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1981
College Football National Championship
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 1981
mythical
national championship (omitting selections made by a single magazine or
by math/computer
ratings, which are not generally accepted as MNCs):
12-0 Clemson:
AP
Poll, UPI Poll
(coaches),
Football
Writers Association of America, National Football
Foundation, Helms, National Championship
Foundation (tie)
11-1 Pittsburgh:
National Championship
Foundation (tie)
10-1-1 Texas: National Championship
Foundation (tie)
10-1 Southern Methodist: National Championship
Foundation (tie)
9-3 Nebraska: National Championship
Foundation (tie).
For the 5th time in 6 years, one organization spoils what should have
been a unanimous MNC selection. But for the first time during this run,
it's not the College Football Researchers Association making the dumb
contrarian pick. This time, it's the National Championship Foundation,
and this one is particularly bizarre. The NCF does select
nearly-unanimous Clemson as an MNC, but they make it a 5-way tie, and
that tie includes 9-3 Nebraska, who lost to Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Probably the single worst MNC selection of all time.
12-0 Clemson is the only rational MNC pick here. 10-1-1 Texas did play a tougher schedule, with 5 rated opponents (fixed AP poll)
to Clemson's 3, but that doesn't matter at all because Texas was tied
by #25 Houston (7-4-1), and they were stomped 42-11 by unrated Arkansas
(8-4). 10-1 Southern Methodist lost to Texas, and their schedule was
even weaker than Clemson's, as the only other rated team they played
was #25 Houston.
11-1 Pittsburgh played 3 rated opponents, just like 12-0 Clemson
did, but they were creamed 48-14 by #3 Penn State in their regular
season finale.
None of these teams other than Clemson are even contenders.