1980 McMNC: Pittsburgh Panthers

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Georgia: 12-0-0 -- W, Sugar, 17-10
2. Pittsburgh: 11-1-0 -- W, Gator, 37-9
3. Oklahoma: 10-2-0 -- W, Orange, 18-17
4. Michigan: 10-2-0 -- W, Rose, 23-6
5. Florida State: 10-2-0 -- L, Orange, 17-18
6. Alabama: 10-2-0 -- W, Cotton 30-2
7. Nebraska: 10-3-0 -- W, Sun, 31-17
8. Penn State: 10-2-0 -- W, Fiesta, 31-19
9. Notre Dame: 9-2-1 -- L, Sugar, 10-17
10. North Carolina: 11-1-0 -- W, Bluebonnet, 16-7

Note: BYU went 12-1 with a 51% SOS rating, their only loss an inexcusable, season-opening defeat to 4-7 New Mexico on the road, 25-21. They were THATclose to jumping on to the national scene a bit earlier than 1984. And hey! Bo finally won the Rose Bowl!

So, anyway, it's Herschel Time for the McMNC. Or is it?! This is really only about Georgia, Pitt and North Carolina. And we should start with Georgia just to see what is actually possible.

The Bulldogs went 6-0 in the SEC and didn't have to face Alabama (the Tide went 6-1 in SEC games, thereby once again showing the Southeastern Conference to be totally idiotic with its uneven schedules). Overall, their SOS rating was a laughable 41%. They beat ONE AP-ranked team all season, and that was the Sugar Bowl win over Notre Dame. In their defense, they did also beat UPI #19 Florida (8-4) by five points at home. But overall, that is one weak schedule. Sure, it was dragged down by 1-10 TCU, 1-9-1 Georgia Tech and 2-9 Vanderbilt, but only one win over an AP-ranked team all season? The Bulldogs did beat unranked 6-5 Clemson at home by four points and unranked 8-4 South Carolina by three points at home. And that's it for winning teams. So in 12 games, they played four winning teams total -- winning NONE of those games by double-digit margins. They also only played THREE road games the entire season, not including the Sugar Bowl. This is one of the more ridiculous schedules ever in college football history; if the Bulldogs didn't go 12-0, they should have been banished from Division 1-A competition.

So the door is definitely open for Pitt and UNC.

The Tar Heels played a schedule with a 50% rating, but their one loss was a 34-point beating on the road at #3 Oklahoma. You can't lose a game by 34 points, no matter what the opponent or situation, and expect to win a McMNC. Plus, their SOS was inflated by a win over 9-1-1 Furman. It's nice they beat Texas in a bowl game, but the Longhorns were only 7-5 in 1980. In fact, UNC didn't beat a ranked team all season, and the only ranked team they played beat them silly. So, despite Georgia's laughable schedule, they stay ahead of UNC in this analysis.

Which leaves us with Pittsburgh. The Panthers' sole loss was on the road to #5 Florida State, a better team than Georgia played all season. Their best win was a five-point road victory at #8 Penn State. In fact, Pittsburgh played six road games in 1980, which is an impressive feat against a 56%-rated SOS. They beat unranked 7-4 Boston College at home by eight points, they beat unranked 8-4 Maryland at home by 29 points, and they beat unranked 8-4 South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. They played five games against winning teams in 1980, which is one more than Georgia. They played two AP-ranked teams in 1980, which is one more than Georgia. They played a tougher schedule, through and through, than Georgia, and they did so in more dominant fashion -- winning on the road against a Top 10 team (Penn State) and playing more than half their schedule (including the bowl game) on the road.

Sorry, Herschel. No Heisman and no McMNC, either.

McMNC Revisions
1. Pittsburgh
2. Georgia
3. North Carolina
4. BYU
5. Penn State (62% SOS)

RUNNING SCORECARD:
USC: -1962, =1967, +1969, =1972, +1978, +1979
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937, =1976, +1980
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951
Penn State: +1977
UCLA: +1965
Arkansas: +1964
Mississippi: +1962
Washington: +1960
Iowa: +1956
Georgia Tech: +1952
Illinois: +1951
Michigan: +1947, =1948
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Nebraska: =1970, =1971
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Georgia: +1946, -1980
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957, =1975
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Auburn: -1957
Texas: =1963, -1969
Army: -1944, -1945
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941, -1960
Alabama: +1945, =1961, -1964, -1965, -1978, -1979
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949, =1966, =1973, -1977