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How Would a College Football Playoff Have Impacted Miami In Past Seasons?
The Miami Hurricanes have won five National Championships and had a shot at six more going into the Bowl games in various years. How would a four team playoff affected Miami in their two championship eras?
The Miami Hurricanes won their first National Title with arguably the biggest upset in College Football History. The Hurricanes were a double-digit point spread to what at the time was being billed as the greatest team in college football history.
The Hurricanes went on to four more national titles. Jimmy Johnson finally won his first in his fourth season in 1987, Dennis Erickson succeeded Johnson and won the title in his first season in 1989 and added a second in 1991 and Larry Coker won the title in his first season in 2001 after succeeding Butch Davis.
The irony of the playoff is if it was in effect in 1983, the Hurricanes might not have won their first title until 1987. They had chances in 1985 and ’86. How would a BCS Championship or Playoff effected the Hurricanes during those and many other seasons ranked among the Nation’s elite?
They were ranked fifth in the polls going into Bowl season. Nebraska was 12-0 and number one. Texas was 11-0 and headed to the Cotton Bowl.
Miami was one of seven teams with one loss. Four of those teams were ranked between three and six with one loss and no ties. Auburn and Illinois had multiple wins over teams that were ranked in the top ten at the time they played. The Hurricanes had wins over then number 12 West Virginia and then number 13 Notre Dame.
Auburn and Illinois would have likely gotten the third and fourth bids to the playoff. If it had been the BCS era, Nebraska and Texas would have played for the National Championship. As it was in 1983, the Big Ten (Illinois) and Pac Ten Champions (UCLA) went to the Rose Bowl, the Big Eight (Nebraska) Champion to the Orange, the SEC Champion (Auburn) to the Sugar and the Old Southwest Conference Champion (Texas) to the Cotton.
The ACC Champion and Independents at the time like Miami, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Penn State could choose which bowls to play in during their best seasons. It was often predicated on the highest ranked team. The teams would usually commit before the end of the season. This caused Miami to not be able to play Colorado in the 1990 Orange Bowl Game.
As the leagues and Bowl games continued to evolve, so did the matchups. Did evolution of determining a true national champion help of hurt Miami? Many would say the first true national championship matchup at the end of a season was the 1987 Fiesta Bowl Between Miami and Penn State.
1983 Season/1984 Orange Bowl, Miami 31 Nebraska 30
The game that created the Miami dynasty would likely never have happened in the playoff era. It definitely would not have happened in the BCS Era.
The Hurricanes finished the regular season 10-1 and ranked fifth nationally. Nebraska was the clear number one. They finished the 1983 regular season 12-0 and many were saying they were the best team in College Football History.
Texas finished the regular season 11-0 and ranked second. The Longhorns and Cornhuskers would have definitely played in the Championship game had this happened in the BCS Era.
Taking a bit wider of a view was more complex. Seven teams finished the 1983 season with one loss. Five of those teams were ranked between third and seventh. The Hurricanes were in the middle at number five.
Going into the bowl games, Auburn had five wins against teams that were ranked at the time they beat them and their one loss was to Texas. Using the final regular season top 20 as a gauge, the Tigers had wins against number seven Georgia, number 11 Florida and number 18 Maryland. They also defeated Alabama and Florida State.
Illinois had three wins against top ten teams at the time they played. The won the Big Ten with a 9-0 record and finished the regular season 10-1 overall. Illinois had wins over number eight Michigan and number 14 Ohio State using the final regular season poll. They also had a win over Iowa.
Southern Methodist was a spot behind the Hurricanes with a 10-1 record at number six. Georgia was number seven with a loss and a tie. Brigham Young and Clemson were the other teams with one loss.
The likelihood is that Illinois’ and Auburn’s conference titles in arguably the two toughest conference in the country and with multiple wins over ranked teams would have edged out the Hurricanes for bids to the playoff.
Texas lost to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl 10-9 to take them out of the National Championship conversation. That was the key game for the Hurricanes and put everything else seemingly into chaos. Illinois was obliterated by UCLA 45-9 in the Rose Bowl later in the day.
The National Championship would come down to Miami and Auburn if the Hurricanes could pull off the upset. Auburn beat Michigan 9-7 in the Sugar Bowl setting off a fierce debate at the time. Auburn had wins over three top ten teams and was two spots ahead of Miami entering Bowl season.
Miami’s win over Nebraska swayed the voters and the Hurricanes vaulted five spots to win their first National Championship. Nebraska finished second and Auburn stayed third after polls following the Bowl games came out.
1985 Season
The Miami Hurricanes finished the 1985 regular season with a 10-1 record. The lone loss was a 35-23 defeat to Florida on Opening Day at the Orange Bowl. The Gators were ranked number five at the time the teams met and were number six with a 9-1-1 record heading into the Bowls.
Miami had wins over number three Oklahoma in week six and a win at then number ten Florida State two weeks later.
Miami, Oklahoma and Iowa were ranked two through four entering the bowl games and were the only top five teams with one loss and no tied. Penn State finished the regular season at 11-0.
Air Force was 11-1 and ranked tenth and Bowling Green finished 11-0, but was only ranked 20th.
If they had been a BCS Championship game in 1985 by virtue of their victory over number three Oklahoma the Hurricanes would likely have played in the championship depending on how the computers ranked UM and OU.
A playoff also seemed pretty straight forward with Number One Penn State likely facing now Big Ten foe Iowa and Miami and Oklahoma squaring off in a rematch.
Number five Michigan lost to Iowa and tied an average Illinois team. Florida lost to Georgia and tied Rutgers.
As it was, Penn State elected to face their best opponent possible and tat was Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners went to the Orange as the Big Eight Champion.
Miami still had a chance at the National Championship. If Oklahoma defeated Penn State and the Hurricanes won their Sugar Bowl game against Tennessee, UM would likely have been the National Champion.
The Sooners did their part, but Miami was crushed 35-7 by Tennessee in the Sugar. Oklahoma won the National Championship and Miami fell to ninth in the final polls.
1986 Season
The 1986 season was pretty cut and dry. Both Miami and Penn State finished the season with identical undefeated 11-0 record. With both teams being independent at the time, the Fiesta snatched up the chance to match them up for a defacto National Championship Game.
Oklahoma was the pre-season number one as the defending National Champion. They stayed there until Heisman Trophy Winner Vinny Testaverde and the ‘Canes defeated OU 28-16 at the Orange Bowl in September.
Miami gained the number one ranking after beating Oklahoma and held it throughout the rest of the regular season. The Hurricanes had an earlier win over then number 13 Florida and would later defeat number 20 Florida State.
Penn State’s only significant regular season win was a 23-3 victory at then number two Alabama in October. The Crimson Tide finished the regular season 9-3 and ranked 13th.
If there had been a playoff, things all were pretty secure who the other two teams would have been. Number three Oklahoma and Number Four Michigan were the only other major teams with one loss and no ties. Michigan’s one loss was to Minnesota.
The Hurricanes and Wolverines would have matched up and Oklahoma and Penn State would have squared a rematch of 1985’s defacto national championship game.
As it was Miami dominated the Fiesta Bowl is every statistical category expect turnovers and the scoreboard. Testaverde struggled in his second straight bowl, throwing five interceptions. Johnson and the Hurricanes came up short for second consecutive year and Penn State won their second National Championship.
1987 Season
Miami went undefeated in the regular season for a second consecutive year. For the third consecutive year, the defacto National Championship game matched either Miami, Oklahoma and Penn State.
This time the Sooners would try to do what they couldn’t the two previous seasons, beat Miami.
Had there been a playoff in 1987, it could have been messy. It was obvious Miami and OU were the two best teams, but who would have been the other two teams?
Florida State was third and their only loss was to Miami, Syracuse was fourth and undefeated. It seems likely they would have been the other two teams.
Nebraska had only one loss, that came to Oklahoma in the second to last game of the regular season. LSU and Auburn had one loss and one tie.
The likelihood is that it would have been Florida State and Syracuse. Based on the rankings Miami would have had to play FSU a second time and Oklahoma and the ‘Cuse would have played.
As it was, Miami and OU were set for another epic showdown. Oklahoma earned their bid to the Orange Bowl by going undefeated and winning the Big Eight and they would be matched with the only team that had defeated them in the two previous seasons.
Oklahoma traveled to South Florida with the Nation’s number one ranking and a rushing offense that averaged 393 yards per game out of the wishbone.
Miami mostly shut down the Sooners as Steve Walsh led the Hurricanes to their second National Championship in five seasons and Johnson’s first.
1988 Season
The next season was arguably one of the messiest at the top of the polls. Miami was once again entrenched near the top. They finished second in the final regular season polls as result of a controversial loss at Notre Dame.
The result of which became the basis for the Catholic vs Convicts game.
The undefeated Fighting Irish topped the final regular season poll. Undefeated West Virginia finished third behind Miami and got a matchup for the National Championship with Notre Dame at the Fiesta Bowl.
Even in the BCS Era, it’s likely ND and WVU would have played for the National Championship. The Mountaineers had wins over ranked Syracuse and Pittsburgh teams.
The Hurricanes had a good argument with wins over preseason number one Florida State in the season opener and wins at number 15 Michigan and 11 LSU. They added a win against number eight Arkansas at home.
The teams ranked fourth through eighth in the final polls all had one loss without any tied. FSU was fourth followed by USC, Nebraska, Auburn and Arkansas. Looking back in the rankings was almost like a destruction that an actual Hurricane would leave.
Florida State, and Arkansas’ losses were both to Miami. Auburn’s one loss was to LSU, USC’s to Notre Dame and Nebraska to UCLA. Auburn and Nebraska would likely have not made the playoff. LSU earns a nod over Auburn by virtue of head to head and Nebraska gets eliminated by the loss to UCLA who lost to USC.
That would leave FSU, USC and Arkansas to battle for the final spot. It likely would have come down to who played the best against ND and UM. An eight team playoff that year would have been incredible. Nebraska’s loss to UCLA was the only one any of the top eight teams had to any team outside the top eight in the regular season.
Notre Dame defeated WVU 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to win the National Championship and the Hurricanes defeated Nebraska 23-3 in the Orange Bowl to finish second in the final rankings.
1989 Season
An era that often saw teams accept Bowl bids before the end of the regular season prevented another chance to match one and two in a Bowl game.
Notre Dame had accepted a bid to the Orange Bowl before Miami and the Fighting Irish played in the final regular season game ironically at the Orange Bowl.
Miami crushed Notre Dame 27-10 to finish the season 10-1. Notre Dame into the game undefeated and the Orange Bowl committee was matching them with 11-0 Big Eight Champion Colorado.
Miami’s win over the Irish featured the legendary Craig Erickson and Randall Hill connection for a first down on third and 43.
Notre Dame defeated Colorado 21-6 in the Orange Bowl and had to scoreboard watch as the Hurricanes beat number seven Alabama 33-25 in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship in Dennis Erickson’s first season.
Six teams were ranked behind number two Miami with one loss at the end of the regular season. Michigan was third with its one loss to number four Notre Dame. Florida State was fifth but had two losses.
Florida State had finally defeated Miami later in the season, but began the year with opening losses to Southern Mississippi and their upstart Quarterback Brett Favre and to Clemson.
Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas also finished the season with one loss. The likelihood is that playoff would have been Colorado, Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Tennessee’s only regular season loss was to Alabama, who’s only regular season loss came to archival Auburn in their final regular season game. The Tide went to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC Champion.
Nebraska’s only loss was to Colorado and Arkansas’ to Texas.
1990 Season
The end of the 1990 regular season finished with Colorado ranked atop the polls at 10-1-1, Georgia Tech was second at 10-0-1 and Texas was third at 10-1. After that was a mess like rush hour.
Houston and Louisville were the only other teams with one loss. The Cougars were ninth in the final poll and 10-1 and the Cardinals 18th at 9-1-1. Houston might have had an outside chance at the playoff, the Cardinals would have been highly unlikely.
Behind Texas was a mess from four through 11 in the final poll.
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 4 | Miami (FL) (9-2-0) | 3 | 1 | Ind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 5 | Notre Dame (9-2-0) | 7 | 2 | Ind |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 6 | Florida State (9-2-0) | 8 | 2 | Ind |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 7 | Penn State (9-2-0) | 10 | 3 | Ind |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 8 | Washington (9-2-0) | 9 | 1 | Pac-10 |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 9 | Houston (10-1-0) | 11 | 2 | SWC |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 10 | Tennessee (8-2-2) | 12 | 2 | SEC |
| 15 | 1990-12-04 | 11 | Florida (9-2-0) | 6 | 5 | SEC |
Texas only loss on the season was to the Buffaloes who were ranked 20th at the time they played. If there had been a BCS Championship game it likely would have been Colorado and Georgia Tech. Colorado tied Tennessee in their opener and lost to Illinois later in the season.
Although Notre Dame defeated Miami, they lost to unranked Stanford and to USC, who was 18th at the time they played. Florida State’s two losses were to the Hurricanes and then number five Auburn.
Penn State began the season with losses to Texas and then number six USC, then won nine straight to finish the regular season.
Washington had losses to Colorado and an unranked UCLA. Florida’s losses were to Tennessee and FSU. With two losses and two ties, It’s unlikely Tennessee would have gotten in. Washington won the PAC-Ten, but their losses would likely have knocked them out.
In all likelihood it would have been between Miami and the Irish for the fourth spot in the playoff with Colorado, Texas and GA Tech already in. It would have been controversy no matter which of those two would have been selected.
The end of the season did provoke controversy and led the creation of the Bowl Coalition which was the forerunner to the BCS which led to the playoff.
Colorado beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and the Yellow Jackets defeated Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl and CU and GT split the National Championship.
Miami’s two losses were to Notre Dame and BYU.
1991 Season
The 1991 Season was the second in a row that finished with a split National Championship.
Miami and Washington both finished the regular season undefeated. The Hurricanes began the season third in the polls and Washington fourth. Florida State was one and Michigan two.
The Hurricanes moved up to second after the third week the polls came out FSU and Miami would stay one and two until their epic week 12 showdown. The Wolverines dropped after the Seminoles crushed them 51-31 in week three at Michigan Stadium.
Washington and Michigan would flip-flop three and four in the polls after week six.
Miami moved up to number one after one of the most memorable victories in school history. Miami had lost their meeting with Florida State in Tallahassee two years prior and were trying to make amends on their march to a national championship.
After taking a late 17-16 lead, the Seminoles drove down field to set-up a potential game winning field goal. The attempt became the famous wide right I, gave the Hurricanes the win and the nation’s number one ranking.
They went on to the Orange Bowl where they defeated Nebraska 22-0 to capture the school’s fourth title in nine seasons.
Washington also finished undefeated after beating one loss Michigan 34-12 in the Rose Bowl. The playoff after Miami and Washington would have been interesting. Florida State lost its final regular season game to Florida almost certainly knocking out the Seminoles.
The Final AP rankings had six teams below Miami and Washington with one loss without a tie. Florida’s lone loss was to then number 18 Syracuse who was 16 in the final regular season poll.
FSU and Penn State were ranked behind Michigan despite their two losses. The Nittany Lions had losses to USC and the Hurricanes. Iowa’s only loss was at home to Michigan 43-2. Alabama also had just one loss, but it was a 35-0 defeat to the Gators.
With its lone loss to unranked Tulsa, its hard to imagine that Texas A&M would have received a bid and East Carolina has to be looked at like Western Michigan is this year as being on the outside looking in.
It would have been a mess sorting through the final team but the guess is that it would have been Florida.
With a number three ranking going into the bowls the matchups would likely have been Miami against the Michigan and Florida and Washington.
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 1 | Miami (FL) (11-0-0) | 1 | Big East | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 2 | Washington (11-0-0) | 2 | Pac-10 | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 3 | Florida (10-1-0) | 5 | 2 | SEC |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 4 | Michigan (10-1-0) | 4 | Big Ten | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 5 | Florida State (10-2-0) | 3 | 2 | Ind |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 6 | Penn State (10-2-0) | 6 | Ind | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 7 | Iowa (10-1-0) | 7 | Big Ten | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 8 | Alabama (10-1-0) | 8 | SEC | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 9 | Texas A&M (10-1-0) | 10 | 1 | SWC |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 10 | Tennessee (9-2-0) | 9 | 1 | SEC |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 11 | Nebraska (9-1-1) | 11 | Big 8 | |
| 15 | 1991-12-02 | 12 | East Carolina (10-1-0) | 12 | Ind |
A BCS title game would have clearly been Miami and Washington.
1992 Season
The 1992 season marked the last of the truly dominant teams of the “Swagger” era of Schnellenberger, Johnson and Erickson. Miami finished their second season in the Big East with a second straight undefeated regular season.
After playing two Big East opponents in the 1991 season, the Hurricanes matched up with four in 1992. They faced Big East For West Virginia for a second straight season. The Hurricanes did not play Boston College after facing the Eagles in 1991.
They added Virginia Tech, Temple and Syracuse to the Conference schedule for the ’92 season. The Big East did not begin a full conference slate until the 1993 season. Miami played their four Big East games consecutively beginning with Virginia Tech on October 24.
The stretch ended with a victory at number eight Syracuse on November 21. Miami had a bye week on November 8.
The competition other than Temple was a bit of step up. The ‘Canes wins over the Hokies, Mountaineers and Orangemen was by a combined total of 38 points.
Miami also had wins over then number 23 Iowa, then number three Florida State and Penn State who was seventh at the time they played.
The Hurricanes biggest scare came at home against unranked Arizona in week three. Miami survived with an 8-7 victory. The loss caused the Hurricanes to fall from first to second in the polls. They moved back up to number one after a 45-10 win over Texas Christian on October 17.
Miami faced off in what would be another DeFacto National Championship against undefeated SEC Champion Alabama. The 11-0 Hurricanes met the 12-0 Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama was coming off a win in the first SEC Championship game against Florida.
Florida State finished another season with their only loss being to Miami. They Seminoles had a chance to tie the Hurricanes on a last second field goal but it missed…what else? Wide Right.
Texas A&M also finished the season undefeated in what had been a very mediocre Southwest Conference. Every other SWC team finished with at least three losses.
Michigan finished with a bizarre 8-0-3 regular season record. Notre Dame and Colorado both finished 9-1-1.
It’s fairly straight forward the playoff would have been the three undefeated teams and FSU.
The Miami Hurricanes went through a lot of adversity in 1992. The destruction of Hurricane Andrew in late August was devastating to all of South Florida. The UofM Hurricanes had evacuated to Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
Classes had been scheduled to commence on August 28, but were pushed back to September 14. Miami played and won it season opener at Iowa on September 5.
The ‘Canes brought the number one ranking to the Sugar Bowl, but they were overwhelmed by the Tide. Alabama won the National Championship with a 35-13 victory. Florida State took apart Texas A&M 28-3 in the Cotton Bowl to ruin their undefeated season.
1994 Season
Miami was coming off its worst season in nine years. They Hurricanes lost three games in a season for the first time since 1985. They had regular season losses to Florida State (who won their first National Championship) and West Virginia and then were blown out by Arizona 29-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Hurricanes opened the 1994 season ranked sixth. They began with a 56-0 win over 1-AA Georgia Southern and followed that up with a 47-10 win over Arizona State. Those wins gave Miami a College Football record 58 game home winning streak.
After a week off for the Hurricanes, they hosted Washington at the Orange Bowl. The Huskies put 22 points on the board in the first five minutes of the second half and cruised past the Hurricanes 38-20 to end Miami’s home streak.
Miami ran the table after the loss to Washington. Wins included beating then number three Florida State, then number 13 Virginia Tech and at then number ten Syracuse.
The Hurricanes ended the regular season number three behind undefeated number one Nebraska and undefeated Penn State. The BCS was still four years away. Had it been in existence, the Cornhuskers and Nittany Lions would have faced off.
The irony is that they are now conference foes in the Big Ten. Had they both been in the Big Ten, they would have faced off in the Big Ten Championship game undefeated. Iowa and Michigan State faced off undefeated in the 2015 Big Ten Championship game.
Nebraska headed to the Orange Bowl as Big Eight Champions. Penn State would face Oregon in the Rose Bowl. 1994 was another year where there was a lot of muck behind the obvious playoff teams.
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 1 | Nebraska (12-0-0) | 1 | Big 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 2 | Penn State (11-0-0) | 2 | Big Ten | |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 3 | Miami (FL) (10-1-0) | 4 | 1 | Big East |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 4 | Colorado (10-1-0) | 5 | 1 | Big 8 |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 5 | Florida (10-1-1) | 6 | 1 | SEC (East) |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 6 | Alabama (11-1-0) | 3 | 3 | SEC (West) |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 7 | Florida State (9-1-1) | 7 | ACC | |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 8 | Texas A&M (10-0-1) | 8 | SWC | |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 9 | Auburn (9-1-1) | 9 | SEC (West) | |
| 16 | 1994-12-06 | 10 | Colorado State (10-1-0) | 10 | WAC |
In addition to the Hurricanes, Colorado, Alabama and Colorado State had one loss without a tie. Florida and Florida State had one loss and a tie and Texas A&M finished undefeated (with a tie) as they had done in 1992.
Colorado was ranked just behind the Hurricanes and their one loss was 24-7 to Nebraska. The Gators were fifth with a 36-33 loss to Auburn and their infamous choke at the Doak tie against Florida State. Florida defeated the Crimson Tide 24-23 in the SEC Championship game.
Alabama had been undefeated entering the SEC Championship, but had their dreams of a national championship dashed by the Gators. FSU’s loss and tie were to Miami and Florida. Auburn had been undefeated with a tie against Georgia entering the Iron Bowl, but lost to Alabama preventing their first trip to the SEC Championship game.
Texas A&M’s Tie came against a 1-9-1 SMU team, so that likely would have eliminated them. Colorado State, led by former Hurricanes assistant Sonny Lubick cruised through the WAC with their one loss coming to a 10-2 Utah that was ranked 14th in the final regular season poll.
Based on resume, it would be hard to deny Colorado a bid, and the Hurricanes would have likely gotten the fourth one based on beating three teams in the top 13 and their ranking.
As it was, Miami went to the Orange Bowl to play number one Nebraska. A win over the Cornhuskers and a loss by number two Penn State and the Hurricanes would have had a chance to win the National Championship.
The Orange was played on New Years night and the Rose Bowl was scheduled for the next day. The Hurricanes had a 10-0 lead after one-quarter and led 17-7 in the third. A Nebraska safety closed the margin to 17-9 entering the fourth.
Two Cory Schlesinger touchdowns including the game winner with 2:47 remaining gave Nebraska the win and subsequently the National Championship.
Penn State beat Oregon 38-20 in the Rose Bowl the next day, so Miami’s championship hopes would have been dashed anyway. It was still a crushing loss and would wind up being the end of the Schnellenberger-Johnson-Erickson era. Erickson left for the Seattle Seahawks two weeks later and Butch Davis was hired to clean up the mess.
2000 Season
The Hurricanes were a respectable 17-6 in Davis’ first two seasons, but it was a far cry from the Miami that the nation came to love or hate. Despite finishing 8-3 in 1995, Miami was barred from postseason play as the result of sanctions from a Pell Grant scandal under Erickson.
They also lost 31 scholarships over the next few seasons. They beat Virginia in the Carquest Bowl at now Hard Rock Stadium following the 1996 season. Miami’s 5-6 record in 1997 was their worst in 18 years.
They would improve over the next two seasons, combining to go 18-7 in 1998 and ’99. They ended the 1999 campaign They took a huge leap in 2000.
Six years after the loss to Washington ended Miami’s home winning streak and would could have been an undefeated regular season, the Hurricanes traveled to Seattle. Ken Dorsey had one of the uglier games of his career and Miami lost three fumbles in a 34-29 Miami loss. It would once again be Miami’s only loss of the season.
It proved to be costly. Despite finishing the season with one loss and giving Florida State its only loss of the season, the Seminoles would play in the BCS Championship game in the Orange Bowl against undefeated Oklahoma. A game the Sooners would win 13-2.
Miami was able to match up with Florida at the Sugar Bowl. It was a game that created a lot of excitement in spite of the disappointment of not playing for the National Championship. There was still hope the Hurricanes could win the National Championship with a win in the Sugar Bowl and a Florida State win in the Orange.
Miami was ranked second in the final regular season poll and FSU third. It was the BCS Computer that had the Seminoles second. The Hurricanes actually finished the season ranked number one in the computer after the bowl games.
This was the first season that a BCS affected Miami. What if there had been a playoff system in 2000? The BCS Rankings going into the Bowl games were interesting. Oklahoma was number one and undefeated. Number two FSU had one loss to number three Miami who had one loss to number four Washington. The Huskies loss came to Oregon.
Oregon State was 10-1 and number five with their one loss coming to Washington and Virginia Tech was sixth with their one loss to Miami. The Huskies were Pac Ten Champions by virtue of their win over OSU and Miami won the Big East with their win over VA Tech.
Texas Christian also finished 10-1 with a loss to San Jose State.
The Playoff was pretty straight forward. Miami and Florida State would have had a rematch and Washington and Oklahoma would have played the other Semifinal.
2001 Season
The Hurricanes entered 2001 on a mission after how the 2000 season had ended. They didn’t want to leave any doubt they belonged in the National Championship game.
Miami was also beginning a new era. Butch Davis left Miami for the Cleveland Browns and Hurricanes Defensive Coordinator Larry Coker took over as the new Head Coach.
Miami finished the 2001 regular season as the only undefeated team in the country. They came into the season as the preseason number two behind Florida. Miami earned the nation’s number one ranking after they defeated Penn State 33-7 in the season opener. It would a spot they would hold on to for the rest of the season.
The end of the regular season would become very controversial who the Hurricanes would face in the BCS Championship game. A bunch of teams were in position to join Miami in Pasadena, but a series of upsets created another year of havoc. Five teams seemed to have a shot at playing the Hurricanes.
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 2 | Oregon (10-1) | 3 | 1 | Pac-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 3 | Colorado (10-2) | 4 | 1 | Big 12 (North) |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 4 | Nebraska (11-1) | 5 | 1 | Big 12 (North) |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 5 | Florida (9-2) | 6 | 1 | SEC (East) |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 6 | Maryland (10-1) | 7 | 1 | ACC |
| 16 | 2001-12-09 | 7 | Illinois (10-1) | 8 | 1 | Big Ten |
Oregon’s only loss was 49-42 to unranked Stanford, the defending Pac Ten Champions. Colorado sat at number three, but had losses to then unranked Fresno State in the opener and 41-7 to Texas. The Buffs crushed Nebraska in their last regular season game 62-36 and avenged the loss to Texas with 39-37 win in the Big XII Championship Game.
Florida suffered close losses to Auburn 23-20 and to Tennessee in the final regular season game 34-32. The loss to the Vols cost the Gators the SEC East Division Title.
Maryland won the ACC and its one loss was 52-31 to FSU. Illinois won the Big Ten, but a 45-20 loss at Michigan in September prevented their undefeated season.
The prevailing thought was that Miami would play either Oregon or Colorado in the Rose Bowl. When Nebraska earned the right despite not winning their own division and getting crushed by the Buffaloes, there was a lot of frustration.
Had there been a playoff in 2001, the confusion might have even been worse. The records of the teams two through seven were fairly even and there wasn’t the head to head play the 2000 season produced.
Oregon and Colorado, despite the two losses seemed like they would have made it. Nebraska was second in the BCS Computers so they likely would have made it woo. Florida, Maryland and Illinois all had cases why they should have been in the playoff as well.
The Hurricanes went out and proved it on the field. They took a 34-0 lead into halftime or the Rose Bowl against the Cornhuskers and it could be argued the game wasn’t even that close.
Nebraska would outscore Miami 14-3 in the second half, but not much mattered after halftime. Miami capped off what was arguably a season of the greatest team in college football history.
Five Hurricanes would be selected in the first round, six in the first 51 picks and 11 were drafted overall. What made the 2001 Hurricanes the best team ever was their backups. In spite of all the losses, the 2002 season looked bright.
2002 Season
The Hurricanes began the 2002 season as the nation’s top ranked team, despite losing 11 players to the draft. Miami finished the regular season as the wire to wire top ranked team.
The Hurricanes had only one true scare in a 12-0 regular season. They had to really from a 27-14 deficit and then withstand another missed field goal by Florida State on the last play of the game to earn a 28-27 victory.
Ohio State also went through the regular season undefeated, finishing 13-0. As the regular season ended it was clear Miami and Ohio State would play for the National Championship. If there had been a playoff who would have joined them?
The 2002 season seemed pretty straight forward. Iowa and Mark Richt’s second Georgia team were the only two teams with one loss. They teams with two losses didn’t have very impressive resumes. The playoff likely would have been Miami against Iowa and Ohio State against Georgia.
The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes did not play in 2002. Iowa’s only loss was to unranked Iowa State. They wound up tying for the Big Ten Championship. The Hawkeyes got pummeled 38-17 by USC in the Rose Bowl.
Georgia won the Sugar Bowl 26-14 over Florida State who finished 9-4.
The Hurricanes would be a prohibitive favorite in the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes scored first, but Ohio State scored the next 17 points. The Hurricanes lost Willis McGahee to a knee injury down 17-14 in the fourth quarter.
The Hurricanes rallied and sent the game to overtime on a Todd Sievers‘ field goal at the end of regulation. Miami appeared to have the game won in the first overtime. Almost all Hurricanes fans know what happened next…
On fourth down an in-completion by Ohio State Quarterback Craig Krenzel was flagged for Pass Interference on Miami. It was one of the most controversial calls in college football history, ,maybe in sports history. It cost Miami the National Championship and the Buckeyes won in double overtime.
2003 Season
The 2003 season was the last one that the Hurricanes were truly a National Power. It was their last season in the Big East and the last time they played in a Major Bowl game.
Miami finished the 2002 regular season 10-2 with losses at then number ten Virginia Tech and to then number 18 Tennessee at the Orange Bowl.
There was a log jam and controversy at the top of the rankings. USC was number one in the polls, but finished number three in the computer. That set up a matchup between Oklahoma and LSU in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship.
All three teams finished the regular season with one loss. OU and LSU were 12-1 and USC 11-1. USC lost their Pac Ten opener 34-31 at California and their QB Aaron Rodgers. The Tigers one loss came 19-7 to Florida at the swamp and Sooners were waxed 35-7 by Kansas State in the Big XII Championship Game.
After those big three, six teams were ranked between four and ten with two losses and Kansas State was in the mix with three. TCU finished another one loss season, this time in Conference USA. They suffered their one defeat at Southern Mississippi.
The one other playoff team was going to come from that group of seven.
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 1 | Southern California (11-1) | 2 | 1 | Pac-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 2 | Louisiana State (12-1) | 3 | 1 | SEC (West) |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 3 | Oklahoma (12-1) | 1 | 2 | Big 12 (South) |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 4 | Michigan (10-2) | 4 | Big Ten | |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 5 | Texas (10-2) | 6 | 1 | Big 12 (South) |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 6 | Tennessee (10-2) | 7 | 1 | SEC (East) |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 7 | Ohio State (10-2) | 8 | 1 | Big Ten |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 8 | Kansas State (11-3) | 13 | 5 | Big 12 (North) |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 9 | Florida State (10-2) | 9 | ACC | |
| 16 | 2003-12-07 | 10 | Miami (FL) (10-2) | 10 | Big East |
Number four Michigan won the Big Ten. Their regular season losses came at then number 20 Notre Dame 25-23 and a 34-9 loss at home to then number 13 Iowa.
Texas suffered a 38-28 loss to Arkansas and won blown out 65-13 by OU. Tennessee suffered back to back losses to unranked Auburn and number eight Georgia to begin October.
Ohio State was back in the mix and went into their game with Michigan with only a 17-10 loss at Wisconsin keeping them from being undefeated. The Buckeyes went down to the Wolverines 35-21 at Michigan Stadium.
Kansas State had three straight losses in September and to begin October to Marshall, Texas and Oklahoma State. Florida State lost their fourth straight game to Miami in the regular season and also lost to Clemson, but won the ACC Championship.
The Hurricanes would had a long battle up from tenth to get into the playoff. They shared the Big East title with West Virginia but would have won on the tiebreaker. Michigan, FSU and Miami were the only three teams that were conference champions among the teams ranked 4-10.
The fourth playoff spot would likely have gone to Michigan. They wound up playing USC anyway and LSU and OU played also. It would have been an interesting showdown between then LSU coach Nick Saban and Pete Carroll and USC.
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