1968 McMNC: Ohio State Buckeyes

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Ohio State: 10-0-0 -- W, Rose, 27-16
2. Penn State: 11-0-0 -- W, Orange, 15-14
3. Texas: 9-1-1 -- W, Cotton, 36-13
4. USC: 9-1-1 -- L, Rose, 16-27
5. Notre Dame: 7-2-1 -- NONE
6. Arkansas: 10-1-0 -- W, Sugar, 16-2
7. Kansas: 9-2-0 -- L, Orange, 14-15
8. Georgia: 8-1-2 -- L, Sugar, 2-16
9. Missouri: 8-3-0 -- W, Gator, 35-10
10. Purdue: 8-2-0 -- NONE

Note: The AP poll went back to ranking 20 teams in 1968, and they also went to the permanent post-bowl poll -- bringing us almost in-line with the modern poll. Almost. Interesting bowl season, with only Notre Dame and the Big Ten being losers.

[By the way, Michigan finished 8-2 and ranked #12. So why was 1969's win over Woody considered such a big upset? It's not like the Wolverines were bad in 1968 ...]

There's two obvious contenders here, and there are two others to look at as well, just because ... if USC, Georgia and Kansas hadn't lost their bowl games, I would have considered them, too.

Let's look at the seeming pretenders first.

Texas: The Longhorns' 52% SOS rating is very solid in this discussion, as will be seen. They started the season 0-1-1, and then they ran the table (which continued into 1969 and most of 1970, too). They tied #18 Houston (6-2-2) at home to open the season, and then they lost to 5-3-2 Texas Tech on the road by nine points. They recovered to beat #11 Oklahoma (7-4) by six points at home, they beat #6 Arkansas at home by ten points (thus eliminating the Razorbacks from this discussion -- see below), they pounded #14 SMU (8-3) at home by 31 points, and they beat #13 Tennessee (8-2-1) in the Cotton Bowl by 23 points. They had some stumbles early to decent teams, and they recovered strongly.

Arkansas: They had a 50% SOS rating, which is better than either of the top two teams. But they did lose to Texas, so they're out.

So now to the big boys!

Penn State: The Nittany Lions had an SOS rating below Texas' at 47%, which is not super. They beat unranked 7-3 West Virginia on the road by 11 points, they beat unranked 6-3 Boston College on the road in a 29-0 rout, they beat unranked 7-3 Army at home by four points, they beat unranked 6-4 Syracuse by 18 points at home, and they beat #7 Kansas by a point in the Orange Bowl. They only beat one ranked team all year, and that was by a point. Strange SOS, to be sure.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes only check in with a 49% SOS rating, but it's better than Penn State's schedule. They also played only three road games all season (four, including the Rose Bowl). Pretty lame. But they did beat #14 SMU by 21 points at home, they shutout #10 Purdue 13-0 at home, and they beat #12 Michigan by 36 points at home (in the famous "I couldn't go for three" game). This was capped by an 11-point win over #4 USC in the Rose Bowl.

The Longhorns' resume isn't good enough to knock off an undefeated team at the top, since they have two blemishes to overcome. So they're out. And it's funny to note how "close" the SOS ratings are for Penn State and Ohio State, despite the fact the Buckeyes clearly played a significantly more impressive schedule.

Sorry, Joe -- Woody takes you down here.

McMNC Revisions
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. Texas
4. Arkansas
5. USC

RUNNING SCORECARD:
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951
UCLA: +1965
Arkansas: +1964
Mississippi: +1962
Washington: +1960
Iowa: +1956
Georgia Tech: +1952
Illinois: +1951
Michigan: +1947, =1948
Georgia: +1946
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937
Texas: =1963
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Auburn: -1957
USC: -1962, =1967
Alabama: +1945, =1961, -1964, -1965
Army: -1944, -1945
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941, -1960
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949, =1966