1974 McMNC: USC Trojans

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Oklahoma: 11-0-0 -- NONE (probation)
2. USC: 10-1-1 -- W, Rose, 18-17
3. Michigan: 10-1-0 -- NONE
4. Ohio State: 10-2-0 -- L, Rose, 17-18
5. Notre Dame: 10-2-0 -- W, Orange, 13-11
6. Alabama: 11-1-0 -- L, Orange, 11-13
7. Penn State: 10-2-0 -- W, Cotton, 41-20
8. Auburn: 10-2-0 -- W, Gator, 27-3
9. Nebraska: 9-3-0 -- W, Sugar, 13-10
10. Miami-OH: 10-0-1 -- W, Citrus, 21-10

Another interesting year in McMNC Land. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

I won't crown cheaters, so the Sooners are RSFCked. So while Fairbanks skipped off to the NFL, Barry Switzer learned some lessons -- or maybe he didn't. Your call there.

This comes down to USC, Notre Dame and ... Penn State? Michigan is out, since they didn't win the Big Ten. Alabama is out since they lose the head-to-head comparison to Notre Dame, and Ohio State is out since they lose the head-to-head comparison to USC. I can't consider Miami-OH, since their one blemish was a tie to 4-6-1 Purdue. Clearly, they couldn't piss with the big boys.

What a messed up season. Screw you, Chuck Fairbanks.

Penn State: Another substandard SOS for the Nittany Lions, as they check in this time with a 45% rating. And they lost to 4-7 Navy at home, albeit by one point. They also went down to AP #11 North Carolina State (9-2-1) on the road by five points, a decent blemish if you must have one. Otherwise, they beat #13 Maryland (8-4) by seven points at home, and they beat #14 Baylor (8-4) in the Cotton Bowl. To go only 2-2 against winning teams with a low SOS rating isn't enough, right?

Notre Dame: Their SOS rating was 50%, and for the second year in a row, they nipped Alabama in a bowl game to ruin the Tide's perfect season. Man, 'Bama must HATE the Irish, huh? But the Irish lost at home by 11 points to the same Purdue team that tied Miami-OH. Doh! The Irish also got taken behind the woodshed by USC in the famous Anthony Davis game, losing 55-24 in Los Angeles. Those are two bad losses, and in reality, the second one means they lose the head-to-head edge against USC.

USC: So, can they top the Nittany Lions' unimpressive schedule? Yes, with a 52% SOS rating, the Trojans claim this McMNC easily. Their only loss was a 15-point road defeat to 6-4-1 Arkansas in the first game of the year. They did tie 7-3-1 California at home (15-15), and their only two wins over ranked teams were the big win over Notre Dame and the Rose Bowl squeaker against Ohio State. They did have three other wins over winning teams (7-4 Pittsburgh with Tony Dorsett, 5-4-2 Stanford, 6-3-2 UCLA). They have the best record of the TUCs, they have the single-best win amongst the TUCs, and they have the best SOS in the bunch, too.

This year, that's not saying much, but in a open contest, the Trojans have the best resume.

McMNC Revisions
1. USC
2. Notre Dame
3. Penn State
4. Alabama
5. Michigan

RUNNING SCORECARD:
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951
USC: -1962, =1967, +1969, =1972, +1974
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
Nebraska: =1970, =1971
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957, -1974
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Auburn: -1957
Texas: =1963, -1969
Alabama: +1945, =1961, -1964, -1965
Army: -1944, -1945
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941, -1960
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949, =1966, =1973