CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: OrangeAfroMan on August 24, 2025, 02:09:12 PM
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1966 Alabama - 2-time defending NCs, went undefeated....racism or some such
1994 Penn St - so much so that in my mind, they got the Coaches NC, even though they didn't
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If Notre Dame wanted to claim a NC in 1993 I’d get it. Same record as FSU and beat them head to head, and actually beat them worse than the final score indicates. I think people remember that being some great back and forth tussle and it wasn’t. ND had a two score lead for a great deal of that game.
LSU in 2011. Finished 13-1 to Bama’s 12-1 and split the meetings with them. Beat PAC 12 champ Oregon and Big East Champ WVU in the OOC. I’ll forever argue Ok St should have been LSU’s opponent in the BCS title game.
I’ll edit this somewhat: ND did have a lot of crap on its schedule in 1993. FSU did play a better schedule and actually played an extra game that season.
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FSU / Notre Dame in 93
I certainly won't ever claim or recognize anything as a Husker fan
Bowden himself said post game of the Orange bowl that Nebraska was the best team they played.
I was there and Nebraska outplayed FSU.
3 one loss teams, Bowden got his first title.
FSU had as much right to it as ND or UNL, imo
all 3 had an argument - the voters voted
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LSU in 2011. Finished 13-1 to Bama’s 12-1 and split the meetings with them. Beat PAC 12 champ Oregon and Big East Champ WVU in the OOC. I’ll forever argue Ok St should have been LSU’s opponent in the BCS title game.
Maybe, but it would have been over by halftime. Like 01 Miami-Nebraska over.
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I leave it up to each school to make mythical claims on things, fine with me.
Problem solved.
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I leave it up to each school to make mythical claims on things, fine with me.
Problem solved.
Alright, then Pitt was the 1980 NCs. They got 3 first place votes, despite a loss.
Even better, 10-2 FSU got a first place vote in the final poll that year.
They should claim it, too.
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Yes, let them claim it! And we can all argue about it!
That's the charm of CFB. It's messy. Fuck the CFP and everything before it that tried to make the glorious mess that is CFB, "objective"...
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I leave it up to each school to make mythical claims on things, fine with me.
Problem solved.
Honestly, Cincy, that’s pretty much exactly what they did from 19xx until 200x. Hell, ucf claims 2018 or sumptin.
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Anyone's free to claim anything, and the rest of humanity is free to mock them for it.
This isn't about freedoms, lol. It's about your opinion.
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Anyone's free to claim anything, and the rest of humanity is free to mock them for it.
This isn't about freedoms, lol. It's about your opinion.
If you think critically about it they know they will take some short term heat over it but long term nobody will care or even remember. Especially in the post playoff age. In the distant future, 30-50 years, it will seem so strange that there wasn’t a playoff to determine a true NC. After all, it wasn’t uncommon to have “official “ recognized multiple NC like Nebraska/ Michigan.
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I don't recognize ANY non-AP/UPI NCs after 1936.
Before 1936? Who cares?
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In my OPINION, it just doesn't matter what some program claims, at all. I could claim to have a mythical "friend" and no one would care about that either.
If mutiple schools want to claim one from 19xx, have at it.
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yup, claim what y'all want, I refuse to recognize it
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Yup, it matters not at all, to me. I know this started with Auburn of late, they basically made themselves into a joke, have at it. Folks chuckled about it, lampooned them for it, and life goes on. The same happened with Central FL. So, I am fine with programs claiming their own mythical NCs and raising flags etc. Maybe Vandy wants to claim one from 1895, OK with me.
The programs get abused for it, not respected.
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I mean Michigan is claiming 97 - who cares?
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I swear I think everyone is missing the point on this thread. OAM is asking what schools, in OUR opinion, could have a beef with not being recognized as national champions. I guess I’m not understanding the whole “they can do what they want, what do I care?” responses.
I mentioned two schools that aren’t even claiming titles for the years I mentioned (at least not that I know of). I just think there is a case that could be made for them.
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I swear I think everyone is missing the point on this thread. OAM is asking what schools, in OUR opinion, could have a beef with not being recognized as national champions. I guess I’m not understanding the whole “they can do what they want, what do I care?” responses.
I mentioned two schools that aren’t even claiming titles for the years I mentioned (at least not that I know of). I just think there is a case that could be made for them.
Yeah, I think some folks are being quick to dismiss it all.
It's a fun hypothetical. I can't really think of any teams that have been omitted, that haven't already been mentioned.
I suppose several teams had a partial claim in 1983, there was a jumble of five 1-loss teams in the Top 5. Texas had beaten Auburn by a couple of TDs @Auburn, but lost by a point to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl. Auburn had lost to Texas at home but beaten Georgia by a TD in Athens. Georgia lost that Auburn game at home and also tied Clemson early in the season. Miami lost to a Florida team that had lost to both Auburn and Georgia and tied USC. And Nebraska lost to Miami by 1 point in the Orange Bowl.
Really any of those teams could have been called #1.
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Great Post,seems like someone in that knotted mess could always shout "SCOREBOARD" at another claiming they own the Hardare
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I've said for years now that ASU should legitimately claim a 1975 national title.
Even 1970 ASU could claim.
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Howdy Frog Face! Been a long time!
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https://youtu.be/PWsPwNlclg0
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Yeah, I think some folks are being quick to dismiss it all.
It's a fun hypothetical. I can't really think of any teams that have been omitted, that haven't already been mentioned.
I suppose several teams had a partial claim in 1983, there was a jumble of five 1-loss teams in the Top 5. Texas had beaten Auburn by a couple of TDs @Auburn, but lost by a point to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl. Auburn had lost to Texas at home but beaten Georgia by a TD in Athens. Georgia lost that Auburn game at home and also tied Clemson early in the season. Miami lost to a Florida team that had lost to both Auburn and Georgia and tied USC. And Nebraska lost to Miami by 1 point in the Orange Bowl.
Really any of those teams could have been called #1.
1983 is a good one. A big factor that season was the timing of the losses. In today’s world that isn’t nearly as big a deal.
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I've said for years now that ASU should legitimately claim a 1975 national title.
Even 1970 ASU could claim.
1975....last time A&M was ranked #1, I believe. Choked to Arkansas, for some reason game was rescheduled to December for TV, and we seriously blew it.
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1975....last time A&M was ranked #1, I believe. Choked to Arkansas, for some reason game was rescheduled to December for TV, and we seriously blew it.
You nailed it, the reason was for TV. They did the same thing for the 1969 Texas-Arkansas game, moved it from its historical date on the 3rd Saturday of October, to the end of the season, to make a bigger TV matchup. Fortunately in that one, the Horns didn't blow it.
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I swear I think everyone is missing the point on this thread. OAM is asking what schools, in OUR opinion, could have a beef with not being recognized as national champions. I guess I’m not understanding the whole “they can do what they want, what do I care?” responses.
I did miss the "point of the thread", entirely, it happens.
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you knew a bama fan had to come in to claim more title right? :)
i'd drop the claimed 1941 title, and pick up:
- 1945 (undefeated, untied, rose bowl winners, others have similar records and no beef with them claiming)
- 1966 (undefeated, untied, sugar bowl winners, the only team with that record, also the only time a team has started ranked #1, gone undefeated and untied and won bowl game and not been awarded title).
- 1977 (11-1 record, was #3 going into bowl, sugar bowl winner. #1, #2, and #4 all lost bowls, #5 notre dame beat #1 texas and jumped over bama to be #1. bama and nd had 2 common opponents, bama went 2-0, nd 1-1. don't have a huge problem with nd claiming, just think bama has strong argument to claim as well.) (in 77, bama played ooc opp @ neb (l), @ usc (w), louisville (w), miami (w), and osu (w - bowl))
both 66 and 77 would have completed a 3-peat, btw. 66 end capping one, 77 starting one.
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you knew a bama fan had to come in to claim more title right? :)
i'd drop the claimed 1941 title, and pick up:
- 1945 (undefeated, untied, rose bowl winners, others have similar records and no beef with them claiming)
- 1966 (undefeated, untied, sugar bowl winners, the only team with that record, also the only time a team has started ranked #1, gone undefeated and untied and won bowl game and not been awarded title).
- 1977 (11-1 record, was #3 going into bowl, sugar bowl winner. #1, #2, and #4 all lost bowls, #5 notre dame beat #1 texas and jumped over bama to be #1. bama and nd had 2 common opponents, bama went 2-0, nd 1-1. don't have a huge problem with nd claiming, just think bama has strong argument to claim as well.) (in 77, bama played ooc opp @ neb (l), @ usc (w), louisville (w), miami (w), and osu (w - bowl))
both 66 and 77 would have completed a 3-peat, btw. 66 end capping one, 77 starting one.
See this is a very good point.
A&M Claims 1919 and 1927. Don't really know the specifics except 1917 is undefeated and unscored on. 1919 was as well.
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I didn’t know the backstory on the 66 and 77 Bama teams. Yeah, they got a beef
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I mean Michigan is claiming 97 - who cares?
1897?
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The 1897 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1897 Western Conference football season. In its first season under head coach Gustave Ferbert, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record (2–1 against conference opponents), finished third in the Western Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 166 to 31.
The team suffered its first setback with a scoreless tie against Ohio Wesleyan in the second game of the season. The season also featured the first game between Michigan and Ohio State, with Michigan winning the game by a score of 34 to 0. Michigan won its first two Western Conference games against Purdue (34–4) and Minnesota (14–0), but lost the final game of the season to Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons by a score of 21 to 12.
The team captain was halfback James R. Hogg. Hogg also led the team in scoring with 56 points on six touchdowns (four points each) and 16 goals from touchdown (two points each).
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The term "recognize" in this context likely means to "acknowledge the existence, legality, or acceptance" of a thing. This isn't legal, but I could acknowledge the existence of some NC claim obviously without accepting it. My personal acceptance of some Auburn claim to an NC is pretty irrelevant, so I don't give it any/much thought (unless someone points to some specific with data). The claim exists, so I acknowledge that far.
Do I accept it? No, I don't, aside from someone pointing out some claim they previously had not made and now make with the history behind it. But, my "analysis" is obviously moot. They can claim whatever they want, and my life goes on undeterred. It can make for some discussion for those interested in such things. I'm not.
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Cool.
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My rules of acceptance are pretty straightforward. In the pre-AP/Coaches' Poll/BCS/CFP era, if the team received the trophy or plaque or letter of congratulations from the awarding body-- at the time it was awarded-- then that's good enough for me. It's not really my place to apply a retroactive lens of the current state of college football, to events that occurred decades or a century ago.
So this would keep things like the Dickinson System which existed pre-AP and awarded a trophy at the time, to the team.
But it ignores any of the statistical models or computer rankings that retroactively name a national champion, decades or a century after the fact. If that trophy wasn't given to the coach and the AD and the team at the time they earned it, then it's not legitimate, in my opinion.
All of that, of course, is beside what I believe the point of this thread to be-- which is identifying teams that did not receive any "official" AP/UPI recognition, but were still worthy of the honor.
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There is to me a hidden question in this given we have this playoff today. What if (and it would happen eventually) some 9-3ish Boise State somehow runs the table in a playoff and wins it. Are they an NC I personally would recognize? Nope, I'd call them (and everyone else) a "playoff champion".
There is a distinction between the "best team" (which is an opinion, though at times it can be near universal) and playoff champion. We see that in BBall often.
UGA won the playoff a few years back with a very improbable comeback against Ohio State and then they chomped on a pastry that somehow beat Michigan. Granted, that UGA team was solid, but if they play OSU or Michigan 100 times, they might win 60ish?
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There is to me a hidden question in this given we have this playoff today. What if (and it would happen eventually) some 9-3ish Boise State somehow runs the table in a playoff and wins it. Are they an NC I personally would recognize? Nope, I'd call them (and everyone else) a "playoff champion".
There is a distinction between the "best team" (which is an opinion, though at times it can be near universal) and playoff champion. We see that in BBall often.
UGA won the playoff a few years back with a very improbable comeback against Ohio State and then they chomped on a pastry that somehow beat Michigan. Granted, that UGA team was solid, but if they play OSU or Michigan 100 times, they might win 60ish?
Great, then that settles it. As per your logic, the 2007 Patriots are the champions of the NFL since they went 18-0. Some other pesky team was the "playoff champion" because they weren't that great and just lucked out there at the end.
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Great, then that settles it. As per your logic, the 2007 Patriots are the champions of the NFL since they went 18-0. Some other pesky team was the "playoff champion" because they weren't that great and just lucked out there at the end.
Not exactly my point, which is really that a "playoff champion", often can be different from "best team" (a qualitative determination). I think everyone would agree that a playoff champion fairly often is not the "best team". I don't equate playoff champion with the term "national champion" because the latter is subjective, in my mind.
I still view the whole thing as "mythical". Maybe it's a distinction without a difference for most.
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Great, then that settles it. As per your logic, the 2007 Patriots are the champions of the NFL since they went 18-0. Some other pesky team was the "playoff champion" because they weren't that great and just lucked out there at the end.
Pretty much.
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Oh I think a lot of people view the NYG championship over the previously undefeated Patriots with plenty of skepticism. The Giants are the Superbowl champs for sure, they've got the trophy, but I don't know anyone who actually thinks they were the "best team in the NFL" that year. Not even my die-hard NY-born Giants-fan next door neighbor believes they were. But he'll still happily claim that Superbowl win, as he should.
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The 1897 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1897 Western Conference football season. In its first season under head coach Gustave Ferbert, the team compiled a 6–1–1 record (2–1 against conference opponents), finished third in the Western Conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 166 to 31.
The team suffered its first setback with a scoreless tie against Ohio Wesleyan in the second game of the season. The season also featured the first game between Michigan and Ohio State, with Michigan winning the game by a score of 34 to 0. Michigan won its first two Western Conference games against Purdue (34–4) and Minnesota (14–0), but lost the final game of the season to Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons by a score of 21 to 12.
The team captain was halfback James R. Hogg. Hogg also led the team in scoring with 56 points on six touchdowns (four points each) and 16 goals from touchdown (two points each).
Yeah, that was OSU's worst season of all time, at 1-7.
The only other time they lost that many games was when Luke Fickell went 6-7 in 2011.
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1897?
Covered wagons, tuberculosis and Michigan MNCs ;D
One season Oberlin beat both UM & tOSU 1890s sometime
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Yeah, that was OSU's worst season of all time, at 1-7.
The only other time they lost that many games was when Luke Fickell went 6-7 in 2011.
I was looking through the records the other day and came across that and strangely I don't remember that happening. Why was he the coach for only one season? Was he like an interim coach after Tressel was fired?
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Yes - one of two Michigan wins in 18 seasons 😂
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Why would anyone put Luke Fickell in charge of their program?