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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: ELA on July 19, 2020, 02:41:32 PM

Title: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: ELA on July 19, 2020, 02:41:32 PM

19931994
Florida StateNATIONAL CHAMPIONNebraska
ORANGE: #1 Florida State 18, #2 Nebraska 16"NATIONAL TITLE GAME"ORANGE: #1 Nebraska 24, #3 Miami 17
Wisconsin/Ohio StateBIG TEN CHAMPIONPenn State
#9 Wisconsin 21, #14 UCLA 14ROSE BOWL#2 Penn State 38, #12 Oregon 20
Charlie WardHEISMAN WINNERRashaan Salaam

#1 PROGRESSION
1993
1994

OTHER NOTES
1993
1994

Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: Cincydawg on July 19, 2020, 02:42:44 PM
I finally got unhitched in 1993 ....
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: ELA on July 19, 2020, 02:43:44 PM
Quote from: Cincydawg on July 19, 2020, 02:42:44 PM
I finally got unhitched in 1993 ....
Most liberal use of the "no guidelines" guidelines ever.  I approve
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 19, 2020, 05:39:03 PM
This is tough.
I don't like it when a team is anointed early on (like FSU was) and I don't like that Penn State didn't get a piece in 94.  
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: MarqHusker on July 19, 2020, 07:16:18 PM
2 great years back when GamePlan was as reliable as an early 80s American Car.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: ELA on July 19, 2020, 08:41:37 PM
FSU was still pretty damn good.  Gap between them and #2 Florida, was about as wide as between #2 and #8.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.footballstudyhall.com/platform/amp/2016/4/23/11490640/1993-college-football-season-florida-state-florida-nebraska-tennessee

And personally just fully grasping the national picture FSU-ND in 93 is still my Game of the Century.

Was '94 the year Spurrier benched Terry Dean when he was a Heisman candidate?
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: MarqHusker on July 19, 2020, 10:26:34 PM
Fun seasons.  Ill defer to OAM but Dean's benching was sort of a culmination of certain plays and throws that Spurrier didn't like from Dean.  I remember they barked at each other pretty good once and then he pretty much called for his own demise and of course the loss to Auburn sealed it.  Enter Danny.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 19, 2020, 11:48:39 PM
The Dean/Wuerffel thing was both 93 and 94.  
Dean was the backup to 2x SEC POY Shane Matthews and was the heir-apparent, but in the 2nd game of the year, threw 4 INTs in a win vs Kentucky.  So Wuerffel comes in and starts some games until he stinks vs Georgia.  Dean comes back to win the WLOCP and then they split time the next few games.  Wuerffel tweaked his knee and Dean beats Bama in the SECCG and the blowout win vs previously undefeated WV.

Cool, right?  

So 94 starts like 93, with Dean as the presumptive guy.  He orchestrated a 31-0 win @ Tennessee, was a Heisman potential, etc.  But he threw 4 INTs vs Auburn and was replaced by Wuerffel.  Florida was going to win that game, except Wuerffel inexplicably throws a deep INT into triple coverage really late.
But Spurrier stuck with Wuerffel in the WLOCP the next week and on-in.  

There were 3 things about Dean that were behind his downfall:
1 - his all-or-nothing play...he'd ad-lib and drive Spurrier crazy
2 - his reaction to Spurrier going crazy - he treated coming back to the sideline as a conversation when it was actually a "listening and learning opportunity" to put it politely.....Wuerffel was the exact opposite - he'd sieve through the ire and extract how to improve going forward
3 - he was probably more concerned with academics than football - getting his MBA and vying for a Rhodes scholly

Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 19, 2020, 11:53:14 PM
Check out their 93-94 stats:
Dean was 60% for around 3,000 yards, 37 TD, 20 int - 150 rating (fewer att)
Wuerffel was 60% for around 4,000 yards, 40 TD, 19 int - 148 rating

It was just a matter of consistency.  The upperclassman got the start from game 1 in both seasons, but couldn't hang onto it.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 19, 2020, 11:59:59 PM
Cool things about 93:
desert swarm defense 
I hated them, but FSU's offense with Ward was special/unique at the time
I felt like ND had no business beating FSU, but they did
Wisconsin's special season
Marshall Faulk
Leeland McElroy's kick-returning
Florida spanking undefeated WV in the Sugar Bowl
.
Cool things about 94:
Florida preseason #1
Penn State's offense
Colorado rebounding to 89-90 quality
Florida beating 11-0 Alabama in the SECCG
Oregon's special season
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: MaximumSam on July 20, 2020, 06:51:45 AM
That ND FSU game might be the first one I remember watching completely
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: Kris60 on July 20, 2020, 09:43:12 AM
I think people remember that FSU-ND game as being more competitive than it really was.  ND really controlled that game throughout.

The fact that FSU had a shot at the end zone to tie or win it had a “How the hell did we get here?” feel to it.  ND had a two score lead most of the game.  I’ve often wondered if the ND DB picks off that 4th and 20 pass with the score 31-17 if FSU falls further than just one spot in the polls and WVU gets to play Nebraska in the Orange.

But it bounces off his hands, FSU gets a gift TD, ND goes 3 and out, and we get an ending that makes the game feel closer than it was.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on July 20, 2020, 11:13:10 AM
I voted 93 but mostly for personal reasons.  That was my freshman year at Ohio State so it was the first time I was into it as not just a fan but a part of that community.  

It was also cool for Wisconsin having success for the first time in eons.  Seriously, prior to their Rose Bowl and Big11Ten Championship, 10-1-1 season in 1993, Wisconsin:

That was definitely Wisconsin and Alvarez' coming out party.  


I also remember watching the very first edition of what would become College Gameday at that FSU/ND game.  Ohio State had a pretty lackluster showing against Indiana that day (23-17 win, but Ohio State was 8-0-1 and ranked #5 (having fallen from 8-0 and #3 the previous week before the tie in Madison).  Indiana was 7-2 and ranked #19 so beating them 23-17 wasn't terrible but it was pretty unimpressive for a top-5 team playing at home.  

I remember thinking it was weird that ESPN was set up in South Bend since that wasn't even their broadcast.  The actual game, like all ND home games, was on NBC but ESPN went to their campus anyway and ran their show from there and I thought that was odd (it was, then).  
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: FearlessF on July 20, 2020, 11:50:22 AM
I really do love both of those seasons

obviously I'll lean to 94 because of the outcome of the Orange Bowl

but, sacking Charlie Ward 5 times, holding FSU to 18 points with 1 of 12 on 3rd down was a great effort by a huge underdog in 93
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on July 20, 2020, 12:08:55 PM
Quote from: Kris60 on July 20, 2020, 09:43:12 AM
I think people remember that FSU-ND game as being more competitive than it really was.  ND really controlled that game throughout.

The fact that FSU had a shot at the end zone to tie or win it had a “How the hell did we get here?” feel to it.  ND had a two score lead most of the game.  I’ve often wondered if the ND DB picks off that 4th and 20 pass with the score 31-17 if FSU falls further than just one spot in the polls and WVU gets to play Nebraska in the Orange.

But it bounces off his hands, FSU gets a gift TD, ND goes 3 and out, and we get an ending that makes the game feel closer than it was.
I'm not sure that it would have worked out that way.  Backing up to the November 2, 1993 poll (the only big change from 10/26 was that previous #7 Arizona took their first loss (badly at UCLA) and dropped out of the top-10:


That week:
That week:
That week:
That week:
That week:
And that was how we headed to the bowls. 

For the younger among us who may not remember this, this was during the "BCA" era.  The BCA was a precursor to the BCS, the main difference between the two being that the Big11Ten and PAC10 were not a part of the BCA.  Thus, the BCA had an agreement to match the two highest ranked teams available.  In 1993 the Big11Ten (co-champions #10 Wisconsin and #11 tOSU) and the PAC10 (Champion #14 UCLA) were not really relevant to the NC anyway so the BCA matched #1 FSU against #2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.  In the bowls:
Thus, the final poll was:

I've always felt that Ohio State got hosed a bit in those final rankings.  The Buckeyes' loss was a lot better than Wisconsin's and the Badgers ended up #6.  I think the Buckeyes should have at least been closer to Wisconsin if not ahead of them.  Note that the Badgers didn't play PSU and beat M at home while Ohio State beat PSU and lost to M on the road.  The Badgers did play a better bowl opponent (#14 UCLA instead of nr BYU). 

To @Kris60 (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=79) 's point:
If ND had beaten FSU a bit more convincingly, it might have been possible for FSU to fall further and for WVU to end up #2 behind #1 Nebraska but I doubt it.  FSU losing bigger would have hurt FSU down the road, but it would also have helped ND down the road.  In the penultimate poll the Mountaineers were 87 points behind #1 FSU and only 67 points ahead of #4 ND.  If you simply flip votes between FSU and ND, WVU has to be behind one of the two and could end up behind both.  That said, I think that the 1993 Cornhuskers would have defeated either the Irish or the Mountaineers so making that switch would make Nebraska's pinnacle even higher . . . maybe. 

What if Nebraska had won the NC in 1993.  Would they have given it to PSU in 1994 since Osborne already had an NC?  Also, would Osobrne have retired after 1994 if he had won back-to-back NC's in 1993 and 1994?  Probably not, he didn't retire after back-to-back NC's in 1994 and 1995 but would he have retired after 1995 if that had been his third straight NC?  Maybe . . .  Then what?  Would Solich have lasted longer if he had built up some goodwill with good performances with the 1996 and 1997 Nebraska teams? 


Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: FearlessF on July 20, 2020, 12:23:01 PM
yup, the 93 game on the road in Kansas followed a trip to Boulder - #20 ranked Buffs

Calvin Jones scored the Huskers' first two TDs with runs of four and 10 yards but suffered from the flu and leg cramps and missed most of the last three quarters. Tommie Frazier led the Huskers, completing 6 of 13 passes for 133 yards and rushing eight times for 56 yards before injuring his right shoulder on a 26-yard gain early in the third quarter. He was taken to the locker room twice to be checked by doctors but returned to the game two more times as the offense stalled on its last eight possessions with an interception on the CU 9-yard line and two missed field goals.

At Kansas, Frazier was banged up and split time with Berringer.  Was closer than it should have been when the offense runs for 297 yards.

_________________________________________________ __

Nebraska's 1,000th game and 100th against Kansas went down to the wire in Lawrence, as the Huskers successfully defended a 2-point attempt with 52 seconds remaining to preserve a 21-20 win over the unranked Jayhawks.

The victory extended Nebraska's NCAA record of consecutive nine-win seasons to 25.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: MarqHusker on July 20, 2020, 01:10:02 PM
I was visiting the U of Dayton campus that weekend.  My Dad listened to end of KU game on a pay phone collect call to Omaha w phone by radio, while we were out at a restaurant watching tOSU at UW.

The things you had to do back then.
Title: Re: OT Tourney (1st Round) - 1993 vs. 1994
Post by: Kris60 on July 20, 2020, 01:53:33 PM
Medina, I’m not sure it would have worked out that way either. I was just speculating if it ends a 31-17 game instead of 31-24 with FSU throwing it to the end zone at the end of the game if they fall a spot or two further down and the polls end up looking a little different.

I still think there was a better chance that FSU would have still finished ahead of WVU than ND. It would have been hard to justify keeping ND ahead of WVU a week after they beat the team that beat ND.