1956 McMNC: Iowa Hawkeyes

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Oklahoma: 11-0-0 -- None
2. Tennessee: 10-1-0 -- L, Sugar, 7-13
3. Iowa: 9-1-0 -- W, Rose, 35-19
4. Georgia Tech: 10-1-0 -- W, Gator, 21-14
5. Texas A&M: 9-0-1 -- None
6. Miami-FL: 8-1-1 -- None
7. Michigan: 7-2-0 -- None
8. Syracuse: 7-2-0 -- L, Cotton, 27-28
9. Michigan State: 7-2-0 -- None
10. Oregon State: 7-3-1 -- L, Rose, 19-35

This year is pretty bad overall. Oklahoma didn't play in a bowl game, because of the no-repeat rule. Tennessee blew yet another chance at a perfect season by losing their bowl game. Texas A&M was on probation. And only four of the Top 10 played in the bowls.

Yuck.

First, Tennessee is a perfect example of why the bowls matter even in this era. They would have walked away with the McMNC here if they had just won their bowl game. But they didn't. They lost, and you can't have a team lose a bowl game and win the McMNC. But Oklahoma didn't play in a bowl game, and while it may have bee beyond their control, it's too easy to sit at home and let other teams lay it on the line while you bask in the glory of a finished season.

Second, this is one of the first moments (if not the first?) where a team on probation also would have had a shot at the McMNC. But I don't reward cheaters, so Bear Bryant gets screwed here. Although ... not really. Cheaters only get screwed by themselves.

This now comes down to Oklahoma, Iowa and Georgia Tech. And since Oklahoma was lucky to escape with the 1955 McMNC, their schedule strength again makes this an open debate for healthy discussion.

The Sooners' SOS rating was 34% in 1956, which is a friggin' joke. They played #20 Colorado (8-2-1) on the road and beat them, 27-19. And that's it. No one else on their schedule had a winning record -- and they didn't play in a bowl game. Now, I'll give Oklahoma props for TRYING. They did schedule Notre Dame in 1956, but the Irish went 2-8; the Sooners pasted them, 40-0, in South Bend. Texas was 1-9, and Nebraska was 4-6. It was clearly just a bad year for some of these opponents. But still, we are left with a very unimpressive resume for Oklahoma in 1956, even more so than in 1955.

Georgia Tech is eliminated from contention here, since like Michigan State in 1955, they finished second in their conference. Tennessee won the SEC in 1956 with a 6-0 mark, while Tech merely went 7-1 in league play (losing at home to the Vols by six points, by the way). It's too bad for Tech, since they had a 55% SOS rating and beat 6-4 Kentucky on the road, 7-3 Auburn at home, 6-4 Tulane at home (by 40 points!), 5-4-1 Duke on the road, 6-3-1 Florida at home, and #13 Pittsburgh (7-3-1) in the Gator Bowl. All in all, a good season for Tech, but no McMNC cigar.

Which leaves only Iowa: the Hawkeyes' SOS rating is 56%, which is fantastic in comparison to Oklahoma's pathetic SOS. Iowa also beat #10 Oregon State TWICE during the season, including a 14-13 win at home in October. They shutout 7-3 Hawaii at home, 34-0; they shutout #12 Minnesota (6-1-2) on the road, 7-0; they shutout #15 Ohio State (6-3) at home, 6-0. Their only loss was a three-point defeat at home to #7 Michigan. Wouldn't be ironic if Michigan played spoiler for a Big Ten team two years in a row?

Overall, though, Iowa had FOUR wins against Top 15 teams in 1956. Oklahoma's only win against a winning team was against #20 Colorado. Plus, Iowa had to travel to Pasadena and play in the Rose Bowl, where they beat a team they'd already faced earlier in the year. And we all know rematches suck for the team that won the first game (ask 1996 Florida State). Maybe if Oklahoma's single win over a ranked team had been a bit more impressive, but an eight-point road win over #20 isn't enough to compensate for everything else bad on that schedule -- or to overcome Iowa's imperfect record earned against significantly better competition.

In the end, Iowa's SOS and bowl win trumps Oklahoma's perfect season without a bowl game: the Hawkeyes' one loss was very respectable, and the Sooners' weak schedule was just TOO weak.

Sorry, Bud.

McMNC Revisions
1. Iowa
2. Oklahoma
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia Tech
5. Miami-FL

RUNNING SCORECARD:
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951
Iowa: +1956
Georgia Tech: +1952
Illinois: +1951
Michigan: +1947, =1948
Georgia: +1946
Alabama: +1945
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937
Texas A&M: =1939
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956
Army: -1944, -1945
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949