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1970 College Football National Championship

1971 Orange Bowl, Nebraska's winning touchdown to beat LSU 17-12

Alas, I've only written one National Championship article in the last 6 years. Just been too busy! I would still like to write full articles about each season like I have for 1901-1969, but for now, what I am going to do instead is write partial articles that do nothing more than explain my reasoning for my Mythical National Championship selections. Full profiles of the teams and their seasons will have to wait until I have time to write those up.

Here is how all of the organizations listed in the NCAA Records Book see the 1970 mythical national championship (omitting selections made by a single magazine or by math/computer ratings, which are not generally accepted as MNCs):

11-0-1 Nebraska: AP Poll, Football Writers Association of America, Helms, National Championship Foundation, CFB Researchers
10-1 Texas: UPI Poll (coaches), National Football Foundation (tie)
9-1 Ohio State: National Football Foundation (tie)

11-0 Arizona State (who was then in the Western Athletic Conference), 12-0 Toledo, and 9-0 Dartmouth were mid-major teams playing schedules too far removed from big time college football for them to contend for any kind of MNC. I have ASU ranked #11 for 1970, Toledo #12, and Dartmouth #14.

The NFF and UPI polls ended before the bowls, which is why they went with Texas and Ohio State, each of whom was upset in their bowl game. At the end of the regular season, Texas had been 10-0 and ranked #1 in the AP poll, Ohio State 9-0 and #2, and Nebraska 10-0-1 and #3. On New Year's Day, Nebraska took the field in the evening already knowing that Texas and Ohio State had each been upset earlier in the day, and that the Huskers would almost certainly end up #1 with a victory in the Orange Bowl over 9-2 Louisiana State.

There isn't really any controversy to the 1970 mythical national championship (MNC), as Nebraska is obviously a unanimous post-bowl choice amongst organizations listed above, and they had the best record of any major team, but at the time, there was at least a bit of drama before the final AP poll was published. 11-1 Notre Dame, you see, had been rated #6 in the final regular season AP poll, and they are the team that upset #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and by more than a touchdown, 24-11. Nebraska had the better record, and had been ranked higher going into the bowls, but Notre Dame played a tougher schedule, and that win over Texas was not only better than any of Nebraska's wins, it was the best win by any team in the 1970 season. So people thought there was some chance Notre Dame could jump to #1 in the final poll. After winning the Orange Bowl, Nebraska coach Bob Devaney said, "Even the Pope wouldn't vote Notre Dame number 1." In the final AP poll, Nebraska collected 39 first place votes to 8 for Notre Dame.

But does Notre Dame's tougher schedule and big win over Texas merit at least a share of the MNC? I would say no, for one simple reason. Notre Dame's one loss came at #15 Southern Cal (6-4-1) 38-28 in their regular season finale. Now, it just so happens that Nebraska's one tie came at USC 21-21 in their 2nd game, and that one difference between the teams is just too big for any reasonable MNC debate here.

Nebraska vs. Notre Dame 1970 is actually pretty similar to Georgia Tech vs. Southern Cal 1928. That year, 9-0-1 Southern Cal played a tougher schedule than 10-0 Georgia Tech did, but USC's tie came 0-0 at California (6-2-2, #3), while GT defeated Cal 8-7 in the Rose Bowl. Those results were only different by a single point, but it was a crucial point, leading to me selecting GT as sole MNC for 1928. I deemed USC to be a mere "contender": very close, but cigarless.

Notre Dame 1970, however, I would not even call a "contender," as I consider the differences between them and USC 1928 to loom rather large. First of all, USC's tie at Cal came in their 4th game, whereas Notre Dame's loss in 1970 came at the end of the regular season, giving it more emphasis. Furthermore, while there was 1 point of difference between USC and GT's games against Cal in 1928, Notre Dame's loss in 1970 came by more than a touchdown, and so there was a large difference between ND and Nebraska's games against USC in 1970.

You can compare the 1970 seasons of Nebraska and Notre Dame in full below (all rankings come from my 1970 fixed AP poll).

1970 Nebraska 11-0-1

Wake Forest (6-5)	36-12
at Southern Cal (6-4-1)	21-21	#15
Army (1-9-1)	28-0
at Minnesota (3-6-1)	35-10
Missouri (5-6)	21-7
at Kansas (5-6)	41-20
Oklahoma State (4-7)	65-31
at Colorado (6-5)	29-13
at Iowa State (5-6)	54-29
Kansas State (6-5)	51-13
Oklahoma (7-4-1)	28-21	#25
Orange Bowl Louisiana State (9-3)	17-12	#6

1970 Notre Dame 10-1

at Northwestern (6-4)	35-14
Purdue (4-6)	48-0
at Michigan State (4-6)	29-0
Army (1-9-1)	51-10
at Missouri (5-6)	24-7
(Philadelphia) Navy (2-9)	56-7
Pittsburgh (5-5)	46-14
Georgia Tech (9-3)	10-7	#13
Louisiana State (9-3)	3-0	#6
at Southern Cal (6-4-1)	28-38	#15
Cotton Bowl Texas (10-1)	24-11	#3

National Champions
1970 Fixed AP Poll
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