1946 McMNC: Georgia Bulldogs

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Notre Dame: 8-0-1 -- None
2. Army: 9-0-1 -- None
3. Georgia: 11-0-0 -- W, Sugar, 20-10
4. UCLA: 10-1-0 -- L, Rose, 14-45
5. Illinois: 8-2-0 -- W, Rose, 45-14
6. Michigan: 6-2-1 -- None
7. Tennessee: 9-2-0 -- L, Orange, 0-8
8. LSU: 9-1-1 -- T, Cotton, 0-0
9. North Carolina: 8-2-1 -- L, Sugar, 10-20
10. Rice: 9-2-0 -- W, Orange, 8-0

Back to a mere Top 10, this is perhaps our second year in a row with an easy, obvious decision. Only one team finished unbeaten, untied and bowl-victorious: Georgia. But we also should look at Notre Dame and see what their credentials are. After all, the voters thought they were worthy of something.

Notre Dame's schedule strength was average in 1946, as their opponents won 51% of their games. But Notre Dame did beat #5 Illinois on the road by 20 points. That says a lot about the quality of Illinois AND UCLA right there. It was a weak Top 5, that's for sure. Notre Dame's tie, of course, came against #2 Army. The only other winning teams on Notre Dame's schedule were 5-4 Iowa and 6-4 USC. Teams like Navy (1-8), Purdue (2-6-1) and Tulane (3-7) filled out the schedule; hence, the average SOS.

Georgia's SOS was slightly worse with an opponents' winning percentage of .480, but it's not like they were playing cupcakes. They beat 7-3 Kentucky, coached by Bear Bryant, for example. They beat 7-4 Alabama, not coached by Bear Bryant. They beat 0-9 Florida, too, because in the SEC, they just beat each other up! In all seriousness, they also beat #11 Georgia Tech (9-2, and winners of the Oil Bowl -- yes, you read that right) and #9 North Carolina in the Sugar Bowl. Like the Irish, the schedule had its ups and downs, but they're close enough to keep both teams in the hunt.

The best team Notre Dame faced? Army, and they tied a military All-Star team on the road. The best team Georgia faced? Probably North Carolina, and they beat them by ten points in a big bowl game. Army's SOS was amazing, with a 61% OWP, and North Carolina's was pretty good, too, at 56% overall. Both these teams played tougher schedules than the teams ranked ahead of them. But Army? Barely beat Navy, winning by three points. And UNC tied 3-4-3 Virginia Tech. So both have their warts.

In the end, this comes down to the bowl game. Georgia laid a perfect record on the line against a quality opponent, and they won. Notre Dame had a tie, and they didn't have to defend their #1 ranking in a bowl game. Advantage? Georgia. Notre Dame just didn't have enough in the regular season to compensate for the lack of a bowl win.

McMNC Revisions
1. Georgia
2. Notre Dame
3. LSU
4. Illinois
5. UCLA

RUNNING SCORECARD:
Tennessee: +1938, +1942
Georgia: +1946
Alabama: +1945
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Texas A&M: =1939
Ohio State: -1942, +1944
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937
TCU: -1938
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946
Army: -1944, -1945
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941