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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 4285750, member: 289"] 1982 [URL unfurl="true"]http://www.tiptop25.com/fixing1982.html[/URL] [URL unfurl="true"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_NCAA_Division_I-A_football_rankings[/URL] Pittsburgh had followed up their 1976 championship with a series of strong years but like SU in the 60’s and the 90’as, they were never again quite able to find the magic to get through an entire season without stumbling. They went 11-1 for three straight years from 1979-81. They had a brilliant defensive end named Hugh Greene who was all over the field and dominated on defense and they a quarterback named Dan Marino whose personal greatness was never questioned but who never won a championship, college or pros. The 1979 team lost their second game 7-17 to an 8-3-1 North Carolina team that had Lawrence Taylor on it. The 1980 team lost their 5th game 22-36 to a 10-2 Florida State team that lost by only a point to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl thanks to a brief lapse in their pass defense. That stormed through the rest of the season, crushing South Carolina and Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, 37-9 in the Gator Bowl. They wound up ranked #2 that year and many people thought they were really better than national champion Georgia. But that lapse in their pass defense against the ‘Noles cost them a second national title. They’d outscored their other 11 opponents 358-94. They looked like nothing would stop them in ’81, crushing FSU 42-14 in game 5 in Pittsburgh. Through 10 games they were 10-0, having outs-cred their opponents 347-92 and were ranked #1. Then came one of the strangest games I have ever seen. Playing at home against arch rival Penn State, the Panthers quickly moved to a 14-0 first quarter lead and then again drove down to the Penn State goal line. It looked like the game was going to be a blow-out. And it was. My memory recalls Marino dropping back to make a throw over the middle. It gets picked off at the goal line and the Penn State player dashes passed shocked Panthers with little attempt to stop him. He gets behind everybody, sees nothing but green and nobody can catch him. The rest of the game was Penn State 48, Pittsburgh 0. How the heck does a #1 team lose like that? Pitt was matched with 10-1 Georgia, (who had lost only to national champion Clemson) in the Sugar Bowl and won that, 24-20, when Marino threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to John Brown. If only they’d decided to play four quarters instead of one against Penn State. State finished a 10-2 season by dominating Southern California and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen, 26-10 in the Fiesta Bowl. They seemed like a prime contender for the 1982 title. They’d run the table in 1968, 1969 and 1973, only to have other unbeaten teams chosen over them. They’d gone into the 1979 Sugar Bowl undefeated and ranked #1 but came up a foot short on the goal line stand at the end. In 1982, they’d won an early home game against a powerful Nebraska team, 27-24 thanks to controversial call on a late touchdown pass that Nebraska insisted and films seemed to show was caught out of bounds. The receiver, Mike McClosky, admitted he was out of bounds -16 years later. The Nittany Lions had joined with Pitt and West Virginia, (all independents in those days), to form an ‘association’, that allowed them to hire their own officials for home games under NCAA rules and it was a given that you’d get screwed in any game played at their schools. Then they seemingly had their dreams of a title dashed again when everything went wrong in a 21-42 loss at Alabama. The Tide scored 4 touchdowns after Penn State turnovers, including two in 11 seconds late in the game. This was Bear Bryant’s final season and his team was 5-0 but would slump to 8-4 and fall out of contention. It appeared State had fallen out of contention already but instead of falling part they came together. They crushed Syracuse, West Virginia, Boston College and North Carolina State by a combined 158-24, then won a 24-14 confrontation with Notre Dame. Then came Pitt again. The Panthers had started out ranked #1 but there had been a coaching change from Jackie Sherrill, who had followed Johnny Majors before deciding to move on to Texas A&M. He was replaced by Foge Fazio, his defensive coordinator. Foge won his first seven games and alternated in the #1 spot with Washington. But they didn’t seem to be playing with the energy of the previous teams under Majors and Sherrill and then they finally lost to Notre Dame 16-31. They won a couple more but then lost again to Penn State, 10-19 and to Southern Methodist in a brutally dull 3-7 Cotton Bowl to finish 9-3. They went 8-3-1 the next year and collapsed to 3-7-1 the next year. Fazio was fired after a 5-5-1 record in 1985. You can’t follow 33-3 with 25-18-3 and keep your job. Pitt’s great modern era was over. Penn State was matched this time with #1, 11-0 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and won one of the greatest game I’ve ever seen, 27-23 to finally win their first national championship. [MEDIA=youtube]smb8jpnpots[/MEDIA] The Cotton Bowl snoozer: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeQbUd3uEo8"]1983 Cotton Bowl #4 SMU vs #6 Pittsburgh No Huddle[/URL] Nebraska nipped Louisiana State in the Orange Bowl: [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eiNZtCuRo"]1983 Orange Bowl #3 Nebraska vs #13 LSU No Huddle[/URL] State was 11-1 and #1 in the final polls. Nebraska was 12-1 and #3 and Georgia was 11-1 and #4 and Penn State was the ‘1’ in each case. That’s a pretty good resume. But that Nebraska game was controversial, to say the least and the Georgia game could have gone either way. And the #2 team, Southern Methodist, was undefeated, with a 17-17 tie with 9-2-1, #9 ranked Arkansas – and they, too had beaten Pittsburgh. Then there was that Alabama disaster. Penn State sure didn’t look like a national champion that day. There was talk that SMU deserved to be co-national champions but most people dismissed this. It had bene so long since they were a power in college football, (and it wouldn’t last long, thanks to the NCAA. There was more talk about the Nebraska and Alabama games. But this is my fantasy, so I’ll set up a four-team playoff with Penn State, SMU, Nebraska and Georgia. I don’t like immediate rematches, so let’s have Penn State play SMU while Nebraska takes on Georgia. Penn State vs. Southern Methodist Penn State beat Pittsburgh 19-10 who lost 3-7 to Southern Methodist = +5 for Penn State Penn State beat Boston College 52-17 who beat Texas A&M 38-16 who lost 9-47 to Southern Methodist = +19 for Penn State Penn State beat West Virginia 24-0 who beat Oklahoma 41-27 who beat Texas 28-22 who lost 17-30 to Southern Methodist = +31 for Penn State Penn State lost to Alabama 21-42 who beat Mississippi State 20-12 who lost to U of Miami 14-31 who beat Houston 31-12 who lost 14-20 to Southern Methodist = +17 for Southern Methodist Penn State beat Georgia 27-23 who beat Florida 44-0 who lost to Arkansas 24-28 who tied Southern Methodist 17-17 = +44 for Penn State Result: +82/5 = Penn State wins by 16 points. Nebraska vs. Georgia Nebraska lost to Penn State 24-27 who beat Georgia 27-23 = +1 for Nebraska Nebraska beat Auburn 41-7 who lost to Georgia 14-19 = +29 for Nebraska Nebraska beat Louisiana State 21-20 who beat Florida 24-13 who lost to Georgia 0-44 = +32 for Georgia Nebraska beat Oklahoma 28-24 who beat Kentucky 29-8 who lost to Clemson 6-24 who lost to Georgia 7-13 = +1 for Nebraska Nebraska beat Iowa 42-7 who beat Northwestern 45-7 who lost to Ohio State 28-40 who beat Brigham Young 47-17 who lost to Georgia 14-17 = +88 for Nebraska Result: +87/5 = Nebraska wins by 17 points, setting up and exquisite rematch for the national championship. Penn State vs. Nebraska Penn State beat Nebraska 27-24 = +3 for Penn State Penn State beat Georgia 27-23 who beat Auburn 19-14 who lost 7-41 to Nebraska = +25 for Nebraska Penn State beat Pittsburgh 19-10 who beat Illinois 20-13 who lost to Iowa 13-14 who lost to Nebraska 7-42 = +20 for Nebraska Penn State beat West Virginia 24-0 who beat Oklahoma 41-27 who lost 24-28 to Nebraska = +34 for Penn State Penn State beat Boston College 52-17 who lost to Auburn 26-33 who beat Tennessee 24-14 who tied Louisiana State 24-24 who lost 20-21 to Nebraska = +37 for Penn State Result: +29/5 = Penn State clinches their national championship by 6 points. [/QUOTE]

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