It's early December, the SEC just had college football's first conference championship game, and the playoff field is set.
1 Miami vs 4 Texas A&M
2 Alabama vs 3 FSU
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Who would you pick to win the 1992 college football playoff? No bowl results - here are the resumes:
The teams:
#1 - Miami, 11-0, Big East Champions
13th in scoring offense
5th in scoring defense
29th in strength of schedule
The The Canes enter the playoff on a 29-game winning streak, going back to 1990. The defending national champs faced 4 ranked opponents this year, pummeling #23 Iowa and close wins at #8 Syracuse, at #9 Penn State and #3 FSU (Wide Right II). The defense held seven opponents to 10 points or less, and the offense posted 30+ points in seven games as well.
The traditional Miami pro-set offense averaged over 300 yards passing as usual, but struggled to run the ball effectively - the 3 leading carriers averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. But Heisman-winner QB Torretta spread the ball around - four different receivers had 40+ catches. They had a good return game, but Prewitt the kicker was no Huerta.
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#2 - Alabama, 12-0, SEC Champions
22nd in scoring offense
1st in scoring defense
32nd in strength of schedule
The Tide began the year 9th, but didn't lose a game, thanks to a great defense. Nine games into the season, the most points anyone had scored against them was 11. Alabama had four wins of seven points or less. Against three ranked opponents, Alabama had close wins over #13 Tennessee, #16 Miss State, and #12 Florida in the 1st ever SECCG in Birmingham.
On offense, the Tide relied on a sturdy running game, spreading the ball among 4 running backs. This is because the passing game was awful. QB Jay Barker threw more INTs than TDs and had a putrid rating, but even though opponents knew the Tide were going to run, run, and run some more, they were still effective doing so. RB/WR David Palmer was a spark for the offense, leading the main ball-carriers with 9.2 yards per touch.
What made this team special, however, was the defense. Allowing just 140 yards passing per game and 55 rushing, nothing came easy. QBs completed under 50% of their passes and RBs couldn't average 2 yards per rush against the Tide. An elite defensive backfield picked off passes and brought 3 of them back for TDs. DEs Copeland and Curry each had over 10 sacks, creating a savage pass-rush. Palmer was a good returner, and the kicking game was average.
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#3 - FSU, 10-1, ACC Champions
2nd in scoring offense
15th in scoring defense
12th in strength of schedule
Another new development in 1992, besides the SECCG, was FSU joining the ACC. The Noles came right in and laid waste to their new brethren, going 8-0 in conference play. Overall, six ranked opponents were in FSU's way, and only one - Miami - beat the Noles (and that was by one point, on a missed FG at the end). Road games at #15 Clemson, #16 NC State, #16 GA Tech, and #23 Virginia all ended in Seminole victories. They also beat in-state rival #6 Florida in Tallahassee to end the regular season.
The offense was fairly balanced, averaging 250 passing and 200 yards rushing per game. Led by QB Charlie Ward, a great playmaker, FSU was adept at putting points up quickly. The first-year starter did struggle with 17 INTs, though. The running game was helped by Ward's legs and 500 yards rushing and RBs all averaging 5 yards per carry. The ball was also spread around through the air, with no one, dominant WR.
The defense allowed under 300 total yards per game, with ball-hawks in the backfield and opponents getting only 100 yards per game on the ground, thanks to Butkus winner Marvin Jones. FSU ran 5 kicks/punts back on the year, but FG kicking was their achillies' heel.
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#4 Texas A&M, 12-0, SWC Champions
27th in scoring offense
10th in scoring defense
59th in strength of schedule
The Aggies were in the top 10 all year and didn't lose a game. However, they only faced one ranked team, in the opener vs #17 Stanford. Winning it by 3, A&M went on to run roughshod over the conference, scoring 30+ points seven times. Despite the SWC only providing meager foes, the Aggies had 3 close calls in conference play.
The offense had a 2-headed monster at QB, with neither posting very good passing or rushing numbers. Granger and Pullig combined to complete under 50% of their passes with a poor rating. Neither ran the ball effectively, either. Luckily, A&M had two talented RBs to carry the load in Greg Hill and Rodney Thomas. The pair combined for 2000+ yards and 30 TDs.
The "Wrecking Crew" defense was the prime reason A&M was able to go 12-0, with very talented members in the defensive backfield (CB Glenn, S Bates, CB Mickens) and pressure the QB with DE Sam Adams. The return game was terrific, and the kicking game was fine.
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Players of interest:
QB Gino Torretta, Miami (Heisman, O'Brien, Unitas, Maxwell, Camp, All-American)
LB Marvin Jones, FSU (Butkus, Lombardi, AA)
HC Gene Stallings, Alabama (Coach of the Year)
DE John Copeland, Alabama (AA)
DE Eric Curry, Alabama (AA)
LB Micheal Barrow, Miami (AA)
LB Marcus Buckley, Texas A&M (AA)
CB Ryan McNeil, Miami (AA)
