The Teams From Left Field
National Champs That Started Out Low
By
Richard Cirminiello
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Teams
that went wire-to-wire (in ASK CFN)
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2009
Preseason AP Poll
Ten teams outside the preseason
AP Top 25 that should make some noise
- Georgia (CFN rank: 5, AP rank: 13)
- LSU (CFN rank: 7, AP rank: 11)
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California (CFN rank, 10, AP rank,
12)
- Iowa (CFN rank: 13, AP rank: 22)
- Oregon (CFN rank: 15, AP rank: 16)
- Florida State (CFN rank: 16, AP rank: 18)
- Notre Dame (CFN rank: 17, AP rank: 25)
- West Virginia (CFN rank: 18, AP rank: 32)
- Illinois (CFN rank: 19, AP rank: 27)
- Missouri (CFN rank 20, AP rank: T46) |
There’s hope Georgia Tech. Same goes for you, Iowa and Nebraska. Despite what you’ve read in recent years, a modest showing in the preseason polls is not a death knell for a school’s national championship dreams. History says so.
Stop believing the alarmists, who have made Top 25 rankings in August college football’s equivalent of the boogie man. It’s just not accurate. Sure, you’d rather be No. 2 than No. 22 to begin a season, but the advantages are nominal. Heck, wearing that target can actually be an albatross compared to being able to live a little beneath the radar for the first few weeks. The fate of the 2004 Auburn team, the poster child for preseason poll hate crimes and conspiracy theories, is simply not the norm. The reality remains that if you take care of business against a schedule littered with a few landmines, you’re going to get a chance at a national championship ... regardless of where the journey begins in September.
For inspiration, anyone not named Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, or USC might want to open up their history books and get to know some of college football best national champs that started the season on the outskirts of the initial AP top 10 rankings.
15. 1968 Ohio State - This Buckeye team began the year just outside the top 10 and wound up winning more than just a national championship; it remains a favorite among long-time fans. A legendary squad and one of Woody Hayes’ best teams, it housed 11 All-Americans and six future first-round draft choices. Ohio State ran the 10-game table in 1968, upsetting No. 1 Purdue, destroying Michigan 50-14, and sealing a national championship with a come-from-behind win over USC and Heisman winner O.J. Simpson in the Rose Bowl.
Preseason AP Ranking: 11
14. 1984 BYU - It took this national title a quarter-century ago for the Cougars to earn the respect so many were reluctant to give them. Even after going 11-1 a year earlier, they began 1984 unranked, needing to make the steady climb up the rankings against protests from purists. The program was catapulted into the national arena with a season-opening upset of No. 3 Pitt, and remained there behind the Robbie Bosco-led offense and a series of breaks en route to the Holiday Bowl. The Cougars defeated 6-5 Michigan in San Diego, which was enough to cop a title that no one else seemed to want.
Preseason AP Ranking: Unranked
13. 1957 Auburn - The only consensus national champion in school history, the Tigers took the country by surprise in 1957. Ranked No. 15 to begin the season, Auburn used a historically nasty defense to roll through the 10-game schedule without too much resistance. Shug Jordan’s kids yielded a total of 28 points all season, capped by a 40-0 trashing of rival Alabama in Birmingham. Unfortunately, the program was on probation for recruiting violations, making the Sugar Bowl, the prize for winning the SEC, off limits.
Preseason AP Ranking: 15
12. 2003 LSU - Now this was why you hired Nick Saban, LSU. The coach and his talented staff helped bring the school its first national championship in 45 years, overcoming an Oct. 11 loss to Florida to win its final eight games. Before the season, the Tigers weren’t even predicted to win the SEC West, let along a BCS title. The defense was quintessential Saban, holding all but one opponent under 15 points and sucker punching high-powered Oklahoma and Heisman winner Jason White in New Orleans.
Preseason AP Ranking: 14
11. 1983 Miami - This was the official launching point for the Hurricanes, which would go on to become one of the sport’s dominant forces for more than a decade. Before 1983, Miami had bowled just once in the previous 15 seasons, so it was hardly a slight to begin the year outside the Top 25. The ‘Canes were routed by Florida in the opener and didn’t even crack the rankings until upsetting No. 13 Notre Dame three weeks later. With freshman Bernie Kosar at the controls, the clincher of an 11-game streak was a 31-30 Orange Bowl upset of Nebraska in one of the all-time classics in college football history.
Preseason AP Ranking: Unranked
10. 1962 USC - For third-year head coach John McKay, this was his breakthrough season at Troy. Few saw it coming. The Trojans began the year unranked, but quickly rebooted expectations with an opening day upset of No. 8 Duke. With more of a no-name group than the editions to come, USC cruised through the regular season, holding 10 victims to a total of just 55 points. The Trojans padlocked a national title with a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin, but id didn’t come without a fight. They darn near started the celebration too early and had to sweat out a 42-37 nail-biter.
Preseason AP Ranking: Unranked
9. 1980 Georgia - Fresh off a downright humbling 6-5 campaign, the expectations were predictably modest heading into the 1980 season. Of course, few expected true freshman Herschel Walker to be this good, this fast. His legendary debut plus the Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott heroics, particularly in the Cocktail Party helped propel the Dawgs to the top of the rankings, a spot they’d never relinquish. Georgia capped its improbable run to a national championship by knocking off Notre Dame, 17-10, in the Sugar Bowl.
Preseason AP Ranking: 16
8. 1981 Clemson - Defense wins championships. It sure did more than a quarter-century ago in Death Valley. Save for the big-play abilities of QB Homer Jordan and WR Perry Tuttle, the offense lacked flash, but it didn’t need it. The suffocating D, led by LB Jeff Davis, CB Terry Kinard, and a dominating defensive line destroyed opponents, holding them to an average of nine points a game. Although it took the Tigers the first month of the season to even become ranked, once they did in October, they never looked back, sweeping the schedule and beating No. 4 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 22-15.
Preseason AP Ranking: Unranked
7. 1959 Syracuse - A half-century ago, most of the country probably couldn’t locate Syracuse on a map. The Orangemen gave everyone a geography lesson. Not exactly a football powerhouse at the time, the program pulverized everything in its path, outscoring opponents 413-73 in 11 games. The defense was phenomenal and the Express, Ernie Davis, was just beginning to hit his stride. Playing a schedule that included games with Holy Cross, Colgate, and Boston University, however, meant widespread respect didn’t come until after defeating Texas, 23-14, in the Cotton Bowl.
Preseason AP Ranking: 20
6. 2002 Ohio State - Style points? Who needs style points? In just his second season in Columbus, Jim Tressel used a formula of defense, special teams, and the ground game to win all 14 games, half by seven points or fewer. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a stark turnaround from a year earlier, when the Buckeyes were 7-5 and lost to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. This year’s postseason game would have far more meaning. In one of the classic all-time bowl games, Ohio State upset heavily-favored Miami, 31-24, in a double-overtime shocker.
Preseason AP Ranking: 13
5. 1988 Notre Dame - It all started somewhat innocently when No. 13 Notre Dame beat No. 9 Michigan on a Reggie Ho field goal in the final minute. By January, Lou Holtz had whipped the Irish into one of the best teams to ever play in South Bend. Of the team’s 12 wins, four were against top 10 opponents, including the classic Catholics vs. Convicts over Miami and the showdown with No. 2 and unbeaten USC. On the roster were 27 future NFL draft picks, a half-dozen All-Americans, and dynamite dual-threat QB Tony Rice.
Preseason AP Ranking: 13
4. 1997 Michigan - This Wolverine team was to Ann Arbor what Ohio State was to Columbus in 2002. Both schools began the season ranked in the teens and made a steady climb up the rankings without suffering a blemish. The Brian Griese-led offense wasn’t scary. The defense, however, was ferocious. Michigan allowed just one opponent to score more than 16 points in a game, shutting down running lanes with alarming quickness. The poster boy, of course, was CB Charles Woodson, the only primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Preseason AP Ranking: 14
3. 1954 Ohio State - Starting the season toward the back of the pack couldn’t keep this Buckeye team from winning the school’s second national championship. A young Woody Hayes, now in his fourth season, leaned heavily on halfback Hopalong Cassady and a rugged defense to win all 10 games, most by double-digits. It took five wins over ranked teams before Ohio State ascended to No. 1, a position it held tightly with a 20-7 rout of USC in a rain-soaked Rose Bowl.
Preseason AP Ranking: 20
2. 2000 Oklahoma - A No. 19 ranking almost seemed generous, considering the Sooners were coming off a 7-5 campaign, their first winning season since 1993. By October, everyone knew Bob Stoops’ second team in Norman was something real special. During that month alone, Oklahoma ambushed No. 11 Texas, 63-14, defeated No. 2 Kansas State in Manhattan, and toppled top-ranked Nebraska, 31-14. Once November started, the Sooners were No. 1, a spot they’d keep through the Orange Bowl, a 13-2 suffocation of Florida State. With Josh Heupel on offense, Roy Williams on defense, and talent everywhere, this was a classic case of a program catching fire and meshing at just the right time.
Preseason AP Ranking: 19
1. 1958 LSU - Unranked in September went on to become unbeaten and untied in January. Led by the running of Billy Cannon and a deep and talented defense, the Tigers made a steady climb up the charts. They debuted at No. 15 after Week 2 and took over the top spot with a win over Florida at the end of October. LSU never looked back over the final five games, getting scares from Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but surviving to remain perfect. The program’s magical and improbable season reached a crescendo on New Year’s Day, a 7-0 blanking of 12th-ranked Clemson.
Preseason AP Ranking: Unranked