Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

hey i'd much rather go to Miami or New Orleans for a weekend trip than to Pasadena. don't have to sell me on that.

Then you are not a true B1G fan.

Thank you for adding the other conferences.  I had already listed the Big Ten and stated that the others were similar but didn't take the time to get the data. 

What I think has changed here is that with the advent of a four (soon-to-be 12) team playoff, the non-helmets no longer even have the ability to impact the race.  Looking at the 1970's:
1970:
Nebraska won at 11-0-1 (tie was at USC).  Notre Dame, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio State, and Michigan each finished with one loss so they would likely have won the NC but for that loss:

• Notre Dame's loss was to USC
• Texas' loss was to Notre Dame
• Tennessee's loss was to Auburn
• Ohio State's loss was to Stanford
• Michigan's loss was to Ohio State

Auburn and Stanford are really the only non-helmets there but their wins over Tennessee and Ohio State did prevent the Volunteers and Buckeyes from winning the NC. 

Thank you for adding the other conferences.  I had already listed the Big Ten and stated that the others were similar but didn't take the time to get the data. 

What I think has changed here is that with the advent of a four (soon-to-be 12) team playoff, the non-helmets no longer even have the ability to impact the race.  Looking at the 1970's:
1970:
Nebraska won at 11-0-1 (tie was at USC).  Notre Dame, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio State, and Michigan each finished with one loss so they would likely have won the NC but for that loss:

• Notre Dame's loss was to USC
• Texas' loss was to Notre Dame
• Tennessee's loss was to Auburn
• Ohio State's loss was to Stanford
• Michigan's loss was to Ohio State

Auburn and Stanford are really the only non-helmets there but their wins over Tennessee and Ohio State did prevent the Volunteers and Buckeyes from winning the NC. 

1971:
Nebraska won it at 13-0.  Oklahoma, Alabama, Penn State, Michigan, and Georgia each finished with one loss so they at least might have shared the title but for that loss:

• Oklahoma's loss was to Nebraska
• Alabama's loss was to Nebraska
• Penn State's loss was to Tennessee
• Michigan's loss was to Stanford
• Georgia's loss was to Auburn

So again, Auburn and Stanford each had NC altering wins.  BTW, Nebraska was a monster that year they beat the final #2, #3, and #4. 

1972:
USC won it at 12-0.  Oklahoma, Texas, and Michigan each finished with one loss so they at least might have shared the title but for that loss:

• Oklahoma's loss was to Colorado
• Texas' loss was to Oklahoma
• Michigan's loss was to Ohio State

Colorado had a NC altering win. 

1973:
Notre Dame won it at 11-0.  Ohio State and Michigan both finished 10-0-1 after tying each other.  Alabama (ND) finished with one loss. 

1974:
Oklahoma won it at 11-0.  USC finished 10-1-1.  Michigan and Alabama both finished with one loss so they at least might have shared the title but for that loss:

• Michigan's loss was to Ohio State
• Alabama's loss was to Notre Dame

1975:
Oklahoma won it at 11-1 after beating Michigan in the Orange Bowl.  Note to @Gigem , this was Michigan's first ever bowl game other than the Rose Bowl.  Oklahoma's loss was to a mediocre Kansas team and very nearly cost them the NC.  They went into the bowls #3 behind tOSU and aTm but luckily for them the Buckeyes and Aggies lost the Rose and Liberty Bowls.  Alabama finished with only one loss, to Missouri. 

This season may be the best example of what could happen.  Wins by Kansas (OU), Mizzou (Bama) and UCLA (tOSU) had a humongous impact on the NC race. 

As a Buckeye fan I feel obligated to point out that Ohio State's loss to (final) #5 UCLA in SoCal after having beaten UCLA earlier in the season was MUCH better than Oklahoma's loss to a Kansas team that finished 7-5 and unranked or Bama's loss to a Mizzou team that finished 6-5 and unranked.  This was Woody's last great team and his last win over Michigan.  It has long been speculated that IF he had won the NC he'd have retired on top. 

1976:
Pitt won it at 12-0.  USC finished with only one loss, to Mizzou.  Thus, for the second consecutive year Mizzou was a mediocre team but managed to pull of a huge upset win that had a major impact on the NC race. 

1977:
Notre Dame won it at 11-1.  Bama, Arkansas, Texas, Penn State, and Kentucky each finished with one loss. 

• Alabama's loss was to Nebraska
• Arkansas' loss was to Texas
• Texas' loss was to Notre Dame
• Penn State's loss was to Kentucky
• Kentucky's loss was to Baylor. 

Kentucky and Baylor were both non-helmets who had NC altering wins.  Also, Notre Dame's loss was an early season loss to a bad Ole Miss team in Jackson, Mississippi so you can add the Rebels to the list of non-helmets who impacted the race.  Notre Dame went into the bowls at #5 but they took out #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and meanwhile #2 OU lost to Arkansas (Orange) and #4 Michigan lost to Washington (Rose).  #3 Bama beat #9 tOSU (Sugar) in Ohio State's first non-Rose Bowl but that wasn't enough to keep them ahead of the Irish who knocked off #1. 

1978:
Alabama won it at 11-1 after beating prior #1 PSU (Sugar).  USC, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Clemson each finished with one loss:

• USC's loss was to ASU in ASU's first year in the PAC10 which had been the PAC8 up through 1977
• Oklahoma's loss was to Nebraska
• Penn State's loss was to Bama
• Clemson's loss was to Georgia

ASU had an NC altering win. 

1979:
Alabama won it at 12-0.  USC finished second at 11-0-1.  Oklahoma, Ohio State, Houston, Florida State, and Pitt each finished with one loss. 

• USC's tie was with a .500 Stanford team. 
• Oklahoma's loss was to Texas
• Ohio State's loss was to USC
• Houston's loss was to Texas
• Florida State's loss was to Oklahoma
• Pitt's loss was to North Carolina

Stanford and North Carolina were non-helmets but they had NC altering wins. 

It didn't happen often but it DID happen.  A non-helmet *COULD* impact that NC race and even the eventual winner.  Non-helmet fans like @utee94 's TxTech friend, @betarhoalphadelta , and @ELA rooted for teams that could and sometimes did have a MAJOR impact on the NC race.  For those three schools:
Texas Tech:
youtube.com/watch?v=TESavSr2Cew
Michael Crabtree's TD had a HUMONGOUS impact on the NC race.  TxTech wasn't really all that good.  They got absolutely smoked in Norman and drilled in the Cotton Bowl by an SEC also-ran but on one night at home against the Longhorns they hit the dream.  Ultimately Texas, Oklahoma, and TxTech tied for the B12-S Championship and Oklahoma won that on a controversial tiebreaker which sent the Sooners to an easy win over Mizzou in the B12CG and on to the BCSNCG where they lost to Florida thus giving the Gators the 2008 NC.  If TxTech hadn't upset the Longhorns, the Longhorns would have beaten the Tigers and played the Gators and who knows, they might have won. 

Purdue:
The 2018 Boilermakers weren't very good.  They finished below .500 but in late October they showed up for a home game against the Buckeyes and looked like a powerhouse.  That Buckeye squad finished just outside of the CFP and won a consolation Rose Bowl to finish 13-1.  If Purdue hadn't upset the Buckeyes, the Buckeyes would have obviously been in the CFP at 13-0 and who knows, they might have won. 

Michigan State:
The 2015 Spartans probably weren't as good as their 12-2 final record.  I say that because both losses were bad and because they had multiple close wins over bad and mediocre teams.  The Nebraska loss was bad because Nebraska was bad (6-7) while the Alabama loss was bad because it was a 38-0 shutout.  Michigan state also beat Purdue (2-10), Rutgers (4-8), Michigan (10-3), Ohio State (12-1), and Iowa (12-2) by one score each.  That said, on a cold November afternoon in Columbus they stymied the vaunted Ohio State offense.  That Ohio State team averaged 36 ppg but only put up 14 against the Spartans.  If Michigan State hadn't upset the Buckeyes, the Buckeyes would have gone to Indy to take out the Hawkeyes then on to the CFP and who knows, they might have won. 

You just posted a lot of data about how the non-helmet teams could impact the MNC, but under the new system the non-helmets actually can play for the title.  You know, #4-12, mostly consisting of non-helmet teams, many of whom will have 2-3 losses, sometimes close losses that could've went either way.