1975 McMNC: Oklahoma Sooners

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Oklahoma: 11-1-0 -- W, Orange, 14-6
2. Arizona State: 12-0-0 -- W, Fiesta, 17-14
3. Alabama: 11-1-0 -- W, Sugar, 13-6
4. Ohio State: 11-1-0 -- L, Rose, 10-23
5. UCLA: 9-2-1 -- W, Rose, 23-10
6. Texas: 10-2-0 -- W, Bluebonnet, 38-21
7. Arkansas: 10-2-0 -- W, Cotton, 31-10
8. Michigan: 8-2-2 -- L, Orange, 6-14
9. Nebraska: 10-2-0 -- L, Fiesta, 14-17
10. Penn State: 9-3-0 -- L, Sugar, 6-13

The last nine McMNCs have been won by only four schools (USC, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Ohio State). The era of dynasties? Perhaps. Maybe Miami-OH should be considered one of them? They finished ranked #12 with a 11-1 record, a 48% SOS rating and another Citrus Bowl win. Their only loss was a one-point road loss to 7-4 Michigan State, finishing a 32-1-1 stretch from 1973-1975.

But I digress.

Oklahoma, off probation, gets consideration here, as do Arizona State and Alabama. Ohio State blew their season in the Rose Bowl (sound familiar?), of course, opening the door for this debate.

Let's start with the Tide: They had an SOS rating of 49%, and their one loss was the first game of the year -- a 13-point home setback to 6-5 Missouri. The Tigers lost to Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma in this season, so this is NOT a good loss for 'Bama. However, the Tide did beat 7-4 Vanderbilt on the road by 33 points, hey beat 6-5 Mississippi by 26 points at home, they beat 6-5 Washington in a 52-0 shutout at home, they beat 7-5 Tennessee by 23 points at home, they beat 6-4-1 Mississippi State by 11 points at home, and they beat 7-4 Southern Miss at home by 21 points. Alas, the only ranked team they beat all year? Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. But seriously, they played a lot of winning teams in 1975. Their SOS was buried by 1-10 TCU.

Arizona State had a great season, but their SOS was only 44%. However, they did go undefeated, which is more than Alabama can say. They, too, beat 6-5 Washington at home (but only by 23 points), and they, too, had their SOS sunk by TCU (as well as 1-10 UTEP and 1-10 Utah -- not to mention 2-9 Wyoming!). The Sun Devils did register wins over 6-5 BYU (20-0 at home), 6-5 New Mexico (16-10 on the road), 6-5 Colorado State (33-3 on the road), AP #18 Arizona (9-2) by three points at "home" and their three-point win over #9 Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl (another home game). They proved they could play with the big boys, but Nebraska's level of motivation for this bowl game was probably pretty low. They'd lost their perfect season in the last regular season game, getting hosed by 25 points on the road against Oklahoma. Why would they care about the Fiesta Bowl? They should have, considering Oklahoma was no lock to win their bowl game against Michigan (then again, with Bo at the helm, maybe that isn't true?). Either way, ASU's schedule was a perfect mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. And they did go undefeated, and since Alabama's SOS was no great shakes, Arizona State has the edge on the Tide.

Finally, the Sooners arrive on the McMNC scene for the first time since the 1950s. Their SOS? A very good 57%, but their only loss was a bad one: a 20-point home loss to 7-5 Kansas on November 8. But hey, they recovered and won the Big 8 and the Orange Bowl. So all is forgiven with an SOS like that, right? Mmmmm. They beat AP #15 Pittsburgh (8-4) by 36 points at home, they beat AP #16 Colorado (9-3) by one point at home, they beat #6 Texas by a touchdown, they beat 7-4 Oklahoma State on the road by 20 points, they beat 6-5 Missouri by a point on the road, they beat #9 Nebraska at home by 25 points (see above), and they beat #8 Michigan in the Orange Bowl by eight points. That is FIVE wins over ranked teams, including three in the Top 10. There is no way Arizona State can compete with that schedule, period.

In the end, a strong SOS for a big conference school should always be enough to overcome a W/L deficit to a small school. And Oklahoma proved that in 1975.

Bootlegger's Boy!

McMNC Revisions
1. Oklahoma
2. Arizona State
3. Alabama
4. Ohio State
5. Miami-OH

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
Nebraska: =1970, =1971
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
USC: -1962, =1967, +1969, =1972
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957, =1975
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