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Topic: What-If Season Simulation (1975)

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ELA

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What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« on: September 04, 2025, 12:48:58 PM »
I've always done the What-If Bowl lineups, as to how the bowls would likely slot based on prior bowl lineups.

As I did last year, now that any semblance of college football as we all learned to love it was gone, I figured each season I would simulate a season alongside the actual season, using SP+

So it will be the teams' present abilities, but using the prior year schedule, conference affiliations, and bowl lineups.

I'll roll a dice and based on that jump back 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 years.

Last year it came up 2, so I decided to reroll if it came up 2.  It came up 5, so 1975 it is.
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ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #1 on: September 04, 2025, 12:52:33 PM »
PRESEASON RANKINGS
  • Texas
  • Penn State
  • OHIO STATE
  • Clemson
  • Georgia
  • Notre Dame
  • Oregon
  • Alabama
  • LSU
  • Miami
  • Arizona State
  • ILLINOIS
  • South Carolina
  • MICHIGAN
  • Florida
  • SMU
  • Kansas State
  • Oklahoma
  • Texas A&M
  • INDIANA
  • Ole Miss
  • Iowa State
  • Texas Tech
  • Tennessee
  • Boise State
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ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2025, 12:52:59 PM »
Thursday, September 4
North Texas State d. UT Arlington
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ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2025, 12:59:11 PM »
First year Big Ten allowed a second team to go to a bowl.  When #4 Michigan blew a 14-7 lead against #1 Ohio State at home in the final 3 minutes, it cost itself the Rose Bowl, but went to the Orange Bowl

There they lost to #3 Oklahoma.  But when #2 Texas A&M got smoked by Arkansas, and #1 Ohio State was upset by #11 UCLA in the Rose Bowl, Oklahoma won the national title.

Also at the height of the "Big 2, Little 8", when it was really just the Little 2, Littler 8".  Michigan went 1-1-2 in non conference play, tying pretty bad Baylor and Stanford teams, before stomping through the Big Ten.  And then OSU couldn't beat #11 to win a national title.
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betarhoalphadelta

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2025, 01:07:02 PM »
Purdue in 1975 played 8 Big Ten teams and one now-Big Ten team (USC), along with ND and Miami (OH).

Purdue's current team against the current rosters of the teams they faced? I'm guessing your simulation will project them at 2-9. Strong likelihood of beating Miami (OH), and moderate chances against NU and IU. Get clobbered by the rest of the schedule.

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847badgerfan

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2025, 01:20:27 PM »
Quote from: ELA on September 04, 2025, 12:59:11 PM
First year Big Ten allowed a second team to go to a bowl.  When #4 Michigan blew a 14-7 lead against #1 Ohio State at home in the final 3 minutes, it cost itself the Rose Bowl, but went to the Orange Bowl

There they lost to #3 Oklahoma.  But when #2 Texas A&M got smoked by Arkansas, and #1 Ohio State was upset by #11 UCLA in the Rose Bowl, Oklahoma won the national title.

Also at the height of the "Big 2, Little 8", when it was really just the Little 2, Littler 8".  Michigan went 1-1-2 in non conference play, tying pretty bad Baylor and Stanford teams, before stomping through the Big Ten.  And then OSU couldn't beat #11 to win a national title.
From 1970 through 1980, the Big 10 won just one Rose Bowl. Only OSU and M played in it. OSU leads M with 4 losses in a row to M's 3 losses in a row.
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U RAH RAH! WIS CON SIN!

ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2025, 01:38:33 PM »
MSU was the 3rd best team that year, going 7-4.

But they beat both Miami(Ohio) and Notre Dame, both of whom finished in the top 15.  Got thumped by both OSU and Michigan.  But had a couple of stupid losses to Illinois and Purdue back to back midseason, after reaching #15 in the polls
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medinabuckeye1

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2025, 04:53:24 PM »
Quote from: ELA on September 04, 2025, 12:59:11 PM
And then OSU couldn't beat #11 to win a national title.
Just to clarify, Ohio State did lose to #11 UCLA in the Rose Bowl (stadium and game) but had beaten #13 UCLA in the Rose Bowl (stadium not game) on October 4 so it isn't like Ohio State couldn't compete with the PAC Champions, they beat them badly in October.  They just flat out blew it in the Rose Bowl (game and stadium).  

This was Woody's last great team, possibly Woody's best team, and certainly one of the best Ohio State teams to not win a National Championship.  Ohio State's wins for the season included:
  • By 21 on the road over final #5 UCLA
  • By 7 on the road over final #8 Michigan
  • By 8 at home over final #10 Penn State
  • By 21 on the road over MSU who finished unranked but beat final #15 Miami, OH and finished 7-4.  


To your point, Woody won his first three Rose Bowls with each win resulting in a NC:
  • Beat USC in the 1955 Rose Bowl to claim the 1954 NC.  
  • Beat Oregon in the 1958 Rose Bowl to claim the 1957 NC.  
  • Beat USC in the 1969 Rose Bowl to claim the 1968 NC.  
After that he took his Ohio State teams to five more Rose Bowls but only won one:
  • Lost the 1971 Rose Bowl to Stanford.  The Buckeyes were #2 but a win would have won the 1970 NC because #1 Texas lost to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.  
  • Lost the 1973 Rose Bowl to USC.  A win might have won the 1972 NC.  USC was #1 and held it by beating #3 Ohio State.  Oklahoma was #2 and beat #5 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl so if Ohio State had won the RB they probably would have leapfrogged OU based on the more impressive win but you never know.  
  • Won the 1974 Rose Bowl over USC but the Buckeyes had no real shot at the NC because they were #4 after tying Michigan in Ann Arbor and #1 Bama played #3 Notre Dame so either way the Buckeyes were not going to jump the winner.  FWIW, OU was #2 and did not play a bowl.  I assume they were on probation.  
  • Lost the 1975 Rose Bowl to USC but the Buckeyes had no real shot at the NC because they were #3 with a loss at MSU.  Had they beaten USC they'd have likely finished #2 behind 11-0 and #1 OU who did not play a bowl, again I assume due to probation.  
  • Lost the 1976 Rose Bowl to a UCLA team that they had pounded earlier that season in the Rose Bowl (stadium not game).  The Buckeyes were #1 going into the game and would easily have been the NC with a win as the eventual NC was an Oklahoma team that lost badly to a mediocre Kansas team at home earlier in the season.  


This is a season that Ohio State fans would love to have a second shot at.  
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medinabuckeye1

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2025, 05:08:19 PM »
In retrospect, it is frustrating that Ohio State somehow managed to not win an NC somewhere in 1973-1975.  

The Buckeyes over-performed in 1972.  They outscored opponents 280-171 but that is only an average of 25.5-15.5 and there was a lot of fluff on the schedule.  The pulled a home upset of Michigan (they were undefeated and #3, Ohio State already had the MSU loss and was 8-1 and #9) and got to the Rose Bowl but ultimately that was probably bad for the league because realistically the Wolverines were the better team and the Buckeyes got smoked by #1 USC in Pasadena.  

In 1973 the Buckeyes returned a lot and flat obliterated their schedule outscoring opponents 413-64.  That works out to 37.5-5.8 per game, yes Ohio State allowed less than six points per game.  They also obliterated a top-10 and defending NC Trojan squad out in Pasadena but only finished #2 compliments of a tie in Ann Arbor.  

1974 saw the Buckeyes outscore opponents 437-129 which works out to 36.4-10.8 but they got upset in East Lansing and lost by a single point to final #2 USC in Pasadena.  

In 1975 the Buckeyes outscored opponents 384-102 which works out to 32-8.5 including destroying UCLA in the Rose Bowl (stadium not game) in October but they lost a rematch with UCLA in the Rose Bowl (stadium and game) and missed out on an NC because of it.  
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ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2025, 05:23:46 PM »
It's also hilarious that OSU's QB won every honor over Tony Dungy, who was a better QB (by every measure) on a worse team (by every measure)
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ELA

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Re: What-If Season Simulation (1975)
« Reply #10 on: Today at 10:22:56 AM »
Saturday, September 6
#2 Penn State d. Temple
#5 Georgia d. Pittsburgh
#16 SMU d. Wake Forest
Baylor d. #21 Ole Miss

Arkansas State d. Northwestern State
Central Michigan d. Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan d. Ball State
Fresno State d. CS Fullerton
Houston d. Lamar
Marshall d. Akron
Maryland d. Villanova
Memphis State d. Mississippi State
NC State d. East Carolina
NE Louisiana d. Pacific
NM State d. Drake
North Carolina d. William & Mary
San Diego State d. UTEP
SW Louisiana d. Long Beach State
Toledo d. Western Carolina
West Texas State d. Wichita State
Western Kentucky d. Dayton
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