What if there was a playoff in 1986? Who would win?
The teams:
#1 Miami
11-0
Independent
Ranked #1 most of the season. Beat all 3 ranked teams they played by double digits (@ 13 Florida, 1 OU, 20 FSU). Great passing game for the era, great pass defense as well. Led by Heisman winner Testaverde at QB. Top target was Michael Irvin. Safety Bennie Blades had 10 INT. Strong return game. Only glaring weakness was FG kicking (made 10 of 21 FG att).
#2 Penn State
11-0
Independent
Very weak schedule - played 1 ranked opponent. Won @ #2 Alabama by 20. Did not allow any opponent to score 20 points all season. Unremarkable passing game, but really differientiated itself both running the ball and stopping the run. Opponents only ran for 70 yards per game. PSU ran for an average of 241, led by DJ Dozier. Defense also intercepted 20 passes.
#3 Oklahoma
10-1
Big 8 Champions
Finished #1 in scoring offense and scoring defense nationally. Played 3 ranked opponents: beating #4 UCLA by 35, lost @ #2 Miami by 12, and won @ #5 Nebraska by 3 to win the conference. Held 7 opponents to single-digit scores. Miami was the only team to score over 17 points on the Sooners. OU rarely passed, but ran for over 400 yards per game. FB Carr averaged 5.9 ypc, while the 2 wingbacks both averaged over 7 ypc. TE Keith Jackson averaged 28 yards per catch. Strong in kicking game.
#4 Michigan
11-1
Big Ten Champions
Ranked in top 6 all season. Beat all 3 ranked teams they played (#20 FSU by 2, #8 Iowa by 3, @ #7 OSU by 2). Extra game played @ Hawai'i. Lost to 6-6 Minnesota at home. QB Harbaugh regressed from impressive '85 season, throwing 10 TD and 11 INT. RB Jamie Morris had 1,000 yard season and also served as kick returner. Five game outcomes were 3 points or less, with UM going 4-1 in those games.
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Semifinals:
1 Miami vs 4 Michigan
2 Penn St vs 3 Oklahoma
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Previous Voting Results:
'83 - Nebraska
'84 - Washington/Oklahoma
'85 - Oklahoma