Let's do this - VOTE - College Football Playoff Winner - 1997

[OrangeAfroMan]

December 9th, 1997.  Regular season over.  Playoff is set:
1 Michigan vs 4 FSU
2 Nebraska vs 3 Tennessee
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The teams:
#1 Michigan, 11-0, Big Ten Champions
48th in scoring offense
1st in scoring defense
32nd in strength of schedule
Michigan began the season 14th, but beat #8 Colorado 27-3 in their first game.  The Wolverines faced five more ranked teams, beating #15 Iowa, at #15 MSU, at #2 Penn St, at #23 Wisconsin, and ended the regular season with a close win over #4 OSU.  
UM had a very ordinary offense in 1997, scoring 30+ points just three times all year.  QB Griese had decent numbers, but wasn't overly productive or efficient.  None of the RBs by committee averaged over 5 ypc.  Yardage-wise, TE Tuman led the Wolverines with 404 yards receiving.
Michigan was able to go undefeated because of the defense.  Against the pass, it was all-time great, holding opponents under 50% completion percentage and only 116 yards passing per game!  Heisman-winner CB Woodson shut down his side of the field and still picked off 7 passes.  Opponents also had trouble running the ball, being held to under 100 yards per game.  Michigan held seven teams below 10 points.
UM had good FG kicking, but the rest of the special teams weren't great.  Yes, Woodson had a PR TD, but had a very ordinary average for the season.
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#2 Nebraska, 12-0, Big XII Champions
1st in scoring offense
12th in scoring defense
41st strength of schedule
The Huskers started the year ranked 6th and enjoyed a win at #2 Washington early in the season.  They beat #17 KSU by 30 the next week, but didn't face another ranked team until the BXIICG vs #14 Texas A&M, winning by 39.
Nebraska's option offense averaged nearly 400 yards rushing per game, at 6.2 ypc for the season.  RB Green had nearly 1900 yards with 22 TD and QB Frost over 1,000 yds and 19 TDs.  The Huskers' top 3 rushers all averaged over 6 ypc.  As a passer, Frost was ordinary, with a low rating and 5 TD/4 INT.  No Husker pass-catcher had over 14 catches.
On the season, Nebraska scored 40+ points seven times.
The Blackshirts' strength on defense was against the run, allowing just 73 yards per game.  The pass D was stingy on allowing completions (47% comp %), but allowed big plays on those passes that were completed.  Mike and Ralph Brown were the veterans in the secondary.
The return game was strong, especially once Newcombe took over as PR.  Kicker Brown hit 86% of his FG attempts.
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#3 Tennessee, 11-1, SEC Champions
19th in scoring offense
42nd in scoring defense
1st in strength of schedule
Peyton Manning returned for his SR season, but couldn't beat #3 Florida in the Swamp.  The Vols rolled the rest of the way, however, beating #13 Georgia and #24 Southern Miss big, and squeaking out a 1-point win vs #11 Auburn in the SECCG.  Close wins over unranked UCLA and Vanderbilt were perplexing.  Tennessee spent the entire season ranked in the top 10.
Few teams could match the big 3 on offense of the Vols:  QB Manning, RB Lewis, and WR Nash.  Manning threw for 3800 yards with 36 TDs and a good rating.  Lewis carried the load on the ground for 1,364 yds and 7 TD.  Nash contributed nearly 1200 yards and 13 TDs through the air.  The Vols were very pass-heavy, throwing for over twice the yardage as they rushed for.
Teams found great success passing the ball vs Tennessee.  Fair led the team with 5 INT, but teams threw the ball all over the Vols.  They were strong vs the run, though, allowing 93 yards per game.
The special teams were solid, with Fair's punt returning being the strength.
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#4 FSU, 10-1, ACC Champions
4th in scoring offense
7th in scoring defense
10th strength of schedule
Preseason top 5, Florida State began the year 10-0, including wins at #23 USC, at #16 Clemson, #21 GA Tech, and at #5 North Carolina.  However, FSU was upset at #10 Florida in the season finale by 3 points.
The Noles' had a big offense, led by its passing game.  FSU put up 40+ points five times.  QB Busby threw for a lot of yards (FSU averaged 340 per game), but only 25 TDs.  His 10 INT kept his good passer rating from being great.  Busby's top 2 targets were EG Green (1000 yds, 11 TD) and Peter Warrick.  The running game was led by RB Minor, but wasn't relied on very much.  Pedestrian yards-per-carry averages the year after Dunn left kept FSU passing a lot in 1997.
Six FSU opponents failed to score 10 points, three of which were ranked.  FSU had an all-time great run defense, allowing just 1.5 ypc and 52 yards per game on the ground.  Epic.  They were also good vs. the pass, allowing under a 50% completion rate and picking off 22 passes, led by CB Rolle's 7.  K Janikowski had the biggest leg, maybe ever, and hit on 76% of his FGs and Warrick was electric returning punts.  
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The Award Winners:
CB Charles Woodson, Michigan (Heisman, Nagurski, Bednarik, Thorpe, Camp, All-American)
QB Peyton Manning, Tennessee (O'Brien, Unitas, Maxwell, AA)
OT Aaron Taylor, Nebraska (Outland, AA)
DE Grant Wistrom, Nebraska (Lombardi, AA)
HC Lloyd Carr, Michigan (Coach of the Year)
DT Jason Peter, Nebraska (AA)
DE Andre Wadsworth, FSU (AA)
LB Sam Cowart, FSU (AA)
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So we've got 2 teams that lost to Florida and 2 that didn't have to play the Gators.  Just sayin'.  Who would win the whole damn thing in 1997?

[ELA]

Noles over the Huskers

[Brutus Buckeye]

Michigan and Nebraska both best their semifinal opponent, setting up the all timer of a showdown, which of course became an instant classic.

Michigan, up by four with under 2:00 in the 4th, has a drive stall around midfield. They roll out the punting unit with an eye on pinning Nebraska deep in their own territory and making them drive the length of the field against the vaunted Wolverine defense.

But then this happened....



Hope was not lost as they were able to block Nebraska's extra point attempt, keeping it a two point game. The Wolverines would run their two minute offense to perfection, dinking and dunking their way down the field into chip shot FG range, and roll out their excellent kicker for a walk off game winner as time expires.

But then this happened...



The Cornhuskers are your undisputed National Champions!

[847badgerfan]

FSU over Michigan 20-17
UNL over Tennessee 41-34


FSU over UNL 31-30

[Cincydawg]

I figure FSU somewhere in all of this is going to have a field goal attempt go wide right.

[fezzador]

Michigan and Nebraska both best their semifinal opponent, setting up the all timer of a showdown, which of course became an instant classic.

Michigan, up by four with under 2:00 in the 4th, has a drive stall around midfield. They roll out the punting unit with an eye on pinning Nebraska deep in their own territory and making them drive the length of the field against the vaunted Wolverine defense.

But then this happened....



Hope was not lost as they were able to block Nebraska's extra point attempt, keeping it a two point game. The Wolverines would run their two minute offense to perfection, dinking and dunking their way down the field into chip shot FG range, and roll out their excellent kicker for a walk off game winner as time expires.

But then this happened...



The Cornhuskers are your undisputed National Champions!

In other words, it wouldn't have been the Wolverines.

[SFBadger96]

I'm seeing a Tennessee/FSU final, with FSU winning a tight one.


/edit
On reflection, yeah, I think this is FSU vs. Nebraska--not sure what I was thinking on Tennessee. But I still think FSU wins it. Even with the loss, their record against a strong schedule was really, really impressive.

[FearlessF]

well, we don't know how #2 vs #3 would have come out, but we know that the Huskers would have run over the Vols.

I'd guess #4 upsets #1

then I'd guess in Osborne's last game coaching the Skers, Frosty and the team would have risen to the occasion and got a slim victory over the #4 Noles.  Revenge for the 93 season.

[FearlessF]

In other words, it wouldn't have been the Wolverines.

in not so many words - you're right

[Brutus Buckeye]

In other words, it wouldn't have been the Wolverines.

No, no. It certainly wouldn't've. 
Although Michigan fans would claim it anyway, blaming the loss on a missed holding call during the second quarter. 

[OrangeAfroMan]

Michigan and Nebraska both best their semifinal opponent, setting up the all timer of a showdown, which of course became an instant classic.

Michigan, up by four with under 2:00 in the 4th, has a drive stall around midfield. They roll out the punting unit with an eye on pinning Nebraska deep in their own territory and making them drive the length of the field against the vaunted Wolverine defense.

But then this happened....



Hope was not lost as they were able to block Nebraska's extra point attempt, keeping it a two point game. The Wolverines would run their two minute offense to perfection, dinking and dunking their way down the field into chip shot FG range, and roll out their excellent kicker for a walk off game winner as time expires.

But then this happened...



The Cornhuskers are your undisputed National Champions!

You have a special kind of hate.  Respect.

[OrangeAfroMan]

It would be fun to see Manning throwing the ball against Woodson, but that'd be the least-likely outcome.

I have no love for FSU, but I really have trouble envisioning Michigan being able to beat them.
Nebraska's run game would overwhelm Tennessee, whether you want to cite the bowl game or not.

I would side with the more talented team, FSU, but I can't unsee Fred Taylor gashing the epic FSU run defense for 150+ yards and 4 TDs in "the greatest game ever played in the Swamp"*.  If he could do that, what would the Huskers be able to do?  

Nebraska wins it.






*FSU came into the game allowing just 40 yards rushing per game, which by my research, was 2nd-best ever (at least the last 50 years), behind only '93 Arizona.  

[Brutus Buckeye]

You have a special kind of hate.  Respect.

hey, c'mon now.
It is not as though I had them losing in the semifinal. 

[FearlessF]

We could end the voting now, before Bob Griese and Keith Jackson show up