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Topic: Teams from the 1950s
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Cincydawg · « **on:** March 26, 2020, 01:45:58 PM »

I have no clue who won the MNC in 1950, other than round up the usual suspects. ND? USC? Michigan? Anybody here know without looking? We have yet to see much from Texas and only some from Oklahoma, who I think had a streak or something back whenever. Ohio State is just starting to be relevant. Minnesota might still be relevant. OK, let's use this cool Internet thing and find out.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2020, 01:48:09 PM »

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2016/7/27/12295010/kentucky-national-championship-trophy-oklahoma-tennessee-these-things-happen

OK, UK did not make any shred of a notion of being relevant. Huh.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2020, 01:50:15 PM »

http://www.tiptop25.com/champ1950.html

This is a pretty good site I think, I'm going with them.

Pictured above is 11-1 Kentucky's consensus All American quarterback, Babe Parilli, tossing the pigskin in a huge, season-defining 13-7 upset of #1 Oklahoma (10-1) in the Sugar Bowl. The AP poll ended before the bowls, so Oklahoma is still considered the 1950 mythical national champion (MNC) by those who care about partial-season poll "champions." I don't, so I do not consider Oklahoma 1950 to be a national champion, mythical or otherwise. But who is?

The #2 team was Army, 8-0 at the time of the last poll, but the AP poll didn't just end before the bowl games, it ended before the regular season was even over, and Army was upset by 3-6 Navy a week after the poll ended, finishing them at 8-1. The #3 team was 9-2 Texas, but they lost to Oklahoma during the regular season, and they lost to 11-1 Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl.

11-1 Tennessee, who was #4, is therefore our rightful national champion of the 1950 season. They took an upset loss to 4-5 Mississippi State early in the season, but they bounced back with 4 wins over AP-rated teams, more than anyone else attained this season. The biggest win came 7-0 over 11-1 Kentucky, as Kentucky gave #1 Oklahoma their only loss in the Sugar Bowl. Tennessee's victory over #3 Texas in the Cotton Bowl was just icing on the cake.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2020, 01:53:06 PM »

9-0 Princeton is the last of the schools that claims an MNC for this season. Their claim is no surprise, because Princeton's habit of claiming retroactive MNCs would make even an SEC school blush. They claim 28 national championships, the most of any school. Some of those claims are dubious, and this one is simply laughable. It is the last season for which any Ivy League team claims an MNC. By this point in time, the schools now in the Ivy League had withdrawn so far from major college football that they were effectively playing in a lower division. At best, they were at the level of today's Conference USA. And if a CUSA team went 12-0 today, and played no major conference teams, would they claim an MNC? No, of course not. Though I suppose they might claim an MNC decades later, as teams are wont to do. Perhaps 30 years from now Boise State will be claiming a few from the last 10 years.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2020, 02:04:58 PM »

I guess 1950 is about as clear a point of the word "mythical" as we could have, but perhaps some year is even better.

FearlessF · « **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2020, 02:29:07 PM »

Nov. 4, 1950

Nebraska's "Mr. Touchdown"; Bobby Reynolds Highlights from 1950 - YouTube
Nebraska's "Mr. Touchdown"; Bobby Reynolds Highlights from 1950 - YouTube

CWSooner · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2020, 04:57:08 PM »

Quote from: Cincydawg on March 26, 2020, 01:45:58 PM

I have no clue who won the MNC in 1950, other than round up the usual suspects. ND? USC? Michigan? Anybody here know without looking? We have yet to see much from Texas and only some from Oklahoma, who I think had a streak or something back whenever. Ohio State is just starting to be relevant. Minnesota might still be relevant. OK, let's use this cool Internet thing and find out.

Oklahoma.

Lost to Kentucky in the Sugar Bowl, but the polls had closed.

The idea of retroactively determining who would have been the national champ had bowls counted is like going back and retroactively counting NFL preseason games. The bowl games were exhibitions, and different teams placed differing amounts of emphasis on winning them.

I still wish OU had beaten Kentucky, of course.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2020, 05:03:40 PM »

Yeah, there is a point to be made that bowls were exhibitions back then and should not be included.

I do enjoy this guy's "analysis" though, I'll go with his stuff for now. He says Tennessee.

FearlessF · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2020, 05:05:05 PM »

some folks seem to think of the bowls as meaningless these days

CWSooner · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2020, 05:11:01 PM »

Quote from: Cincydawg on March 26, 2020, 05:03:40 PM

Yeah, there is a point to be made that bowls were exhibitions back then and should not be included.

I do enjoy this guy's "analysis" though, I'll go with his stuff for now. He says Tennessee.

I understand your point.
But there's a GIGO factor to his analysis too.

Cincydawg · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2020, 05:11:04 PM »

Quote from: FearlessF on March 26, 2020, 05:05:05 PM

some folks seem to think of the bowls as meaningless these days

They are, if the Dawgs lose. You probably know my list of excuses. I about wore them out against Texas.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2020, 06:59:03 PM »

Technically OSU kicked off the 50s by winning the 1950 Rose Bowl that concluded the 1949 season.

1950 was Wes Fesler's final season as HC. They finished 6-3, good for second in the Big Ten, and Vic Janowic won the Heisman. All three losses were by a TD or less, two were against top ten teams in SMU and Illinois, and the other was against the Wolverines. The Michigan loss was the death blow for the Fesler regime, as he struggled mightily in that series, going 0-3-1 in that series as HC. Fesler had been an All American player at OSU during the late 20s, leading the Buckeyes to two Michigan wins in 28 and 29.

Enter Woody Hayes. WWH's first three seasons were nothing to write home about, although he did beat the Wolverines in 52; OSU's lone home game in the series during that stretch. But then he finally earned his keep by winning the NC in 1954, going undefeated/untied and besting USC in the Rose Bowl. In 55 they didn't repeat, but they did beat Mich again, and Hopalong Cassidy won the Heisman. The 1957 team also won the NC, beating Oregon in the Rose Bowl after winning THE GAME. OSU also defeated the Wolverines in 58 and 59.

Brutus Buckeye · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2020, 08:33:18 PM »

CWSooner · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2020, 09:13:40 PM »

Cruelly hilarious!

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Topic: Teams from the 1950s

Cincydawg

Teams from the 1950s

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