tm) that LSU was AP preseason #1. LSU won the Nat'l Title in '03 when my Preview was the ONLY magazine to forecast them to win the SEC West. The Tigers got another Nat'l Title in '07 but in '08 actually finished 8‐5 and unranked. They improved to 9,11 and 13 wins the next 3 years (AP#17,8,2).In the 111 years prior to Les Miles' arrival, LSU had double digit wins just 7 times. He's done it 6 times in 8 yrs. In '11 they were undefeated and ranked #1 for the Nat'l Title game but lost to Bama 21‐0. LY a case could be made that had the "Honey Badger" not been susp'd or if LSU had made even 1 play vs Bama,they could have been in the SEC Title game and perhaps the Nat'l Title gm. LSU opened with 3 blowout wins incl a 41‐3 spanking of Wash. After an unimpressive 12‐10 victory over Aub, they struggled past Towson. LSU led Florida 6‐0 at half but was outrushed 176‐42 and lost in The Swamp.While they were favored vs SC, they felt like an underdog as they were #9 and SC was #3. LSU dominated even more than the 23‐21 final(406‐211yd edge). LSU then went into A&M and was down 12‐0 early but came back to win 24‐19. Bama was playing its 3rd road game in 4 wks and LSU was off a bye. LSU, much like Bama the previous year, had fg problems (missed 2, fake SOD) costing them the home win. LSU was in Bama terr 9 times but lost 21‐17 as the Tide engineered a 72/5pl td drive w/:51 left. After blowing out Miss St, they trailed Ole Miss 35‐28 but got an 89 yd PR td w/9:10 left to tie and a td with :15 left to pull out the win. They only beat Ark by 7 in the reg ssn finale.In the bowl,LSU led24‐13 in the 4Q but Clem got a 37 yd FG on the final play. LSU's 10‐3 finish only got them to#14. TY LSU lost TEN players early to the NFL draft giving them just 12 ret sts. They also benefitted from +16 in TO's and were just +23.1 ypg in SEC play(6thbest).While Bama and A&M avoid all the big boys, LSU draws both Fla and Georgia as their crossover games. However, Miles will have a motivated team with nobody giving them a chance in the SEC or to be part of the National Title picture.In the last 10 years LSU has not been ranked in the Preseason AP Top 11 twice and they went 13‐1 and 11‐2 including a Nat'l Title.
 
85 days to go ...

Bo knows: In 1985, Bo Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and was named the SEC Player of the Year. In that year, he also batted .401 with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs.

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From the 1985 Heisman Trophy at Auburn to an all-star career in two professional sports, Bo Jackson’s versatility was stunning.


The 6'1", 222-pound tailback/outfielder "was so superior to anybody I've seen before or since," says Pat Dye, Jackson’s college football coach. "He’d do things that would defy human logic."


Though Jackson’s stardom lasted less than a decade, everyone knew who he was— because everyone wanted to see what he would do next.


Vincent Jackson got his nickname when his brothers shortened the word "boar" —- as in "wild boar." This aptly described the unruly eighth of 10 children growing up in their Bessemer, Ala., household. He exuded physical toughness in part to combat classmates who teased him because he stuttered. "I was the John Gotti of my neighborhood," he says.


But he wasn't as tough as his mother, who threatened him with reform school after he and friends stoned several pigs to death at a nearby farm. By junior high school, however, Jackson had decided to channel his energy into athletics. At McAdory High, he lettered in three sports and won two state decathlon titles.


An Alabama football assistant coach unwittingly steered Jackson to Auburn by telling him, "If you go there, you’ll never beat Alabama." This, plus the promise of immediate playing time, sold him on the Tigers. As a freshman in 1982, he scored the winning touchdown against the Crimson Tide to snap a decade-long losing streak.

[video=youtube_share;4iIwb_Y3Tyw]http://youtu.be/4iIwb_Y3Tyw[/video]
You all are going to love the red circle


That win began Auburn’s renaissance, as the Tigers went 11-1 behind Jackson’s 1,213 yards rushing in 1983. A separated shoulder sidelined him for six games the next fall, but Jackson recovered ahead of schedule to help Auburn finish 9-4. In the spring, he played center field for the baseball team, batting .401 with 17 homers and 55 runs.


He bolted from the gate his senior year as the clear Heisman favorite and collected 495 yards and six touchdowns in two games. Auburn hit No. 1 in the polls, but losses to Tennessee in September and Florida in November knocked the Tigers from SEC contention. In both games, Jackson left early with leg injuries, but he steeled himself for the season’s stretch run. He played his final regular-season game with two cracked ribs—an injury he tried to hide from Dye— and still bulled his way to 142 yards and two scores against Alabama. "Bo ran as tough as any back you’ll ever see," recalls Dye, who found out about the ribs two days before the game and outfitted his star in a flak jacket.


Jackson finished the fall with a school-record 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns, and a career average of 6.6 yards per carry. That dominance won over Heisman voters—barely. He edged Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by 45 points, the smallest margin ever. "It’s like being in an elite fraternity," he says of the trophy, which he keeps in his suburban Chicago home. "I was chosen out of thousands of athletes to get in that club. It’s an honor."


The award appeared to be his gridiron swan song when he signed with baseball’s Kansas City Royals the following June. But after his rookie big-league season in 1987, he made football his off-season "hobby" with the Los Angeles Raiders. In his fifth game, he sprinted into NFL lore with a 221-yard, three-touchdown Monday Night Football game against Seattle, including a breathtaking 91-yard TD run.


From there he became an icon: the 1989 baseball All-Star Game MVP (he homered and stole a base), a football Pro Bowler the next year, a pitchman whose "Bo Knows" Nike commercials were pop-culture classics. But a January 1991 hip injury in an NFL playoff game ended his days with the Raiders and Royals. After undergoing hip replacement surgery, he played a few more baseball seasons with the White Sox and Angels, but his extraordinary speed and power were gone. He retired in 1995.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS - 1985







Oklahoma finished the season 11-1, with its only loss to Miami at home, in a game future NFL star Troy Aikman was lost for the season. The Sooners regrouped and went undefeated the rest of the way, finishing the season with a win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl.


KEY PLAY FROM THE ORANGE BOWL: On account of the penalty, the Sooners had 25 yards to go for a first down. Following their earlier success, Oklahoma attacked the middle, and Tillman, who had gained only 243 yards during the season, broke a tackle at the line and went for a gain of 12. Holieway wanted to option on the next play, but a gang of Penn State defenders was all over him for a loss of ten, which brought up a third-and-23. Oklahoma caught the Lions in an ill-timed blitz, and with single coverage on three receivers downfield, Holieway lofted a home run pass in the middle for Jackson, who was opposite backup nickel back Brian Buchman on account of starter Ray Isom being on the sidelines from an earlier injury, and Jackson caught the ball in stride at the 31 and ran clear into the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown, the fourth longest scoring reception in Orange Bowl history, and a Sooners' lead. Lashar's kick made it 10-7 at the 12:26 mark, and Penn State was stunned.


Michigan would finish #2, the highest finish of a Bo Schembechler led team. The team shined on defense, led by All-Americans Mike Hammerstein and Mark Messner.


UM COMEBACK IN THE DESERT: In the second half, an inspired Wolverine defense began forcing turnovers to help U-M climb back into contention. On its third play from scrimmage, Nebraska's DuBose fumbled, and Michigan's Jeff Akers recovered. A 19-yard run by Jamie Morris set up Gerald White's one-yard dive for a TD, pulling the Wolverines to within 14-10 early in the third quarter. Another fumble by Nebraska, this one by Clayton, was recovered by Michigan's Mark Messner on the next series, and White's 19-yard run set up a one-yard plunge by Harbaugh to give the Maize and Blue the lead at 17-14. The Wolverine defense forced Nebraska to punt on the next series, and Dave Arnold rushed in untouched to block his third punt of the season to set up a short Moons field goal. The Wolverines scored again on their next possession when a 14-yard run by Morris set up Harbaugh's second TD of the afternoon, giving Michigan a seemingly comfortable 27-14 lead.


Tennessee finished the season with a victory over #2 Miami in the Sugar Bowl. This team won the school's first SEC championship in 16 years and was nicknamed the "Sugar Vols". The SEC title was the first of three for coach Johnny Majors.


TURNING POINT OF THE SUGAR BOWL: Quarterback Daryl Dickey took the Vols on a 13-play drive, which resulted in no points but made a salient statement: Tennessee could move the ball. On the next Vols possession, which began on the Miami 41 after a big sack of Testaverde by Richard Brown, the tying touchdown was scored by Jeff Smith from the 6 one play into the second quarter. Dickey cranked up another drive with just under five minutes to go until halftime. On first down at the Miami 9, Powell was stood up just short of the goal. The ball popped out and Tim McGee fell on it for a touchdown and a 14-7 Tennessee lead. "I wasn't sure if they had blown the play dead or not," McGee said. "In fact, I didn't know it was a touchdown for a couple of minutes."


Air Force Falcons, under Fisher DeBerry had what is considered their best season ever, defeating Texas in the Bluebonnet bowl and finishing #5.


FLAWLESS FALCONS: Following a Bret Stafford interception in UT territory on the ensuing possession, the Falcons needed just five plays to cover 32 yards and Bart Weiss gave Air Force a 14-7 lead with his one-yard score. The Texas offense continued to sputter until midway through the third quarter when the Horns marched the length of the field only to settle for a 24-yard Ward field goal, pulling to within 14-10. The UT defense forced the Falcons to punt on their next possession and the Longhorns got the ball back at their own 23, looking for another lengthy drive and another score. Stafford’s second interception of the day, however, killed UT’s momentum, and two plays later Pat Evans scored from the 19 and the Falcons went on top 21-10.


This year's edition of the Iron Bowl is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever. Despite Auburn having Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on its side, Alabama won this game with a last second field goal.


ALABAMA 25, AUBURN 23: Of all the flashy quarterbacks, thousand-yard rushers, dazzling receivers, and brutish defensive giants in Alabama’s illustrious football history, skinny Van Tiffin from Red Bay, Ala., is the biggest legend. Tiffin was one of the best place kickers to ever step on the field for The University of Alabama. He made more extra points than any other UA kicker ever and never missed a PAT. A starter for three years, he is 3rd on The Crimson Tide’s all-time scoring list (for any position) and third in field goals made. He booted the longest field goal in ‘Bama history, a 57-yarder vs. Texas A&M his senior year that broke the previous record of 53 yards…set by him the season before. The kid was the best kicker to wear a Crimson/White uniform. But consistency and stats don’t immortalize a kicker’s name. One play, the final play of the ’85 Iron Bowl, immortalized the name Van Tiffin. The tale is chilling.


On the ensuing 4th-down play, UA head coach Ray Perkins made one of the most insane calls in Iron Bowl lore. If Alabama was gonna run, Auburn knew the ball would be put into Jelks’s hands. It was. Shula took the snap and tossed right to Jelks on the wide side of the field, as the AU defense expected. But what Auburn (or anyone else) did not foresee, is that Jelks would not end up with the football at the end of the play. Receiver Al Bell, who had lined up wide right, cut back behind the line of scrimmage to catch a reverse toss from Jelks. At least one Auburn defender, either Greg Robinson or Tracy Rocker, had sniffed out the trickery and had a shot at belting Bell as he bolted around the end. But Shula side-swiped the big AU lineman on what was the game’s biggest block. Bell raced for 20 yards to the 46-yard line before being ushered out of bounds by a swarm of blue jerseys. The heart-stopping play only took eight seconds off the clock. 00:21 remaining. An incomplete pass play burned six seconds. On second-down, Shula found Greg Richardson over the middle. Richardson hauled in the catch around the AU 45, but he kept trucking and somehow dragged defensive back Luvell Bivens out of bounds at the 35 to stop the clock at 00:06.

Tiffin, all 160 pounds of him, rushed onto the field with his kicking team. As if the Tide players were unaware Richardson had reached the sideline to stop the clock, they scrambled to snap the ball. Tiffin hardly gave himself time to line up his tee behind the center…hardly measured his steps backward and left to line himself up for the kick…hardly even breathed.

52 yards, straight down the pipe, as zeroes melted onto the Legion Field scoreboard clock.
 
16- Nebraska

Nebraska has had a long history of success winning B2B National Titles in '94 and '95 and finishing ranked in the Top Ten 8 of 9yrs from'93-'01.The Huskers have not finished in the Top 10 since. They went through a regrettable 4 years from '04-'07 when Bill Callahan tried to switch them from their power option rush attack to a pass attack and NU went just 27-22 in that span incl 5-7 in his final year. In Pelini's first year, NU made my Most Improved List despite the fact that they had just 10 ret sts and they did not disappoint going 9-4. The last 4 yrs Pelini has guided the team to #14, #20, #24 and #25 finishes. LY they had 14 ret st'rs. While Mich and Mich St were pretty much the favorites to win the Legends Div, I went out on a limb and picked the Huskers. I pointed out that 7 of my 9 sets of PR's called for a double digit win season and projected them in the Big Ten Title game. NU had 29 seniors and whipped SM in the opener. They did lose to UCLA 36-30 in Pasadena (outgained 281-106 2H) with RB Burkhead missing the game and Martinez hitting 0-6 in the 4Q. They demolished Ark St and Idaho St by a comb 115-20. Coming into '12, NU had rallied from a double digit 4Q deficit 4 times in their history but LY led the FBS with four 2H comebacks from a DD deficit. Since '96 only 4 teams have accomplished that ('00 NCSt, '05 UCLA, '08 Ark). Their first was a comeback vs Wisc (trailed27-10)in a 3pt win.They led OSU 17-7 and 24-21 in the 2Q but lost by 25. They outgained NW 543-301 but trailed 28-16 with 8:31 left before comeback #2.QB Robinson was inj'd for Mich in the 2Q and NU turned a 7-6 game into a 23-9 win. They trailed 24-14 in the 4Q, but Mich St had an IR td called back and NU got comeback win #3. PSU led 20-6 at half but NU got comeback #4, 32-23.They just needed to beat Minn and Iowa to wrap up a Big Ten Title and did although the Iowa gm was closer than expected (263-200 yd edge) in 26 mph winds. In the B10 Title game NU was run over by Wisc yielding 539 yds rush(10.8).They led Georgia 31-23 in the bowl but lost by 14.TY NU has 12 ret sts incl QB Martinez and their top 3 rec's. NU had 3 net close wins LY but on the positive side they were -12 in TO's, had -2 net upsets and their +119.1 ypg was best in the B10. NU's schedule also gets easier as OSU and Wisc drop off and are replaced by Purdue and Illinois. NU has a great shot at getting back to the Big Ten Title game.
 
15- Clemson


Tommy Bowden went through many ebbs and flows. They were in the Top 15 six times, but finished ranked just 4 times. In '09 my magazine was the only major publication to call for CU to win the Atlantic (picked as low as 4th by others). CU got to its first ever ACC Title gm but lost to GT by 5. After beating UK in the Music City Bowl, they finished #24. In '10 they had to replace RB Spiller and WR Ford (their most dangerous weapons) and veteran QB Parker had a down yr.They did lead eventual Nat'l Champ Auburn 17-3 at half but lost in OT and were a very disappointing 6-7 with 4 net close losses. In '11 CU had 14 ret sts and made my MIT List and nearly had a dream season. They were picked 4th or 5th in the Atlantic by many but I had them 2nd.They set an ACC record with 3 str wins over ranked tms. CU was #6 at 8-0 when they lost at GT and had a disappointing finish. They were a dog to VT in the ACC Champ but won their first ACC Title in 20 yrs. They got 10 wins for the first times/'90 and made their first ever BCS bowl game.WV put up 70 pts on them and CU's D became a punch line over the off ssn.LY CU again had 14 ret sts .They beat Aub in the opener 26-19. At the time, that looked like a great win but at the end of the year, not so much. After plastering Ball St and Furman they were on primetime vs Fla St and led 21-14 at HT but gave up 667 yds on the day and lost 49-37. They only led BC 24-21 at half winning by just 14 on the road. Playing with revenge vs GT, they trailed 31-30 in the 4Q and it was much closer than the 47-31 final with CU getting a td with :50 left. CU did beat VT at home by 21 despite being outgained 406-295 but they were in control throughout. They destroyed WF, Duke and MD by a combined 143-43 and had a schl rec 102 plays for 754 yds (#2 CU hist) vs NCSt, a game they trailed 24-13 before scoring 42 unanswered pts for a 62-48 win.They led rival SC 14-10 at HT(237-188yd)but lost by 10. In the bowl they trailed LSU 24-13 in the 4Q but rallied for a 25-24 win with a 37 yd fg on the final play. CU finished #11 and returns QB Boyd and WR Watkins.This looks like Swinney's best tm yet but they draw Georgia and SC out of the SEC and also face Fla St at home. Even with the tough sked, I'll still call the Tigers a Darkhorse National Title contender.
 
RT @DonBestSports ALL 250 College Football Games of the Year from @GoldenNuggetLV will be announced Friday on Sportsbook Radio.
 
I see Steele is saying on his site no more FCS mag, any other good mags out for fcs teams?
 
84 days to go ...

Boise State wins since 2006: Boise State has 84 wins since Chris Petersen took over as head coach in 2006, 10 more than any other program over that span.

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Under Petersen, Boise State has recorded two undefeated seasons, three undefeated regular seasons, and reached the Bowl Championship Series twice. The 2006 season was capped with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, while the 2009 team defeated Texas Christian in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl to finish the season 14–0. They were just the second team ever to go 14–0 in the history of major college football.

The 2010 team achieved their highest preseason ranking in history as the Associated Press ranked the Broncos as the 3rd best team in the country. That same offseason, Boise State accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference starting in 2011.

Later in the 2010 season, Boise State achieved the highest rankings in its history, being voted in at #2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll, as well as earning the #3 slot in the first BCS ranking.


Shortly after the 2010 season, the NCAA found Boise State guilty of a large number of athletic violations. The NCAA found Boise State guilty of "lack of institutional control," the highest category of malfeasance under the NCAA violation system at the time. The Boise State football program was given three years probation, lost three scholarships a year, and had its number of Fall practices reduced.

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Between 2008 and 2011, the Broncos went 50–3 to become the first FBS team to win 50 games over a four year span. With the 50–3 record, quarterback Kellen Moore became the winningest quarterback in FBS history, passing former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (45 wins).


On December 7, 2011, it was announced that the Broncos would join the Big East Conference as football only members as of July 1, 2013 and would be sharing a division with Memphis, SMU, Houston, San Diego State, and Temple. However, on December 31, 2012, Boise State announced they had decided to stay in the Mountain West conference, leaving the Big East, much like TCU, without ever playing a game in it.

-----------------------------
One writer from the SF Gate site, C.W. Nevius, wrote this about the 2007 Fiesta Bowl ...


The Boise State-Oklahoma bowl game on New Year’s Day has raised a simple question: Was that the greatest college football game ever?


The answer? Yes. It was.

What the heck. One of them has to be.


And frankly, OU had a point in that regard. This wasn't a case of not getting the respect BSU deserved. After all, who among us didn't think they were over-rated?

First, of course, it was an upset. Oklahoma was not just the seventh-ranked team in the country, the Sooners were a little miffed that they weren't playing for the National Championship. Until this game they had that classic old college wheeze — the officials screwed us (in the Oregon game) — to fall back on. That was surely going to be the theme of the off-season once they disposed of poor, over-matched Boise State.


It’s Boise, for God’s sake. They have a blue football field. (I’ve seen that field, by the way, and it is entirely understandable why birds attempt to land on it thinking it is a lake. It is really, really blue.) They have a running back who knits (Be sure to check out the reference to the “leading crochet magazine.”


And it’s Boise. As in Idaho. Did we mention that?


Second, the game had lead changes. We don’t want to get up on our soapbox again here, but remember the simple CWN rule of football. To have a terrific game you must have lead changes. A thrilling, 10-7 victory in which the winner takes a lead and hangs on, does not meet our standard. The lead must change hands.


And it did in this one. All over the place. When Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky (who looks like the kind of guy who might be the leading passer in the Boise State flag football league) threw a killer interception that was returned for a . . . wait for it . . . lead-changing touchdown in the final minute it looked as if the fun was over.


Actually, it was only beginning.


Now, lots of teams mount comebacks. And that’s a wonderful thing. But to do it with these kinds of zany plays and wacky fiddle-faddle takes this to a whole other level.


It’s isn't just scoring a touchdown on a 50-yard hook and ladder play on fourth and forever with the clock winding down to tie it; or, a scoring pass on an option pass by a wide receiver who took the snap while the quarterback trotted into a pass pattern; or to win the game on a State of Liberty run when they could have gone for a routine, game-tying extra point.


No it is having the guts and imagination to try those plays, to come up with them, practice them, have the courage to call them, and then to pull them off that makes it remarkable. We’re still taking about the hook and ladder play in the 1982 AFC playoff game between Miami and San Diego, but that was at the end of the first half. This was for the ball game. If any one of those gambles had failed, it would have been over.


And finally, just as a capper, you had to like those Boise State players. Having watched USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett showboat through a victory over Michigan, the world needed a little balance.

Then, when Johnson crossed the goal line for the two point conversation that won the game, he threw the ball into the stands.To that we offer Boise running back Ian Johnson. Johnson, does, in fact, knit. In fact, apparently his knitted caps for women are something of a marketing sensation up in Boise. The story is that his mother suggested he take up knitting to help him relax. So that’s cute.


Exuberance? Sort of. Actually, Johnson knew where his father was sitting and tossed the ball to him. Here’s betting that ball ends up in the Boise Hall of Fame eventually, but it was a very nice thought.


But wait, there’s more.


Interviewed on national television, Johnson decided to go with an announcement he’d been planning for next week. He got down on one knee and proposed to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics.


She said yes, of course.


“I’m sure it wouldn't have been as romantic if we had lost,” Zabransky observed.


Lost? The greatest game ever? Not a chance. That’s just the kind of night it was.


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1984 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS


The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year.









#1 BYU beat a 6-loss Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl to win the national championship ... Flutie's Hail Mary to Phelan ripped the heart out of Miami, FL, 47-45 and propelled #5 BC to a Cotton Bowl win over Houston and a Heisman for the little QB ... #2 Washington finished 11-1 and beat a solid #6 Oklahoma team in the Orange Bowl ... and #4 Nebraska overcame a humbling loss to OU in the season finale to crush LSU in its backyard, 28-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

What about the #3 team? The Florida Gators, winners of the school's first SEC Football Championship that season?

Here's a little story that I did not know ...

Charley Pell had assembled this uber-team, then was canned three games in. Gone was the tight coaching that plagued Pell in big games, and it was replaced by the laid-back style of Galen Hall.


After starting 1-1-1 under Pell (and losing to Miami on a touchdown pass with seven seconds to play), Hall took over and the Gators never lost again. It was 25 years ago this week that they won the SEC trophy that seemed like it would never reside in Gainesville.


Funny thing, I haven't been able to find anyone at UF who knows where the trophy is. Or the trophy presented by the New York Times declaring Florida the 1984 national champs. The Times was not alone, as a couple of dozen organizations thought enough of that team to name the '84 Gators as the best team in the land, including two of the computer rankings used in today's BCS formula.

mzmi0OuSnlZYKVKvZg9NUOA.jpg

In some dusty storage room, that trophy is probably sitting in a corner underneath an old Albert costume and behind the archaic manual scoreboard they used to use at Alligator Alley.


Because even though that team was amazing, even though that team did what had never been done before, there was this one little problem.
Actually, there were 106 of them.


Pell was alleged to have violated 106 NCAA rules. The sleuths had followed him to Gainesville from Clemson, where Pell was suspected of breaking rules. This time, they got him.


And therein lies the problem.


In the spring of 1985, Tennessee led a charge to strip Florida of the title it had won on the field. Enough presidents agreed and the title was vacated.


Florida began putting the years of its champions up on the wall when they started coming rapid-fire, and Spurrier insisted the 1990 team — ineligible for the title because of probation — be up there as well. That meant the 1984 and '85 teams had to be included.


A couple of years ago, the wall became too crowded with years of success and the obvious solution was to take down the "First in the SEC" seasons.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i... florida hall vacate football&pg=4222,7996257
 
14-south carolina

When the preseason poll debuts,the Gamecocks will have been ranked for 48 consec wks,the longest streak in SC history. SC's last conf title,however,came in the ACC in 1969. Steve Spurrier has now had 0 losing seasons in 8 yrs (7 bowls). Spurrier's high water mark in his first 5 yrs was at #6 in '07 when the team was6-1 but they finished just6-6(NR).After winning 7 in'08 and '09 SC stepped it up to 9-5 (#22) in '10. They were 11-2 and finished #9 (in '11). It was the 2nd year in a row they swept their biggest 4 rivals (UF,GA,Tenn and Clem).LY SC opened #9 and finished #8.They got as high as#3(highests/'84)after knocking off #5 GA. A tough schedule got the best of them as their only 2 losses came in their 2nd and 3rd gms of a brutal 3 game stretch(3 Top 10 tms).SC opened vs Vandy.QB Shaw was inj'd and bkp Thompson struggled but they still escaped, 17-13. Thompson led a 48-10 win over EC then Shaw ret'd vs UAB and they won 49-6 (Spurrier's 200th win). Shaw had 20 straight comp in their 31-10 win vs Missouri. They trailed Kentucky 17-7 but UK blew an opp at the end of 1H not even getting a fg off from the 3 yd line. SC scored 10 pts in the final minutes and won by 21. SC obliterated UGA (led 21-0 after 1Q) but at #3, in their 2nd str tough game and in Death Valley vs a desperate #9 LSU, they were outgained 406-211 and lost 23-21. They had a 3rd str tough game, on the road in "The Swamp" and TO's did them in.SC had a 103-29 yd edge at half but trailed 21-6 and 37-8 after 3Q's.Tenn gave them a game but SC won 38-35. SC then beat Ark and Wofford and were outgained by Clem 237-188 at the half(trailed14-10)but rallied for a 27-17 win. In the bowl they rallied again getting a late td pass in the final seconds to pull out a 33-28 win over Michigan. TY SC is just #96 in my Exp Chart (pg 37). The Gamecocks do catch a break being the only one of the top 3 in the East not to face Bama, LSU or A&M. SC has 2 capable QB's and should top 300 ypg passing for the first time under Spurrier. The D loses 6 key starters but returns Jadeveon Clowney.They get UF and Clemson at home and figure to be an underdog in only one game and that is Wk 2 at UGA, a team they have defeated 3 straight years. SC is a legitimate National Title Contender.
 
13- Texas a&m

In '10 A&M made my MIT List coming off a 6-7 season. They won 6 of their last 7 in '10 only losing to LSU in the Cotton Bowl, 41-24 finishing 9-4 (+58 ypg B12, 4th best). Of their top 50 players in '11,only 6 were Sr's. They appeared poised for their first DD win season s/'98.A&M was picked 2nd in the B12 (highest s/'99) and announced they would join the SEC in Sept. They could have easily had a much better record. They were +93 ypg (2nd best B12) but finished 4-5 in conf play.The story of their season was blown DD 2H leads as they led OSt 20-3, Ark 35-17, Mizzou 28-17 and TX 16-7 at HT but lost each game. I noted LY that Kevin Sumlin took over a team that could have been 12-1 as there was only 1 game that they did not have a DD lead in.A&M had less exp(13rets tsvs18)and was taking a step up to the SEC. In the opener they led Fla 17-10 at HT but it appeared to be déjà vu as UF dominated the 2H and won 20-17. They blew out both SMU, SCSt and then demolished Ark by a comb 176-27 margin. Miss was SOD at its own 39 late 4Q and A&M pulled out the 30-27 win.A&M had LSU on deck and led LT 39-13 but needed to stop a 2 pt conv to hold on for the 2 pt win. LSU was off huge games vs Fla and SC and was travelling. A&M jumped out to a 12-0 lead but LSU led 24-12 in the 5 pt win. A&M obliterated Aub and Miss St and caught Bama off their big game vs LSU and pulled the upset on the road vs the eventual Nat'l Champ, 29-24 (A&M 23-17 FD).They led 47-0 vs SHSt. With Corbin Berkstresser at QB for Mizzou hitting 3-8-28 in the 1Q, A&M scored td's on its first 6 poss in another blowout.They had perhaps their best game in the Cotton Bowl. At HT they led 14-13(outgained274-248)but dominated the 2H in a 41-13 win.Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy and returns for his soph yr. On the positive side, they avoid the Big 3 out of the East and their +153.4 ypg LY was #2 in the SEC and they were also -5 in TO's. On the negative side, they are a -3.0 in the Stock Market Indicator and had positive off (12.6) and def (17.9) ypp's plus return just 11 st'rs. A&M did bring in one of the top recruiting classes in the country and is a legitimate Nat'l Title contender, however after being under the radar last year teams will be focusing on the Aggies TY.
 
Team. Stock Market #
Southern Miss 10
Auburn 8
Arkansas 6.5
South Alabama 6
Hawaii 5
TCU 5
Illinois 5
Temple 4.5
Massachusetts 4.5
FIU 4.5
Utah 4
Missouri 4
Virginia Tech 4
Michigan St 4
Houston 4
Boston College 3.5
USF 3.5
Iowa 3.5
Kentucky 3.5
Oklahoma St 3.5
Idaho 3
Nevada 3
Army 3
Colorado 3
Miami, Oh 3
Wisconsin 3
California 3
UTEP 2.5
West Virginia 2.5
Western Michigan 2.5
Air Force 2
USC 2
New Mexico St 2
LSU 2
Virginia 2
Eastern Michigan 2
Maryland 1.5
Connecticut 1.5
Kansas 1.5
NC State 1.5
Wyoming 1.5
 
Team Stock Market #
San Jose St -8
Kent St -6
Utah St -5.5
Oregon St -5
Vanderbilt -5
Bowling Green -4.5
Middle Tennessee -4
Ole Miss -4
Central Micihigan -4
UCLA -4
Notre Dame -4
Louisville -4
Georgia -4
Ball St -4
Florida -3.5
Northwestern -3.5
ULM -3.5
Ohio St -3
Fresno St -3
Minnesota -3
Duke -3
Texas A&M -3
New Mexico -3
Rice -3
Cincinnati -3
Clemson -3
Louisiana -3
Arkansas St -3
Arizona -2.5
East Carolina -2.5
Texas -2.5
Florida St -2.5
Memphis -2.5
Rutgers -2.5
Kansas St -2.5
Louisiana Tech -2.5
WKU -2.5
UCF -2
Alabama -2
Tulsa -2
Arizona St -2
 
83 days to go ...

Miami's 30-year anniversary: 1983 was the first championship year for The U, and the one still most revered by the fan-base That year launched Miami's Decade of Dominance, which lasted through the 1991 national championship, its fourth in nine seasons.

[video=youtube_share;MoNs0mdKAO8]http://youtu.be/MoNs0mdKAO8[/video]
Don Criqui on the call for NBC as Nebraska rallies against the Hurricanes


In arguably the greatest college football bowl game ever played, Miami won its first national championship 31-30, after Nebraska missed a two-point conversion attempt in the 50th anniversary Orange Bowl Classic.

The ’Huskers had pulled within one with 48 seconds to play, but Miami strong safety Ken Calhoun stepped in front of a Turner Gill attempted two-point conversion pass to preserve the win. The 11-0 ’Huskers were the favorites, but they quickly found themselves behind 17-0, after Miami freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar threw two touchdowns to his tight end Glenn Dennison.

The first ’Husker points came in the second quarter on Dean Steinkuhler's controversial 19-yard "fumblerooskie" play. The Huskers added a 1- yard Gill run to close the gap to 17-14.

A Nebraska field goal tied it at 17 in the third, but Alonzo Highsmith and Albert Bentley scored touchdowns at the end of long Kosar-led drives. Nebraska responded at the close of the third with a Jeff Smith 1-yard run and. After Miami missed a field goal in the fourth, Smith ran it in from the 24 yards out with 48 second left in the game. Then, the Nebraska comeback hopes were dashed when the conversion pass was batted away.

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1983 COLLEGE FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS

This Miami team was the first to win a national title without a single player voted to the first team All-Americans and only the second to win a national title gaining more passing yards than rushing.


The Auburn Tigers, featuring Bo Jackson also had a stellar season going 11-1 and beating Michigan in the Sugar Bowl 9-7. Despite entering the bowl games ranked third in both major polls, and with both teams ranked higher losing their bowl games, the Tigers ended ranked third in the final AP poll as Miami jumped from 5th to gain the National Championship.

Auburn had played the toughest schedule in the nation, including eight bowl teams, seven of which were ranked in the top 20 (four in the top ten). Perhaps because of the difficult schedule, the Tigers did finish ranked first in a few polls including the New York Times computer rankings.


The Holiday Bowl was also a classic, as BYU, led by future NFL star Steve Young, defeated Missouri with a last second halfback pass.


The annual rivalry game between Oregon and Oregon State is still widely known and derided as "The Toilet Bowl", as the teams played to a 0-0 tie, the last scoreless tie in college football. The game featured 11 total turnovers, as 6 fumbles were lost (out of 11 total), 5 interceptions, and 4 missed field goals.

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This season saw no conference have two or more teams tie for the title—an event that did not happen again in either Division I-A or its successor, Division I FBS, until 2009. (Note, however, that even when a conference officially recognizes multiple champions, it will invariably have some kind of tiebreaker system to determine placement for bowl berths.)



  1. September 17, 1983 was a day of shakeup in the top 5. #2 Oklahoma lost at home to #6 Ohio State, 24-12. #3 Texas won at #4 Auburn 20-7. #5 Notre Dame lost at home to Michigan State, 28-23. The new poll was 1. Nebraska, 2. Texas, 3. Ohio State, 4. Arizona, and 5. North Carolina. Nebraska and Texas would hold their spots at #1 and #2 for the remainder of the regular season.
  2. November 5 saw no change in the top 5, but on November 12, #4 Georgia lost at home to #3 Auburn, 13-7. Illinois clinched the Big 10 title and Rose Bowl berth with a 49-21 rout of Indiana, their 9th straight win. The Illini jumped ahead of Miami and replaced Georgia at #4. That would be the last change in the top 5 for the regular season.
  3. The key bowl matchups were set with #1 Nebraska facing #5 Miami in the Orange Bowl, #2 Texas facing #7 Georgia in the Cotton Bowl, #3 Auburn facing Big 10 runner up #8 Michigan in the Sugar Bowl, and #4 Illinois facing unranked Pac-10 champion UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

Heisman Winner: Mike Rozier, Nebraska RB (1,801 points)


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COTTON BOWL RECAP: Georgia 10, Texas 9
Again, the Cotton Bowl found itself holding a key to the national title. For the sixth time, Texas came to Dallas unbeaten and with a lofty national ranking at stake. The Longhorns were a perfect 11-0-0 and held down the No. 2 spot in the Top 20 poll.

A victory over No. 7 Georgia would put the Horns in a favorable position to move into first place should top-ranked Nebraska stumble later that evening against Miami in the Orange Bowl. However, it was the Longhorns that stumbled first.

With a little more than four and a half minutes to play, Texas looked to be in good shape, holding a 9-3 margin over the Bulldogs in a game dominated by outstanding defense and field goals.

Texas freshman Jeff Ward had kicked the Longhorns to an apparant victory. Ward opened the game with a 22-yard field goal on Texas’ first possession and added back-to-back efforts in the third quarter to tie a Classic field goal record. Georgia’s only score also came on a field goal with Kevin Butler in the
first quarter.


When the clock struck the 4:35 mark in the fourth period, the Texas defense again had forced a frustrated Bulldog offense into a punting situation at the Georgia 34-yard line. Only twice in the second half had the Dawgs managed to move the football into Texas territory. In came Chip Andrews to punt the ball away for the eighth time.

With the clock becoming a factor, and Georgia growing more and more desperate as each second passed, Texas became fearful of a possible fake. The Longhorns elected not to bring in their regular punt return unit, and Craig Curry replaced Jitter Fields as the return man. Andrews got the kick away, a 43-yarder and Curry moved into position to make the catch. But, Curry dropped the ball and the Bulldogs’ Gary Moss was on the spot to make the recovery at the Texas 23.

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In a matter of seconds, the Longhorns’ fortunes had taken a severe turn for the worse. Three plays after the fumbled punt, Texas’ hopes for the No. 1 spot went down the drain. Georgia quarterback John Lastinger, working the option around the right side, broke free at the line of scrimmage, turned up field and carried 17 yards for the touchdown. Butler added the extra point with 3:22 left and the underdog Dawgs had a 10-9 victory.

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The Longhorns had suffered their first defeat when they could least afford it. Seven hours later, top-ranked Nebraska met the same fate. Miami pulled off a
31-30 upset over the Huskers, and used the victory to climb into first place.


ROSE BOWL RECAP: UCLA 45, Illinois 9
This Rose Bowl was supposed to be different. Twenty years had passed since Illinois represented the Big Ten Conference here at the start of a new year.

With a coach and passing combination imported from California and with the ability to beat the Pacific-10 Conference at its own wide-open game, an element that Big Ten teams traditionally lacked, all those cold winters back home could be forgotten.

But for the llini, the 70th Rose Bowl turned out to be nothing but one embarrassing shock after another. They lost to U.C.L.A today, 45-9, before a crowd of 103,217 to equal the most one-sided defeat a Big Ten team had suffered here since the two conferences began the relationship in 1947. The Bruins, who did not win the Pac-10 championship until the final weekend of the season when they defeated Southern California and Washington lost to Washington State, took a 28-3 lead by halftime. At the end of the game, when the scoreboards had stopped working- because, it was suspected, of a prank by California Institute of Technology students- the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Rose841.jpg


"The only highlight of the game for me was when the scoreboard went out," said Mike White, the Illinois coach. "It eased the pain a little."

The Illini (10-2), who had been ranked as high as fourth in the nation and who were confident of a spot in the Rose Bowl after having defeated Michigan in late October, gained a net rushing total of zero yards. "We were getting into situations where we had to throw,” said Jack Trudeau, the sophomore Illini quarterback, who had three passes intercepted, tying a Rose Bowl record. "We didn't execute. We didn't block. We didn't tackle. We didn't throw.”

"I really couldn't tell you what happened," said Mark Butkus, the defensive tackle whose uncle, Dick, played on the Illini team that beat Washington here in 1964.

"Maybe I can wear a mask around campus," said Don Thorp, the all-America defensive tackle. "It's not that I’m ashamed. We should have done a better job.”

Rick Neuheisel, The UCLA quarterback whose college career began without a scholarship, passed for 4 touchdowns to tie a Rose Bowl and school record. He completed 31 passes for 288 yards. He ran an offense that controlled the powerful Illinois defensive line and humiliated its secondary. He was named the most valuable player of the game.

Rose843.jpg


And what made Neuheisel's day even more remarkable was the way that he felt when it started.

He felt lousy.

He awoke in a hotel room at 4 A.M. queasy and sweating hours before his first Rose Bowl as a starter. "I thought it was nerves," he recalled.

But Neuheisel had been in important games earlier in this season, and he had never felt anything like this. By the time the game started, the quarterback had vomited four times.

The problem, apparently, was food poisoning, not nerves. Several other players were affected, three of them- the starting defensive tackle, David Randle, the punter, Kevin Buenafe and the reserve defensive lineman Tory Pankopf- badly enough so that they could not play. The quarterback said that once the game started, he felt better. "Except when I sat on the bench,” he said, "and my head felt kind of light.”

THE SCOREBOARD PRANK:
A pair of Caltech students evaded security at the Rose Bowl, hacked into the electronic system and installed a computer that could be remotely controlled to alter the display on the stadium's digital scoreboard. During the game, the students from Caltech remotely altered the scoreboard display to show the teams playing in the game as Caltech and M.I.T., in place of UCLA and Illinois. One of the prank's perpetrators had received approval from his Caltech professor for the prank, which earned him credit for the course "Experimental Projects in Electrical Circuits".
 
COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES OF THE YEAR
Published on: June 07, 2013 | Written by: Todd Fuhrman
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Today is a major summer milestone on the sports betting calendar in Las Vegas. For the 7th straight year, the Golden Nugget is opening their menu of college football game of the year lines before anyone else in the city. The 248 games that include some of the season's most high profile contests will be available for wagering starting Friday afternoon at the legendary downtown hotel. As far as college football bettors are concerned, this marks the unofficial beginning of college football season from a betting perspective.


Race and Sports head of the Golden Nugget Tony Miller and his top oddsmaker Aaron Kessler call the arduous process of getting all the numbers up a labor of love. From the modest beginnings of just 28 games when the hotel first started the project, increased demand led them to take on the daunting task of hanging nearly 250 games in anticipation of the 2013 season, a far cry even from last year's ambitious slate of 109. Kessler was rather modest when I had the chance to talk to him early this week about the expenditure of man hours for such an endeavor, ballparking his time commitment around 100. As a former oddsmaker myself, let me say when he says 100 it's nearly triple that in addition to all the time spent cultivating power rankings, reading everything you can, and then double checking your work a minimum of 3 times before prices can be released to the betting public.


Miller and Kessler, along with plenty of collaboration from respected handicapper Bruce Marshall, poured over each team to build a rating they feel accurately represents a team's overall strength (or weakness). As one would expect the biggest programs from the top conferences appear most frequently on the comprehensive list highlighted by national runner up Notre Dame lined in all 12 of their regular season games. Kessler admitted he made a 3.5 point adjustment in his power ratings to the Irish once Everett Golson left South Bend. Alabama made the list 10 times and is a double digit favorite in every game except for their trip to College Station on September 14 where they're listed as a 6 pt road favorite vs Texas A&M. Clearly we should all be circling our calendars for the much awaited September 21 clash when Colorado St invades the SEC; Alabama is a 41 pt chalk, the largest line for any game on the sheet.


What surprised me the most from my extensive conversation with Kessler is how high he was on Ole Miss this year. There are obvious reasons to like what they're building in Oxford but I was still startled to see him list Ole Miss as 4 pt favorites for their road opener in Vanderbilt considering some offshores opened Vanderbilt as high as a 5 point favorite. Among other programs he was high on, Kessler included 3 teams in the Pac 12: Arizona St, Oregon, and Oregon St as sides to watch in 2013 while both LSU and UCLA posed him plenty of challenges trying to power rate them correctly. Miller believes the Stanford Cardinal are a team that might continue to catch people by surprise while both Golden Nugget oddsmakers agreed Louisville had a tremendous opportunity to be 11-0 headed into their season finale against Cincinnati. Auburn and Arkansas were two teams mentioned that posed a few problems, mainly because no one expects them to be as bad as they were a year ago but the gambling community at large is still skeptical about how big an improvement both can make with new coaches.


Unfortunately for those diehard Sun Belt fans, none of the conference games made the list. In total, 83 teams are featured so fans of nearly every school can get their gambling fix if they'll be in Las Vegas this summer. Betting limits for the games remain 1,000 and the 10 totals that are available will have a 500 max bet. Without further fanfare, what everyone came here to see... the unveiling of all 248 games in the order they'll appear on the college football schedule this season.


Thursday, August 29


UNLV @ Minnesota (-13)
North Carolina @ South Carolina (-12)
Ole Miss (-4) @ Vanderbilt


Saturday, August 31


Washington St @ Auburn (-11.5)
Northwestern (-10.5) @ California
Nevada @ UCLA (-15)
Colorado vs Colorado St (-3.5) **Denver
Temple @ Notre Dame (-24)
Penn St (-6.5) vs Syracuse ** East Rutherford, NJ
Mississippi St vs Oklahoma St (-14) ** Houston
BYU (-3.5) @ Virginia
Boise St @ Washington (-2)
Alabama (-17, 48.5) vs Virginia Tech ** Atlanta
Georgia (-3.5) @ Clemson
LSU (-4) vs TCU ** Arlington, TX


Monday, September 2


Florida St (-13) @ Pittsburgh


Saturday, September 7


Washington St @ USC (-21)
South Carolina @ Georgia (-4)
Syracuse @ Northwestern (-13)
South Florida @ Michigan St (-16)
Notre Dame @ Michigan (PK)
San Diego St @ Ohio St (-21.5)
West Virginia @ Oklahoma (-16)
Texas (-7.5) @ BYU
Oregon (-21) @ Virginia
Florida (-2.5) @ Miami FL
Arizona (-17) @ UNLV


Thursday, September 12


TCU (-4) @ Texas Tech


Saturday, September 14


Mississippi St (-1) @ Auburn
Wisconsin @ Arizona St (PK)
Ohio St (-21) @ California
Boston College @ USC (-21.5)
Nevada @ Florida St (-26)
Iowa @ Iowa St (-4)
Louisville (-14) @ Kentucky
UCLA @ Nebraska (-6)
Tulsa @ Oklahoma (-18)
Alabama (-6, 54.5) @ Texas A&M
Ole Miss @ Texas (-8)
Oregon St (-6) @ Utah
Washington (-11) vs Illinois ** Chicago
Central Michigan @ UNLV (-4)
Tennessee @ Oregon (-25)
Notre Dame (-14) @ Purdue
Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (-11)


Thursday, September 19


Clemson (-11) @ North Carolina State


Saturday, September 21


Oregon St (-6.5) @ San Diego St
Arizona St @ Stanford (-10)
Michigan (-12) @ Uconn
Tennessee @ Florida (-12)
North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (-4.5)
Michigan St @ Notre Dame (-6)
Auburn @ LSU (-18)
West Virginia (-2) @ Maryland
Arkansas @ Rutgers (PK)
Kansas St @ Texas (-9)
Utah @ BYU (-7.5)
Colorado St @ Alabama (-41)


Thursday, September 26


Virginia Tech (-1) @ Georgia Tech


Saturday, September 28


Texas A&M (-17) @ Arkansas
USC @ Arizona St (PK)
Miami FL (-10) @ South Florida
LSU @ Georgia (-6, 52)
Southern Mississippi @ Boise St (-21.5)
Oklahoma @ Notre Dame (-2)
Florida (-20) @ Kentucky
Florida St (-17) @ Boston College
Wisconsin @ Ohio St (-11, 45)
Colorado @ Oregon St (-22)
Wake Forest @ Clemson (-21)
Arizona @ Washington (-5)
Stanford (-18.5) @ Washington St
Oklahoma St (-11) @ West Virginia
Ole Miss @ Alabama (-17)
South Carolina (-14) @ Central Florida
California @ Oregon (-34)


Thursday, October 3


Texas (-12) @ Iowa St
UCLA (-5) @ Utah


Saturday, October 5


Washington @ Stanford (-10)
Oregon (-37) @ Colorado
Arkansas @ Florida (-17)
Ohio St (-8) @ Northwesterm
Arizona St vs Notre Dame (-4) ** Arlington, TX
Minnesota @ Michigan (-15)
Clemson (-8) @ Syracuse
Kansas St @ Oklahoma St (-9)
TCU @ Oklahoma (-9)
Louisville (-17) @ Temple
West Virginia @ Baylor (-7)
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (-6.5)
LSU (-9) @ Mississippi St
Michigan St (-9) @ Iowa
Georgia Tech @ Miami FL (-7)
Kentucky @ South Carolina (-23.5)
Georgia (-11) @ Tennessee


Thursday, October 10


Arizona @ USC (-7)
Rutgers @ Louisville (-10)


Friday, October 11


Temple @ Cincinnati (-18)


Saturday, October 12


South Carolina (-13) @ Arkansas
Colorado @ Arizona St (-27)
California @ UCLA (-16.5)
Missouri @ Georgia (-18)
Alabama (-30) @ Kentucky
Florida @ LSU (-4, 41.5)
Texas A&M (-4) @ Ole Miss
Michigan (-2.5) @ Penn St
Boston College @ Clemson (-22)
Oklahoma vs Texas (PK) ** Dallas
Georgia Tech @ BYU (-3)
Stanford (-13) @ Utah
Oregon St (-13) @ Washington St
Northwestern @ Wisconsin (-6)
Baylor @ Kansas St (-5)


Thursday, October 17


Miami FL @ North Carolina (PK)


Friday, October 18


Central Florida @ Louisville (-11)


Saturday, October 19


Washington @ Arizona St (-5)
Utah @ Arizona (-12)
UCLA @ Stanford (-10)
Oregon St (-13) @ California
Minnesota @ Northwestern (-15)
USC @ Notre Dame (-5)
Florida (-6) @ Missouri
LSU @ Ole Miss (-2)
Iowa @ Ohio St (-23)
TCU @ Oklahoma St (-10)
Florida St @ Clemson (-2)
Georgia (-10) @ Vanderbilt
Auburn @ Texas A&M (-24)
Arkansas @ Alabama (-29)
Washington St @ Oregon (-35.5)


Friday, October 25


Boise St @ BYU (-1)


Saturday, October 26


Utah @ USC (-18)
Arizona (-20) @ Colorado
North Carolina St @ Florida St (-20)
Louisville (-13) @ South Florida
Oklahoma St (-14) @ Iowa St
South Carolina (-7) @ Missouri
Penn St @ Ohio St (-16)
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma (-14)
Stanford (-3) @ Oregon St
Vanderbilt @ Texas A&M (-16)
California @ Washington (-17)
Tennessee @ Alabama (-27)
Notre Dame (-18) @ Air Force
Northwestern (-12) @ Iowa
West Virginia @ Kansas St (-9)
UCLA @ Oregon (-20)
Texas (-3) @ TCU
Arizona St (-15) @ Washington St


Friday, November 1


USC @ Oregon St (-2)


Saturday, November 2


Auburn @ Arkansas (-3.5)
Arizona (-11) @ California
Colorado @ UCLA (-22)
Miami FL @ Florida St (-8)
Georgia (-4, 44.5) vs Florida ** Jacksonville
Navy @ Notre Dame (-18)
Michigan @ Michigan St (-3)
North Carolina (-2.5) @ North Carolina St
Illinois @ Penn St (-19)
Kansas @ Texas (-31.5)
Clemson (-13.5) @ Virginia
Iowa St @ Kansas St (-13.5)
Ohio St (-17) @ Purdue
Mississippi St @ South Carolina (-15)
West Virginia @ TCU (-10)


Thursday, November 7


Oregon (-4) @ Stanford
Oklahoma (-6) @ Baylor


Friday, November 8


Louisville (-10.5) @ Uconn


Saturday, November 9


UCLA @ Arizona (-4)
USC (-17) @ California
TCU (-9.5) @ Iowa St
Nebraska @ Michigan (-4)
Penn St (-8) @ Minnesota
Florida St (-18) @ Wake Forest
Kansas @ Oklahoma St (-29)
Notre Dame (-10.5) @ Pittsburgh
BYU @ Wisconsin (-8)
Texas (-12) @ West Virginia
LSU @ Alabama (-11.5, 39.5)
Virginia Tech @ Miami FL (-3.5)
Auburn @ Tennessee (-8)


Thursday, November 14


Georgia Tech @ Clemson (-9)


Friday, November 15


Washington @ UCLA (-2)


Saturday, November 16


Georgia (-15) @ Auburn
Oregon St @ Arizona St (-4.5)
Washington St @ Arizona (-19)
Stanford @ USC (-1)
Syracuse @ Florida St (-16)
Michigan @ Northwestern (-3)
Houston @ Louisville (-17)
Michigan St @ Nebraska (-6)
Iowa St @ Oklahoma (-20)
Purdue @ Penn St (-13.5)
Oklahoma St @ Texas (-6.5)
Alabama (-23) @ Mississippi St
Ohio St (-23) @ Illinois
TCU @ Kansas St (-4.5)
Utah @ Oregon (-28.5)
Florida @ South Carolina (-5)


Saturday, November 23


Oregon (-12) @ Arizona
California @ Stanford (-22)
Arizona St @ UCLA (-3)
USC (-24.5) @ Colorado
Kentucky @ Georgia (-29)
Michigan St @ Northwestern (-3)
BYU @ Notre Dame (-11)
Memphis @ Louisville (-24)
Texas A&M @ LSU (-1, 47.5)
Wisconsin (-10) @ Minnesota
Indiana @ Ohio St (-25)
Baylor @ Oklahoma (-11)
Washington @ Oregon St (-5)
Nebraska @ Penn St (PK)
Michigan (-10.5) @ Iowa
Oklahoma (-4) @ Kansas St
Virginia @ Miami FL (-15)
Vanderbilt @ Tennessee (-1)


Thursday, November 28


Texas Tech @ Texas (-16)
Ole Miss -6.5 @ Mississippi St


Friday, November 29


Iowa @ Nebraska (-14)
Miami FL (-7) @ Pittsburgh
Washington St @ Washington (-14)
Iowa St @ West Virginia (-7.5)
Oregon St @ Oregon (-16)


Saturday, November 30


Alabama (-24) @ Auburn
Arizona @ Arizona St (-5)
Notre Dame @ Stanford (-5.5)
UCLA @ USC (-7)
Florida St @ Florida (-2, 44)
Georgia (-9) @ Georgia Tech
Tennessee (-7.5) @ Kentucky
Arkansas @ LSU (-17)
Minnesota @ Michigan St (-14)
Ohio St (-6, 50.5) @ Michigan
Texas A&M (-13) @ Missouri
Virginia Tech (-10) @ Virginia
Penn St @ Wisconsin (-9)
Northwestern (-13) @ Illinois
Kansas St (-21.5) @ Kansas
BYU (-7.5) @ Nevada
Clemson @ South Carolina (-4.5)
Baylor @ TCU (-5)


Thursday, December 5


Louisville (-3) @ Cincinnati


Saturday, December 7


Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St (-3)
Texas (-8) @ Baylor


Saturday, December 14


Army vs Navy (-9) ** Philadelphia


For more betting information on the GOY lines, check in throughout the weekend at www.donbest.com
 
@HunterDJohnson @dctf Not necessarily. Mag should be hitting newsstands early next wk ahead of sked & Vegas just happened to get yesterday.
10:30am - 7 Jun 13
 
12- Virginia tech

In 1999, the Hokies played in the National Title gm and went 22-2 in a two yr stretch. They are one of just 3 active NCAA tms that have been to 20 str bowls (Fla, Fla St). VT made the move to the ACC in ‘04 and has been the dominant tm going 57-15 (reg ssn) and playing in 5 of the 8 ACC Title gms, with 4 ACC Titles (‘04, ‘07, ‘08, ‘10). Coming into LY VT was the only FBS team that had won 10+ gms in each of the L8Y.VT finished #9 in ‘07, #15 ‘08, #10 ‘09, #16 ‘10 and surprisingly in ‘11 only #21 after a Sugar Bowl OT loss to Mich (22-12 FD edge). VT had benefitted from 3 net close wins in ‘11, had to play Clem, NC and Miami all on the road LY and were picked 1st in the Coastal by 83 of the ACC’s 95 media members. I had them 2nd. VT finished even lower than my expectations at 4th. Despite having all of Aug to prep for the GT option they needed a 41 yd fg to send it to OT where they won by 3. After beating AP 42-7, VT had their streak of 13 str road wins snapped in a 35- 17 loss at Pitt(537-324yd deficit).They shut out BG but Cincy went 85/9pl for a 39 yd GW td pass with :13 left at FedEx Field. VT trailed NC 45-26 after 3Q and lost by 14. VT trailed Duke 20-0 in the 1Q but won 41-20. They had a 248-137 yd edge vs Clem at half but trailed 17-10 and lost by 21. Miami, which had 16 (blk punt) and 19 yd 1Q td “drives”, beat them 30-12. On a Thurs night they hosted#8bFla St and VT got a 21 yd fg w/2:19 left for a 22-20 lead but had their 2nd loss on a td pass in the last minute (:40). VT had to win its last 2 to get to a bowl and struggled vs BC needing OT. Vs UVA they had a 23-7 FD edge in a game played in swirling winds. After missing a 42 yd fg they got a 29 yd fg on the final play to keep their bowl streak alive. VT trailed Rut 10-0 at HT (154-53 yd deficit) but rallied for a 13-10 OT win. Things look much brighter for VT TY as my Stock Market Indicator is a bullish +4.0 and they were -3 in net upsets LY (pg29).VT has 15 ret st’rs incl QB Thomas and keep in mind, LY they only had 1 ret OL st’r and he was lost in Wk7. Led bya Top 10 def,VT will start a new streak of 10+wins and get my call to advance to the ACC Title game.
 
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