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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 01:48:34 AM

Title: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 01:48:34 AM
It's December 9th, 1994.  The regular season is over and these are the top 4 teams set to face off in the playoff.  No bowls have been played.  Who do you think will win and why?
#1 Nebraska vs #4 Colorado
#2 Penn State vs #3 Miami
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The Teams:
#1 Nebraska, 12-0, Big 8 Champions
8th in scoring offense
3rd in scoring defense
40th in strength of schedule
The Cornhuskers were in the top 5 all season long and didn't lose a game.  From shutting out #24 WV in the kickoff classic, they beat the other 3 ranked opponents by double digits as well, in #13 UCLA, at #16 KSU, and #2 Colorado.  The Blackshirts' defense held half their schedule to single-digit scores and the Nebraska option offense put up 40+ in half their games.
Despite QB Frazier missing most of the season with blood clots, backup QB Berringer kept the Huskers moving with very good passing numbers in limited attempts.  Add to that 340 yards per game on the ground, and UNL was prolific on offense.  I-Back Lawrence Philips had his best year in '94, with 1700 yards and 16 TD.  When your FB averages over 7 ypc, you know the option is rockin'!
The Defense was stout vs run and pass - teams completed only 47% of passes and ran for under 80 yards per game.  
The return game and punting were good, but FG kicking was a mess - only making half their attempts on the season.
*Frazier would be healthy to play in the playoff, as he did in the bowl game in 1994
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#2 Penn State, 11-0, Independent
1st in scoring offense
30th in scoring defense
8th in strength of schedule
The only other undefeated team in 1994, Penn St was in the top 10 all year.  Three of their wins were against ranked teams (#14 USC, at #5 Michigan, and a huge blowout vs #21 OSU).  That win over the Bucks got PSU to #1, but they fell to #2 after a deceptively close win vs Indiana and again the next week vs Illinois.
The Nittany Lion offense was all-time great.  It was balanced (270 passing/250 rushing), efficient (QB Collins 173 pass rating), and explosive (both leading WRs averaged 20 ypc).  Nearly had two 1,000 yard receivers (Engram & Scott) and a 1,500 yard rusher (Carter) who averaged 7.8 ypc and 23 TD.  
The defense, however, didn't stop many foes.  Seven teams scored 20+ on PSU, which is very high for an undefeated team.  It didn't matter, though, because their offense was that good.
Add to that great FG kicking and poor punting, with a decent return game, and PSU was a tough out.
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#3 Miami, 10-1, Big East Champions
#22 in scoring offense
#2 in scoring defense
#33 in strength of schedule
A relatively odd Hurricanes squad - the offense was very average, lacking those big passing numbers most Miami teams had during the era.  This team was all defense, and what a defense it was!
Miami's incredible 58-game home winning streak was snapped in September, losing to #17 Washington, but after that, Miami won their last 8 games.  Half of those were against ranked teams:  #3 FSU, #13 VT, at #10 Syracuse, and #25 BC.  
QB Frank Costa struggled, throwing as many INT as TD and lacked a dominant WR.  The running game probably kept Miami in the playoff hunt offensively.  Their RB-by-committee had a good ypc average and kept the chains moving.  
The pass D was elite, giving up only 125 yards through the air, per game @ under 50% completion rate.  A good pass rush with Kennard Lang and a sideline-to-sideline fast LB in Ray Lewis limited opponents' scoring.  Miami only allowed 2 teams to score over 14 points on the year - the loss vs UW and in a comfortable win over FSU.  
The return game was good and kicker Prewitt only missed 1 FG all season, but the Canes struggled to find a consistent punter (3 players punted on the year).
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#4 Colorado, 10-1
4th in scoring offense
25th in scoring defense
27th in strength of schedule
The Buffaloes spent the season ranked in the top 10, despite losing at #3 Nebraska.  They beat the other five ranked teams on the slate, though - #10 Wisconsin (by 38), at #4 Michigan (Hail Mary), at #16 Texas, #22 OU (by 38) and #19 KSU.  
QB Kordell Stewart led a more balanced offense than CU was used to in '94, as the Buffs threw for 200 yards per game in addition to their nearly 300 yards/gm rushing.  His 10-3 TD to INT ratio helped the offense put up big numbers, as did RB Salaam (Heisman winner).  His 2,000 yards and 24 TD on the ground carried the load.  Stewart's main target was Michael Westbrook at WR.  
On defense, Colorado wasn't elite, but they were good enough.  The Pass D struggled giving up yardage, but did snag its share of INTs.  Teams could only rush for 3 ypc on the Buffs on the year.
Special teams weren't a CU specialty, as none of them stood out.
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***The SEC may have cost itself a playoff spot in 1994, as #3 Alabama was undefeated going into the SECCG, losing to Florida.  The Gators wound up ranked 5th and out of the potential playoff.
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Award-Winners involved:
RB Rashaan Salaam, Colorado (Heisman, Walker, Camp, All-American)
DT Warren Sapp, Miami (Nagurski, Lombardi, AA)
QB Kerry Collins, Penn State (O'Brien, Maxwell, Baugh, AA)
WR Bobby Engram, Penn State (Biletnikoff)
CB Chris Hudson, Colorado (Thorpe, AA)
OT Zach Wiegert, Nebraska (Outland, AA)
HC Tom Osborne, Nebraska (AFCA Coach of the Year)
HC Joe Paterno, Penn State (Camp Coach of the Year)
WR Michael Westbrook, Colorado (AA)
G   Brenden Stai, Nebraska (AA)
LB Ed Stewart, Nebraska (AA)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on January 24, 2019, 08:01:35 AM
This was the season that taught me to always root for your conference-mates in OOC games because of what happened to Penn State.  

@OrangeAfroMan (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=58) , your #1 timeline is a little off.  In the October 11, 1994 Poll your Gators were #1 followed by Nebraska, Penn State, Colorado, Michigan, and Auburn.  On Saturday, October 15, 1994:

That is just a crazy weekend.  Four of the top-6 played each other (UF-AU, PSU-M) and the other two also played ranked teams.  That is amazing for a mid-October weekend.  

Anyway, it was that (PSU's win over #5 Michigan) that moved the Nittany Lions to #1.  When the dust settled from the Florida and Michigan losses the October 18, 1994 Poll was:

The next weekend (10/22/1994) not much happened in the top-5.  #1 Penn State #4 Auburn, and #5 Florida were all off.  Meanwhile #2 Colorado beat #19 Kansas State and #3 Nebraska beat a bad Mizzou team.  The top-5 remained unchanged.  

The following weekend (10/29/1994) was when Nebraska took over the #1 spot for good:

When the dust settled after Nebraska's win over #2 and Penn State's blowout of #21 the Cornhuskers held the #1 spot.  The November 1, 1994 Poll:

What cost the Nits the #1 spot (and eventually the NC) was that Nebraska played a higher ranked team.  That wouldn't have been the case if not for Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary in the Big House.  Instead, Penn State's win over Michigan would have been even more impressive while Nebraska's win over Colorado would have been less impressive and Penn State would have won the NC.  

For the theoretical 1994 CFP, I voted for Penn State.  I'll admit that I'm biased because I watched that team just annihilate my Buckeyes.  That 1994 Ohio State squad was not all that bad.  They lost four games but they were:
My point is that a pretty good Ohio State team wasn't more than a speed-bump to that PSU team.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: fezzador on January 24, 2019, 08:18:30 AM
 It's a shame Penn State and Nebraska didn't play in '94.  Would have been a hell of a fun game.

Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 24, 2019, 09:39:12 AM
More so than any other season 94 was the first season I really wanted the bowl tie ins tweaked to allow for matchups like Penn St-Nebraska.  Would have been a great game, imo.  I’ll take the Nittanies by a FG because of their offensive balance.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 24, 2019, 09:58:53 AM
Penn State over Nebraska

'94 wasn't even one of the best Osborne Nebraska teams, it was just one of the undefeatedest
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: SFBadger96 on January 24, 2019, 11:41:40 AM
Colorado loses to Nebraska again.

Penn State cruises over Miami.

Nebraska holds Penn State under 40, but loses by two scores. 

That Penn State team got jobbed. And Kordell Stewart may have been the one to do it to them.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 12:59:28 PM
Thanks for the correction.  But I also think those Indiana and Illinois games prevented the Coaches Poll from giving Penn State a piece of the NC.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 01:07:38 PM
would have been a helluva game between UNL and PSU, but I'll take the Huskers - great offense and defense vs great offense

I know I'm not supposed to consider this game, but......... Nebraska put up over 300 yards and 24 points on the Cane's defense, even in Miami’s home stadium, where the Hurricanes had won 62 of their last 63 games and had not lost at night since 1985.

The Husker's defense shut down the Buffs great offense to 7 points.  Sacked Stewart 4 times and Costa 5 times.

may not have been Osborne's best team, but it was a great team

beat a decent KSU team in Manhattan with a sophomore walk-on QB.  Blackshirts held the Wildcats to a season-low minus-seven yards rushing. K-State QB was sacked six times.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Entropy on January 24, 2019, 01:43:21 PM
UNL... best OL Tom Osborne ever had...   Deep at RB, FB and a very aggressive DL.   They beat Miami with an all pro Defense in Miami.  

PSU had a great offense... but so did Colorado..   Problem is neither team could/would stop UNL.   
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 01:57:01 PM
I have no qualms with taking NU over Penn State, especially if Frazier is starting. Pro style offenses were the Blackshirts meal of choice in those days.

Nebraska beat the other two head-to-head (with its backup QB playing 6/8 quarters) so there's no questions there.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 02:21:52 PM
I'm certainly glad you guys agree
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 02:28:57 PM
Three teams, Miami, Penn State, and Nebraska, had a chance to win the national championship. Nebraska held the top spot in both the Associated Press poll and the Coaches poll. The Huskers were in position to win the Orange Bowl on January 1 and claim the national championship.

Penn State would play Oregon the next day and needed a win paired with a Nebraska loss to take the top spot. Miami, playing what was essentially a home game at the Orange Bowl, had a chance to jump two spots to No. 1 with a win against Nebraska paired with a Penn State loss in the Rose Bowl.

https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2016/6/21/11968726/the-loss-that-cost-penn-state-football-the-1994-national-championship (https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2016/6/21/11968726/the-loss-that-cost-penn-state-football-the-1994-national-championship)

The Lions took care of business, handling the Ducks 38-20. It was not a commanding victory, as it remained tied until late in the game. Penn State went on a 24-0 run following a game-tying touchdown pass by Oregon with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Ducks out-gained the Lions in the game in terms of yards from scrimmage, 501 to 430, using a Rose Bowl-record 456 passing yards. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 02:33:53 PM
The Nebraska offense and really the offensive line just wears out the Nittany Lions on defense, especially in the second half. Frazier and Phillips bust off numerous big chunk runs and dominate the Nittany Lions.

The Nebraska offense dominates time of possession leaving the Lions offense standing and watching.

And when the Penn State offense does get on the field, they would have been facing what is by far the best defense they would have played against in 1994.

As much as Penn State fans hate it, the 1994 Cornhuskers were the best team in 1994.


1994 Nebraska 35+  1994 Penn State 17-21

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/409438-old-big-10-vs-nebraska-debate-revisted-1994-nebraska-vs-1994-penn-state (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/409438-old-big-10-vs-nebraska-debate-revisted-1994-nebraska-vs-1994-penn-state)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 24, 2019, 02:36:08 PM
S&P+ has PSU #1, and Nebraska down at #4, behind Florida and Florida State
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 02:48:51 PM
I am not convinced it is a foregone conclusion that Penn State would have beaten either Colorado or Miami, depending on circumstances. Both were exceptional on one side of the ball, just like Penn State. JMO. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 02:50:13 PM
Are we going to bother going through this for 1995?  :34:
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 02:54:40 PM
The final New York Times computer ranking, in a shift that had not been foreseen because of Nebraska's victory over Miami, named Penn State the No. 1 team by the closest margin since 1990. The computer's selection of Penn State marked the sixth time in The Times's 16 rankings that the No. 1 team differed from the champion selected by the A.P. voters.

https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/04/sports/college-football-nebraska-is-no-1-as-lions-settle-for-perfect-season.html (https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/04/sports/college-football-nebraska-is-no-1-as-lions-settle-for-perfect-season.html)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 03:09:17 PM
Fixing the Final 1994 AP College Football Poll

The fixed final AP top 25 follows the article below.

Poor ol' Joe Paterno. For the 4th time in his career, he fielded a team that went unbeaten, untied, and uncrowned. That's some bad luck. Or an atrociously bad system for a major sport. Take your pick.

Of course, Penn State is only uncrowned if you rely on the major polls for your "championships." Mythical national championships are in the eye of the beholder, and this beholder views Penn State and Nebraska as co-champions for 1994. But who should be #1?

The AP poll got this one right. Stuck in the Rose Bowl, Penn State fell just short of defeating a top ten opponent this season. And they had 2 close wins (touchdown or less), while Nebraska had 1. And that one close game for Nebraska came over #3 Miami-Florida on their home field, where the Hurricanes had only lost once in ten years.


Er, at least Miami was #3 at the time the game was played. But I guess losing a close game to a 4th quarter rally from the #1 team made the AP voters reconsider quite a bit, because I see that the 'Canes dropped all the way to #6. Does that seem odd to you? Seems odd to me. Let's take a closer look at it...

http://www.tiptop25.com/fixing1994.html (http://www.tiptop25.com/fixing1994.html)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: MrNubbz on January 24, 2019, 03:17:16 PM
For PSU - Collins,Carter and Brady went in the 1st 10 picks of the next NFL draft.Skers weren't picked in the 1st - nothing's a slam dunk
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Entropy on January 24, 2019, 03:36:43 PM
What offensive skill players for UNL graduated in 1994?   =)

I'll help with one hint..... a FB.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 03:39:01 PM
A new report suggests that Tom Osborne tried to plan a Penn State vs. Nebraska bowl matchup in 1994, when both the Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers were undefeated, but Joe Paterno stopped Osborne in his tracks.

https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2012/6/6/3068366/joe-paterno-tom-osborne-penn-state-vs-nebraska-1994 (https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2012/6/6/3068366/joe-paterno-tom-osborne-penn-state-vs-nebraska-1994)

I believe this, because Tom was tired of playing Miami on their home field
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 03:39:12 PM
Colorado had two 1st round picks off their 1994 team, and we beat them handily.

Maybe the 3rd one makes all the diff tho. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 03:52:20 PM
Buff's TE was taken with the 7th pick in the 2nd round

in the first 3 rounds of the NFL draft

PSU had 3 taken

UNL had 3 taken

Colorado had 6

Ohio State had 7

Thru all 7 rounds of the draft

Huskers 7 players

Lions 5 players

Buffs 9 players
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 03:56:14 PM
Ki-Jana Carter had 1,144 yards in the NFL in 8 seasons

Lawrence Phillips had 1,453 in 4 seasons

Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on January 24, 2019, 04:15:55 PM
Thanks for the correction.  But I also think those Indiana and Illinois games prevented the Coaches Poll from giving Penn State a piece of the NC.  
No doubt about that.  Of course the other thing that hurt Penn State was that this happened during the BCA (remember that) era.  
For those who don't remember, the BCA was the precursor to the BCS.  Prior to the BCA the bowls each chose their own participants but signings were conducted before the end of the season.  Sometimes a bowl would sign what looked (at the time) like a monster 1v2 game but then one of the two would lose a game or two and it would end up being 1v10 or whatever.  
The BCA was a step on the way to the BCS.  Essentially the BCA was the BCS without the Big11Ten and PacTen which were both still tied to the RoseBowl.  Consequently, in 1994 the BCA arranged to match #1 Nebraska against the highest ranked available opponent which was #3 Miami.  Meanwhile #2 Penn State was the Big11Ten Champion so they went to the RoseBowl to play the PacTen Champion, #12 Oregon.  
That made it nearly impossible for Penn State to pass Nebraska without the Cornhuskers losing.  Even if Penn State HAD completely dominated the Ducks (they really didn't), it really wouldn't have mattered because the Ducks just weren't respected in the way the the Hurricanes were.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 07:42:57 PM
Yes, the Big Ten is the reason we didn't have more #1 vs #2 national championship games.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 07:52:27 PM
Are we going to bother going through this for 1995?  :34:
Of course we are, because in this exercise, the Fiesta Bowl didn't happen.  Yes, it's rare that the #2 team beat #3 and #4 in the regular season, but hey, maybe FSU would be a bad matchup for Nebraska.  You never know.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 07:59:42 PM
many football smart guys thought offensive genius Spurrier and the team speed of the gators was a bad matchup for the outdated option offense and the plow boys

but, they couldn't have been more wrong
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 24, 2019, 08:14:20 PM
If they played 100 times, how often would the score be that lopsided?  5 maybe?  
The embarrassing thing for Spurrier is that what the Huskers did wasn't a learning experience.  It took losing @ FSU in '96 for him to finally change his blocking schemes and utilize the shotgun.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 08:18:49 PM
did he ever learn to keep a back or TE in to pick up a blitz?

almost every time they went empty backfield the Blackshirts blitzed

poor Wuerffel
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 08:36:33 PM
Of course we are, because in this exercise, the Fiesta Bowl didn't happen.  Yes, it's rare that the #2 team beat #3 and #4 in the regular season, but hey, maybe FSU would be a bad matchup for Nebraska.  You never know.  
Good luck with that.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: MarqHusker on January 24, 2019, 09:12:31 PM
There's a piece out there (guessing in SI vault) or somewhere about that Fiesta Bowl, and I recall a yarn in it about Skippy Neuheisal going to visit Spurrier in the offseason before '95, and watching Spurrier's formations, and Neuheisal questioning Spurrier's scheme ('who's gonna block 'that guy'?),  Spurrier retorts: Oh he won't be coming, and the ball will be gone by then anyways.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 09:20:58 PM
Danny Wuerffel and the Florida Gators never saw it coming.

Blitzing linebacker Jamel Williams blindsided Wuerffel for a safety early in the second quarter, and Florida’s flashy passing game never regained its zip Tuesday night in a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.

Sure his team could throw at will on Nebraska, and Florida coach Steve Spurrier showed no fear. Even after a near safety left the Gators facing a second-and-31 hole at its 1, Spurrier had them line up in a formation with five wide receivers and no one back to block.

Big mistake.

Williams rushed in untouched from the right side, bearhugged Wuerffel and buried him in the end zone to give the Cornhuskers a 15-10 lead 2:18 into the second quarter.

“They motioned to five wide. I started to get excited when I saw no one back there,” Williams said. “I had a clear shot at him. No one was there to stop me.”

The sad sack of Wuerffel marked the first time since 1991 a Florida player had been tackled for a safety. More than that, it seemed to rob Wuerffel and the Gators’ razzle-dazzle passing plan of their confidence.

“My thinking was it was a good play,” Spurrier said. “We only gave up two (points). If we punt from our end zone, they get the ball around the 30.

“We got some protections messed up. We got out of sync.”

From then on, Wuerffel never had the touch that made No. 2 Florida the second-best passing team in the nation. Skittish, he missed open receivers, threw three interceptions and was sacked a career-high seven times.

And from that point on, No. 1 Nebraska became more tenacious on defense. It took away the slant patterns that Wuerffel completed in the first quarter, rushed him with blitzes and shut down Florida receivers with physical, man-to-man coverage in winning its second straight national championship.

“When you’re back at your one-foot line, it was worth a try to go deep,” Wuerffel said. “I had a guy open, I just couldn’t get it to him. It was only two points. We were still in the game.”

Until the safety, Florida had accumulated 124 yards. But from that play until midway through the third quarter, the Gators were held to minus yardage.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jan/03/wuerffel-gators-blindsided/ (http://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/jan/03/wuerffel-gators-blindsided/)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 24, 2019, 09:35:41 PM
A new report suggests that Tom Osborne tried to plan a Penn State vs. Nebraska bowl matchup in 1994, when both the Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers were undefeated, but Joe Paterno stopped Osborne in his tracks.

https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2012/6/6/3068366/joe-paterno-tom-osborne-penn-state-vs-nebraska-1994 (https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2012/6/6/3068366/joe-paterno-tom-osborne-penn-state-vs-nebraska-1994)

I believe this, because Tom was tired of playing Miami on their home field
I can see that.  I’m sure Joe Pa would have liked to have played Nebraska but he was just in his second year in the Big Ten and had just won his first conference title.  He wasn’t really in position to start raising hell about the Big Ten/Rose Bowl alliance that early in his tenure.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 24, 2019, 09:39:48 PM
FL was moving the ball early by going to Chris Doering the slot. I think he caught 5 passes on their first 3 possessions, when McBride swapped coverage to put Tyrone Williams on him from his usual field corner positon...and then Chris Doering was lost to the forgotten annals of history.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 10:07:06 PM
I can see that.  I’m sure Joe Pa would have liked to have played Nebraska but he was just in his second year in the Big Ten and had just won his first conference title.  He wasn’t really in position to start raising hell about the Big Ten/Rose Bowl alliance that early in his tenure.
I understand.  UNL wasn't about to start rocking Delany's boat in their 2nd year in the B1G
but, it's a damn shame the Big Ten couldn't allow it to happen in 94 and 97.  I bit too full of themselves and seem to be that way yet today.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 24, 2019, 10:45:08 PM
I understand.  UNL wasn't about to start rocking Delany's boat in their 2nd year in the B1G
but, it's a damn shame the Big Ten couldn't allow it to happen in 94 and 97.  I bit too full of themselves and seem to be that way yet today.
I'm not sure it's being full of themselves, it's just valuing different things.  I wouldn't trade MSUs 2014 Rose Bowl for a shot at the national title.  Most of us we're just raised to believe the Rose Bowl was the goal, and a national title was a nice other thing some people voted on.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 24, 2019, 11:06:41 PM
I agree with that.  I value tradition.

but, it did change quickly when Michigan got a share in 97.

thoughts can change in two years and they did
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 24, 2019, 11:13:42 PM
I agree with that.  I value tradition.

but, it did change quickly when Michigan got a share in 97.

thoughts can change in two years and they did
The powers that be realized the money they were leaving on the table.
As for the fans?  As a UM fan at the time, I wanted a national title, but I wouldn't have traded the Rose Bowl for a shot at Nebraska.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 25, 2019, 06:19:59 AM
I'm not sure it's being full of themselves, it's just valuing different things.  I wouldn't trade MSUs 2014 Rose Bowl for a shot at the national title.  Most of us we're just raised to believe the Rose Bowl was the goal, and a national title was a nice other thing some people voted on.
I could buy that more if there were a bunch of 75-80 year old guys on here.  You are in your 30s.  During your formative years as a fan the race for#1 was front and center and a very debated topic.  There was plenty of clamoring by the time you were a fan that the bowl tie-ins should be reevaluated in order to allow more flexibility for attractive matchups.
It’s just hard to believe that as a kid in high school you were so enamored with Rose Bowl tradition that it meant more to you than your favorite team finishing first in the polls.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: GopherRock on January 25, 2019, 07:24:53 AM
The Rose Bowl still means a lot to teams that don't regularly play for national championships. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 25, 2019, 07:55:05 AM
I could buy that more if there were a bunch of 75-80 year old guys on here.  You are in your 30s.  During your formative years as a fan the race for#1 was front and center and a very debated topic.  There was plenty of clamoring by the time you were a fan that the bowl tie-ins should be reevaluated in order to allow more flexibility for attractive matchups.
It’s just hard to believe that as a kid in high school you were so enamored with Rose Bowl tradition that it meant more to you than your favorite team finishing first in the polls.
The Rose Bowl was a family holiday for my entire life.  My mom made a big meal, we had extended family over for it.  I've celebrated the Rose Bowl more in my life than I have New Years Eve.  Until that first BCS title game between Tennessee-Florida State, I'm not sure how many "national championship games" I actually even watched, let alone made appointment viewing.  So yes, seeing MSU on that stage, one time, was far more valuable to me than winning a national title.  Like I've always said, I prefer college football because of what makes it different.  If I didn't, I would just watch the NFL, it's the better product.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: MrNubbz on January 25, 2019, 08:40:55 AM
The Rose Bowl still means a lot to teams that don't regularly play for national championships.
Like Nebraska or Penn St  :character0029:
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 09:01:03 AM
I'm old, but the Rose Bowl meant a lot to me.  

Growing up as a Buckeye fan helped of course.

When the Huskers played the Canes there I jumped at the chance to see my team in that game.  Even if I thought they had little chance at a win.  

I would have attended a Rose bowl by now if the the Huskers didn't play there.

If the Huskers ever make it back to Pasadena, I'll likely make the trip.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 25, 2019, 09:16:41 AM
My .02:

When I was growing up the Rose Bowl was an afterthought, and I was a rabid consumer of college football. I used to buy up every one of those those preseason mags and read and re-read them, memorizing the best players, coaches and teams. I still have many of those mags.

Don’t get me wrong; the Rose was interesting when there were matchups between highly-rated Helmet Schools. That didn’t happen on a regular basis though. What I was seeing happen on a regular basis were the top-ranked schools from the other conferences squaring off against one another in the other NYD bowls. That was far more interesting, to me.

Just based on the anecdotal evidence from convos I was seeing online at CNN/SI and email listservs such, fans from the rest of the country felt the same and were ready to move on into some type of pre-playoff structure without the Big Ten after 1997. That controversy served to wake the BIG, fortunately.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 25, 2019, 09:50:58 AM
My .02:

When I was growing up the Rose Bowl was an afterthought, and I was a rabid consumer of college football. I used to buy up every one of those those preseason mags and read and re-read them, memorizing the best players, coaches and teams. I still have many of those mags.

Don’t get me wrong; the Rose was interesting when there were matchups between highly-rated Helmet Schools. That didn’t happen on a regular basis though. What I was seeing happen on a regular basis were the top-ranked schools from the other conferences squaring off against one another in the other NYD bowls. That was far more interesting, to me.

Just based on the anecdotal evidence from convos I was seeing online at CNN/SI and email listservs such, fans from the rest of the country felt the same and were ready to move on into some type of pre-playoff structure without the Big Ten after 1997. That controversy served to wake the BIG, fortunately.

I was the exact same way.  I was most interested in the games that impacted the national championship race and there was a stretch where the Rose wasn’t one of those games. Honestly, my memories of watching the Rose when I was younger was as a way to pass time until the Orange Bowl started.  For a while it seemed like the Orange always impacted the NC race.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 25, 2019, 10:08:20 AM
I have a slight recollection of watching the 10-9 Colorado-ND game.  I'm fairly certain I didn't see another Orange Bowl until the Nebraska-Tennessee game, and even then I recall being out somewhere, and watching part of the second half when we got home, even though a Nebraska loss would have totally cleared the way for my team to win a full national title.  Didn't care, UM did what they did, voters could vote however they wanted.  I think the only piece of memorabilia I got from that year said Rose Bowl champs, didn't even say National Champs on it.

I'm not saying it was nothing, but it was just a little additional icing, like having a player from your team win the Heisman or something.  I'd prefer it to not, but didn't really care.  And I certainly cared less about who won the national championship than I did about watching the Rose Bowl.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 10:16:49 AM
the B1G and PAC had the Rose

The Big 8 had the Orange

The SEC had the Sugar

The SWC had the Cotton


Whatever game had the best match-ups vs the highest ranked teams garnered additional attention that bowl season

The Rose didn't crown as many mythical champions in the 70s and 80s and 90s, but they did have the time slot and Keith Jackson and Pasadena
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 10:22:01 AM
It's got sponsors now but I still like that the Rose Bowl is not the __________ Rose Bowl. 


It's


Rose Bowl Game 
presented by __________.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 25, 2019, 10:35:32 AM
I was the exact same way.  I was most interested in the games that impacted the national championship race and there was a stretch where the Rose wasn’t one of those games. Honestly, my memories of watching the Rose when I was younger was as a way to pass time until the Orange Bowl started.  For a while it seemed like the Orange always impacted the NC race.
To further drive home that point my formative years watching college football was probably from about the 1982 season through the 1994 season.  I went from 6 to 18 years old during that stretch.  There were 13 Orange Bowls and 13 Rose Bowls during that period.
Of the 13 Rose Bowls during that time only one featured two top 5 AP teams (Michigan and Washington during the 91 season) and only two others featured two top 10 teams (Arizona St and Michigan in 86 and Michigan and Washington in 92).
 By contrast, the Orange Bowl during that same period had eight matchups that featured AP top 5 teams and the winner of the Orange Bowl was crowned the AP national champion 7 times.  So, I guess not growing up cheering for a Big Ten team or a Pac 10 team and not having relevance in the NC race for a while just made the Rose Bowl a lot less special to me than some other folks.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 25, 2019, 10:40:55 AM
Yeah, and growing up in the 90s, obviously the Orange Bowl was still there, but the Rose Bowl, even if that was what you cared about, featured in the national championship discussion prominently.  It was the Sugar Bowl that was probably the afterthought in the 90s.  After that Georgia-Penn State game, it went about 15 years of being mostly irrelevant to the NC discussion, except for the one Miami-Bama game.  I still don't get it's time slot.  Rose is on early enough, that it's still must see TV to me.  Sugar, eh.  I've got to go to work the next day, holidays are over, I probably stayed up too late the night before.  Even when the Sugar is a CFP game, I don't watch it.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 25, 2019, 10:49:14 AM
Out of curiosity is the Rose still like a holiday event for your family?  Was Oklahoma-Georgia viewed the same way as the traditional Pac 10/Big 10 matchup?
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 10:51:29 AM
Out of curiosity is the Rose still like a holiday event for your family?  Was Oklahoma-Georgia viewed the same way as the traditional Pac 10/Big 10 matchup?
Yes. No.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 10:52:21 AM
I always watched them all.  Even with the hangover and lack of sleep.  I may have dozed off a few times, but always had at least two TVs going on New Year's Day for football
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 10:53:12 AM
It's got sponsors now but I still like that the Rose Bowl is not the __________ Rose Bowl.


Enjoy it while you can
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 10:57:05 AM
Enjoy it while you can
The 1999 game was the first to have a sponsor (advent of the BCS the need for more payout $$ caused this). I blame Roy Kramer.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 25, 2019, 11:20:08 AM
Out of curiosity is the Rose still like a holiday event for your family?  Was Oklahoma-Georgia viewed the same way as the traditional Pac 10/Big 10 matchup?
Well, my family is now dispersed, and so we get together at CHristmas, and are not together on NYD anymore, but we have my wife's family over to our house for the game.  They aren't college football folks, being Pittsburghers, but my brother in law is a Penn State fan, and a few years younger than me.  He's still all in on the Rose Bowl, not sure if he cares if it's Big 10/Pac 12 or not though.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Entropy on January 25, 2019, 01:59:09 PM
My .02:

When I was growing up the Rose Bowl was an afterthought, and I was a rabid consumer of college football. I used to buy up every one of those those preseason mags and read and re-read them, memorizing the best players, coaches and teams. I still have many of those mags.

Don’t get me wrong; the Rose was interesting when there were matchups between highly-rated Helmet Schools. That didn’t happen on a regular basis though. What I was seeing happen on a regular basis were the top-ranked schools from the other conferences squaring off against one another in the other NYD bowls. That was far more interesting, to me.

Just based on the anecdotal evidence from convos I was seeing online at CNN/SI and email listservs such, fans from the rest of the country felt the same and were ready to move on into some type of pre-playoff structure without the Big Ten after 1997. That controversy served to wake the BIG, fortunately.

this....  outside the BIG, we mocked the conference.  They hid.  Slow..  avoid the best teams.    Right or Wrong, that was the perception growing up.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 02:04:08 PM
hey, we mocked the PAC too
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 02:09:43 PM
Really hope you're not mocking the Big Ten anymore.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 02:20:10 PM
not as far as you know....

https://y.yarn.co/d3d4c5a9-2734-4b17-8cd5-4dc9d4bfc1bd.mp4?1548443968166 (https://y.yarn.co/d3d4c5a9-2734-4b17-8cd5-4dc9d4bfc1bd.mp4?1548443968166)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: SFBadger96 on January 25, 2019, 03:44:20 PM
The old bowl system was much more regional and tribal than it is now. If you were in Big Ten or Pac-10 territory, the Rose Bowl was the end-all-be-all. For more than fifty years, the winners of the Big Ten and the Pac-10 met in the Rose Bowl, so the pinnacle of those conferences was Pasadena. Full stop. Particularly given the way the MNCs were decided, the other bowls--and as a result the other conferences--really didn't matter as much. And of course fans of teams not from those two conferences probably didn't much care about the Rose Bowl, other than its nice time slot. None of their teams would ever play there.

I grew up in the Pac and went the Big Ten for college and the Rose Bowl was what we cared about. I watched the end of the 1987 Fiesta Bowl--I remember Penn State batting down Miami's desperate last attempt, but that's the only bowl game I remember that wasn't the Rose Bowl. I'm sure we watched some of the other bowls from time to time, but they just weren't that important because that's not where our teams played.

Particularly at a time when independent teams were large on the landscape and the Orange, Cotton, and Sugar had at most one automatic tie in, so Miami, Penn State, Florida State, and Notre Dame would play the top teams from the SWC, the SEC, the Big-8 or the Big East in the Cotton, the Sugar, and the Orange, and then the Fiesta, too. Frankly, the rest of the college football landscape had every reason to dismiss the Big Ten and Pac-10 and the inverse was true, too.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 03:51:42 PM
On top of all of that, SF, is the fact that until 1975, the Rose Bowl was the ONLY bowl for the Big Ten.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 04:14:33 PM
that was a silly rule
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 04:25:09 PM
That's what the faculty wanted. The official name of the conference, until 1987, was the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, founded in 1896. It had other nicknames along the way - Western, Big 9, Big 10, Big Ten - but Big Ten was not officially adopted until 1987.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 05:03:35 PM
silly faculty
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 05:16:13 PM
silly faculty
Yeah, enough with this Kollege nonsense, eh?
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 05:33:11 PM
That's what the faculty wanted. The official name of the conference, until 1987, was the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, founded in 1896. It had other nicknames along the way - Western, Big 9, Big 10, Big Ten - but Big Ten was not officially adopted until 1987.
and Michigan talked the Commish into allowing them to play in the Orange Bowl after the 74 season?
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: medinabuckeye1 on January 25, 2019, 05:39:16 PM
that was a silly rule
It sounds silly in today's environment but it helped to build up interest in the RoseBowl because that was it.  The football fans in the two conferences' footprints pretty much all watched the RB and that helped build it into what it became.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 05:48:31 PM
and Michigan talked the Commish into allowing them to play in the Orange Bowl after the 74 season?
They petitioned the faculty reps, is how I understand it. Then they changed the rule a year or two later. I don't have direct recall on it. I was 7.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 25, 2019, 06:48:16 PM
it wasn't silly until the $$$ took over

same with the BCS

same with expansion - Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers

this is America
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 25, 2019, 07:02:09 PM
Staying at 11 would have been great, except swapping out PSU for UNL. It's not that I don't like having PSU on board - I do. But for the greater good of CFB, they would serve as a nice anchor for an Eastern Conference. With Rutgers and all that. ND too.

So the conference with UNL in place of PSU could have still been


(https://www.cfb51.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F99percentinvisible.org%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F03%2Fbig-11-logo.png&hash=c7c8215e5c9acde1c178fa628306bc8c)
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 25, 2019, 10:39:50 PM
FL was moving the ball early by going to Chris Doering the slot. I think he caught 5 passes on their first 3 possessions, when McBride swapped coverage to put Tyrone Williams on him from his usual field corner positon...and then Chris Doering was lost to the forgotten annals of history.
Ehhh, he still holds the SEC career record for receiving TDs, so.....yeah.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 25, 2019, 10:41:24 PM
I'm not sure it's being full of themselves, it's just valuing different things.  I wouldn't trade MSUs 2014 Rose Bowl for a shot at the national title.  Most of us we're just raised to believe the Rose Bowl was the goal, and a national title was a nice other thing some people voted on.
You don't see this as completely backwards in hindsight?!?
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 25, 2019, 10:47:50 PM
The fact that the Big Ten and PAC-whatever held out after the rest of the country was ready to move on is all the evidence you need that they were slaves to tradition and ASTONISHINGLY, valued the RB over the national freaking championship.




Backwards.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 25, 2019, 11:15:04 PM
You don't see this as completely backwards in hindsight?!?
Nah, if I just cared who was best, I'd stop watching college football all together.  I prefer college football because it's different.  And the less dofferdif it becomes, it follows that the less I pay attention to it.  It's just become more and more a crappy version of the NFL each year.  To each his own though, I'm not going to tell someone else what they should or shouldn't value.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 26, 2019, 02:19:33 AM
Nor I, but luckily for you, the players themselves don't share your opinion.  They play to win, to be the best, and don't let traditional hokem cloud anything.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 26, 2019, 07:04:02 AM
Nor I, but luckily for you, the players themselves don't share your opinion.  They play to win, to be the best, and don't let traditional hokem cloud anything.
I've been saying this for years. This they do. Every game, no matter where, nor against who.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: MrNubbz on January 26, 2019, 09:43:02 AM
Staying at 11 would have been great, except swapping out PSU for UNL. It's not that I don't like having PSU on board - I do. But for the greater good of CFB, they would serve as a nice anchor for an Eastern Conference. With Rutgers and all that. ND too.

So the conference with UNL in place of PSU could have still been
That'd been fine if Mizzou could have tagged along with UNL.The Big Ten & ND are booth too proud to acquiesce to the other.Though I do think down the road ND will bite the bullet on their preferential treatment and have to join a conference - much to their uppity chagrin

Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 26, 2019, 09:59:26 AM
11 is a good number if ya play 10 conference games
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 27, 2019, 07:22:32 AM
I've been saying this for years. This they do. Every game, no matter where, nor against who.
What they try to do vs what they actually do.
What they're supposed to do vs the reality of 21 year olds.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 27, 2019, 10:39:30 PM
Ehhh, he still holds the SEC career record for receiving TDs, so.....yeah.
That's crazy.
No TDs against Ty Williams tho. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 27, 2019, 10:46:32 PM
Nah, if I just cared who was best, I'd stop watching college football all together.  I prefer college football because it's different.  And the less dofferdif it becomes, it follows that the less I pay attention to it.  It's just become more and more a crappy version of the NFL each year.  To each his own though, I'm not going to tell someone else what they should or shouldn't value.
Is the pursuit of a championship determination process what is making it more like the NFL though? All the other divisions have a playoff format, and IDK that they could be considered crappy NFL knockoffs. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 27, 2019, 11:00:25 PM
That'd been fine if Mizzou could have tagged along with UNL.The Big Ten & ND are booth too proud to acquiesce to the other.Though I do think down the road ND will bite the bullet on their preferential treatment and have to join a conference - much to their uppity chagrin
Missou is a mixed bag as a potential addition for the BIG. Its the only D1 program in a fairly-large state with two substantial metro areas, but IDK that it delivers either one. In KC, Missou football would rate fourth in terms of interest behind the Chiefs, Royals and KU, and maybe fifth, behind Sporting. As a Big 12 member, they rarely sold out their modest-sized stadium. If you brought them in with Nebraska and KU as a package deal, that might change some. 
I would be curious to know if its TV drawing power has increased since joining the SEC. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Entropy on January 28, 2019, 09:45:36 AM
Big8>BIG10>>>>BIG12

I also grew up with the Big8 so I do have bias.  We all do in fact.    Orange will for years to come still have more meaning to me than the Rose... but that is completely opposite for an Iowa fan.   Neither are wrong. 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 12:16:15 PM
oh, somebody is wrong
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 28, 2019, 12:49:56 PM
The fan who values a non-national championship bowl over a national championship bowl is wrong.  Otherwise, what's the goal here?



Football exists because it's a fun game.  Competitive football exists to see which team is better and among a group of teams - which team is the best.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 28, 2019, 12:58:41 PM
The fan who values a non-national championship bowl over a national championship bowl is wrong.  Otherwise, what's the goal here?



Football exists because it's a fun game.  Competitive football exists to see which team is better and among a group of teams - which team is the best.
Then the best team is either the Patriots or the Rams, and everything else is a waste of time.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Entropy on January 28, 2019, 01:17:36 PM
CF used to be about more than just the NC.    I know ESPN and the SEC want you to think otherwise (most years) but there is more to it historically.  
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 01:56:57 PM
yup, the MNC in the polls was the pinnacle, but a conference championship with an Orange bowl or Rose bowl win was a great season to be revered for the ages.  A top 5 or top ten finish in the polls was a great accomplishment

until the playoff
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 28, 2019, 02:03:16 PM
Nebraska had a number of seasons in the 70s 80s with conference titles and/or high final poll rankings that were considered disappointments because we didn't win the national championship.

This isn't to say that beating OU or winning the Orange Bowl wasn't a big deal, but lets not re-invent history to lay all of this on ESPN. Nebraska fans have been NC-obsessed since 1970, all on their own. We weren't alone.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 02:33:16 PM
well, "THOSE" fans

luckily, I was the more level headed reasonable Husker fan

definitely, NOT part of the Prick Squad of the late 90's 
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 28, 2019, 02:35:24 PM
"Don't blame me!"
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 02:40:06 PM
Hah, I don't, but Utee might blame you and your buddy Entropy

It was really Wingnut, Cranky and Wizard's fault

I'm sure rabid rattlesnake boy was never unreasonable, unless pressed by Ohio St and Michigan fans
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 28, 2019, 02:45:06 PM
Meh...Texas fans always blame somebody else.

I always liked that old sigline of yours, under your pic of Solich after the 1998 season. Lol
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 02:53:46 PM
Texas fans are unusually sensative

but, I think they are good folks

what was my sig?  been a few years
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Hoss on January 28, 2019, 02:55:50 PM
Its was "Don't blame me!"

Still makes me laugh.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: 847badgerfan on January 28, 2019, 03:04:01 PM
Texas fans are unusually sensative

but, I think they are good folks

what was my sig?  been a few years
Decades.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: FearlessF on January 28, 2019, 03:04:57 PM
Its was "Don't blame me!"

Still makes me laugh.
hah, that just made me laugh out loud
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: Kris60 on January 28, 2019, 03:25:13 PM
Then the best team is either the Patriots or the Rams, and everything else is a waste of time.
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that any season that doesn’t end with a championship is a waste of time.  I wouid say we all as fans have labeled seasons as successful and enjoyable even if they didn’t end in a  championship.  It’s just unusual for a fan to openly admit he preferred an ending for his team that didn’t include a championship.
I think in most other cases a fan’s pie in the sky, genie in a bottle wish for their team aligns with what the players and coaches would wish for.  You’ve explained why you feel that way as best you can, imo.  I’ll still always have a little trouble understanding it but it’s really not a big deal if I understand it or not.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: ELA on January 28, 2019, 04:47:12 PM
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that any season that doesn’t end with a championship is a waste of time.  I wouid say we all as fans have labeled seasons as successful and enjoyable even if they didn’t end in a  championship.  It’s just unusual for a fan to openly admit he preferred an ending for his team that didn’t include a championship.
I think in most other cases a fan’s pie in the sky, genie in a bottle wish for their team aligns with what the players and coaches would wish for.  You’ve explained why you feel that way as best you can, imo.  I’ll still always have a little trouble understanding it but it’s really not a big deal if I understand it or not.
I didn't mean that it was a waste of time because the other teams didn't win a title, I mean it's a waste of time because they can't even play for it.  We are already rooting for what is not the top level of football in America.  Why?  If everyone's goal is simply to "be the best" then I'll save you the time, you won't ever be.  At best you might be the 33rd best football team in the world.  I always preferred college football over pro football for a multitude of reasons that align with me not caring about a national championship above all else.  To me, preferring the 2nd division of American football while placing the highest value on being the best, is a weird mentality that I'll lever understand.
And I"m not saying I don't want a national title.  I'm just saying to me, the pinnacle of college football for my school is playing January 1 in Pasadena, not playing January 9 in the Buccaneers or 49ers stadium.  If the end result of that is a national title, cool, but if I can only watch my team play in one of those games, it's the former, every time.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 28, 2019, 11:25:52 PM
Then the best team is either the Patriots or the Rams, and everything else is a waste of time.
If you asked the veteran players, yes, they'd agree.
Title: Re: VOTE - Who would have won the 1994 CFP?
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 28, 2019, 11:28:32 PM
yup, the MNC in the polls was the pinnacle, but a conference championship with an Orange bowl or Rose bowl win was a great season to be revered for the ages.  A top 5 or top ten finish in the polls was a great accomplishment

until the playoff
Or until there were 40 bowls?
Used to be, there were a handful of good bowls and a few lesser bowls.  To be Cotton Bowl champs meant you probably went 9-2 or better and beat a big-boy team, finishing in the top 10 for sure.  Now?  The good bowls are just semifinal games and the rest of the 82 bowls are anonymous.