August 6, 2008

Who are the most undeserving National Champions?

Stephen Black wrote a very curious blog post recently outlining his take on the five least deserving national champions of the last twenty-five years. It's an interesting read and begs the question: Who are the most undeserving National Champions?

From Black's piece:

BYU, 1984 The Cougars defeated only one bowl team during the regular season (Air Force), and did not play anyone who finished the season ranked in the top 20. BYU's most impressive road win was at Pittsburgh, who finished the season 3-7-1.

And it's really hard for me to find fault with the suggestion that BYU was undeserving. As Black points out, Washington went 11-1 that season, knocking off #2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl that year and probably deserved AT LEAST a split of the national championship. In my opinion, BYU's most impressive win was a 52-9 drubbing of Colorado State in Fort Collins, but... that's just arguing semantics.

But... after that... it's hard for me to really get behind Black's list.

Georgia Tech, 1990 Bobby Ross' Yellow Jackets came out of nowhere to win the UPI national title in 1990 largely because, like BYU, they were the only undefeated team at the end of the season. The "Ramblin' Wreck" finished the season with a solid 11-0-1 record.

...

Give Georgia Tech credit for picking the right year to go 11-0-1. It was the best record in the country and the UPI poll awarded them with a national championship. However, Tech likely would've been underdog to any other team in the top five had they played in a bowl game.

Colorado, 1990
The year started off slowly for the Buffaloes, with a season-opening tie against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic and a loss at Illinois in their third game. However, the Buffs would not see another blemish on their record as they closed out the year with 10 consecutive victories.

A key turning point for Colorado was an out-of-conference win at eventual SWC champion Texas the week after the Illinois loss. CU would go on to convincingly defeat ranked opponents Oklahoma and Nebraska and win the Big Eight with an undefeated conference record.

...

Due to their controversial wins over Missouri and Notre Dame, a very good argument could be made that the Buffaloes did not deserve the national title.

Michigan, 1997
In the usually tough Big Ten, Michigan ended up being the only conference member to finish in the top 10 of the final AP rankings. Arguably, their best three wins were against Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, teams that got beaten handily by SEC teams in their bowl games.

Why does it matter that they got beat by opponents from the SEC? Because co-national champion Nebraska steamrolled SEC champion Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, 42-17. Meanwhile, Michigan was scraping by outmatched Washington State in the Rose, 21-16.

Had Michigan and Nebraska played a game for all the marbles, it is likely that the Cornhuskers would've been favored and, as most experts agreed at the time, the Huskers probably would've won the game handily.

Florida State, 1993
The Noles were in their second year in the ACC and still had not been challenged in a conference game. In fact, the closest ACC games for the Noles this year were 26-point drubbings of UNC and Virginia.

With Miami on a downswing, FSU was able to get past the Canes to set up a huge showdown against undefeated Notre Dame in South Bend.

FSU talked all week prior to the game about how they didn't care about the tradition at Notre Dame and how it wouldn't affect them during the game. After all, the team had not been challenged all season and was the prohibitive favorites to beat Notre Dame and win the national title.

Come Saturday, the Irish played the game of their lives and upset the cocky Noles, 31-24.

The national title was Notre Dame's for the taking until the team lost to little Boston College the following week on a last-second field goal, 41-39. FSU was back in the picture.

The Noles went on to play undefeated and No. 2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and won on yet another last-second field goal. The Noles survived despite a chaotic finish that resulted in three field goal attempts between the teams during the final 1:19 of play.

The Cornhuskers missed a 45-yard attempt on the final play of the game to give Bobby Bowden his long-awaited national title.

The Noles were probably the best team in 1993, but played only two truly tough regular season games—vs. Miami, who would finish No. 15 after a drubbing by Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl, and vs. Florida, who would win the SEC and finish No. 5. Before and between those two games were several easy wins against over-matched ACC opponents.

Although Notre Dame also played a relatively easy schedule, they also can make an argument for the national title on the strength of their head-to-head win over the Noles.

FSU was probably the better team overall, but they also deserve criticism for backing their way into the national title picture.

What say you? Who are the most undeserving National Champions?

Comments:

Who are the most undeserving National Champions?
Stephen Black wrote a very curious blog post recently outlining his take on the five least deserving national champions of the last twenty-five years. It's an interesting read and begs the question: Who are the most undeserving National Champions? From Black's piece:
BYU, 1984 The Cougars defeated only one bowl team during the regular season (Air Force), and did not play anyone who finished the season ranked in the top 20. BYU's most impressive road win was at Pittsburgh, who finished the season 3-7-1.
And it's really hard for me to find fault with the suggestion that BYU was undeserving. As Black points out, Washington went 11-1 that season, knocking off #2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl that year and probably deserved AT LEAST a split of the national championship. In my opinion, BYU's most impressive win was a 52-9 drubbing of Colorado State in Fort Collins, but... that's just arguing semantics. But... after that... it's hard for me to really get behind Black's list.
Georgia Tech, 1990 Bobby Ross' Yellow Jackets came out of nowhere to win the UPI national title in 1990 largely because, like BYU, they were the only undefeated team at the end of the season. The "Ramblin' Wreck" finished the season with a solid 11-0-1 record. ... Give Georgia Tech credit for picking the right year to go 11-0-1. It was the best record in the country and the UPI poll awarded them with a national championship. However, Tech likely would've been underdog to any other team in the top five had they played in a bowl game. Colorado, 1990 The year started off slowly for the Buffaloes, with a season-opening tie against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic and a loss at Illinois in their third game. However, the Buffs would not see another blemish on their record as they closed out the year with 10 consecutive victories. A key turning point for Colorado was an out-of-conference win at eventual SWC champion Texas the week after the Illinois loss. CU would go on to convincingly defeat ranked opponents Oklahoma and Nebraska and win the Big Eight with an undefeated conference record. ... Due to their controversial wins over Missouri and Notre Dame, a very good argument could be made that the Buffaloes did not deserve the national title. Michigan, 1997 In the usually tough Big Ten, Michigan ended up being the only conference member to finish in the top 10 of the final AP rankings. Arguably, their best three wins were against Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, teams that got beaten handily by SEC teams in their bowl games. Why does it matter that they got beat by opponents from the SEC? Because co-national champion Nebraska steamrolled SEC champion Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, 42-17. Meanwhile, Michigan was scraping by outmatched Washington State in the Rose, 21-16. Had Michigan and Nebraska played a game for all the marbles, it is likely that the Cornhuskers would've been favored and, as most experts agreed at the time, the Huskers probably would've won the game handily. Florida State, 1993 The Noles were in their second year in the ACC and still had not been challenged in a conference game. In fact, the closest ACC games for the Noles this year were 26-point drubbings of UNC and Virginia. With Miami on a downswing, FSU was able to get past the Canes to set up a huge showdown against undefeated Notre Dame in South Bend. FSU talked all week prior to the game about how they didn't care about the tradition at Notre Dame and how it wouldn't affect them during the game. After all, the team had not been challenged all season and was the prohibitive favorites to beat Notre Dame and win the national title. Come Saturday, the Irish played the game of their lives and upset the cocky Noles, 31-24. The national title was Notre Dame's for the taking until the team lost to little Boston College the following week on a last-second field goal, 41-39. FSU was back in the picture. The Noles went on to play undefeated and No. 2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and won on yet another last-second field goal. The Noles survived despite a chaotic finish that resulted in three field goal attempts between the teams during the final 1:19 of play. The Cornhuskers missed a 45-yard attempt on the final play of the game to give Bobby Bowden his long-awaited national title. The Noles were probably the best team in 1993, but played only two truly tough regular season games—vs. Miami, who would finish No. 15 after a drubbing by Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl, and vs. Florida, who would win the SEC and finish No. 5. Before and between those two games were several easy wins against over-matched ACC opponents. Although Notre Dame also played a relatively easy schedule, they also can make an argument for the national title on the strength of their head-to-head win over the Noles. FSU was probably the better team overall, but they also deserve criticism for backing their way into the national title picture.
What say you? Who are the most undeserving National Champions?