1992 McMNC: Alabama Crimson Tide

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Alabama: 13-0-0 -- W, Sugar, 34-13
2. Florida State: 11-1-0 -- W, Orange, 27-14
3. Miami: 11-1-0 -- L, Sugar, 13-34
4. Notre Dame: 10-1-1 -- W, Cotton, 28-3
5. Michigan: 9-0-3 -- W, Rose, 38-31
6. Syracuse: 10-2-0 -- W, Fiesta, 26-22
7. Texas A&M: 12-1-0 -- L, Cotton, 3-28
8. Georgia: 10-2-0 -- W, Citrus, 21-14
9. Stanford: 10-3-0 -- W, Blockbuster, 24-3
10. Florida: 9-4-0 -- W, Gator, 27-10

Note: This is the year the USA Today published the second major poll, so "USA" will stand for that poll ranking (i.e., USA #21).

More voter idiocy: Florida State lost to Miami, so why are the Seminoles ranked above the Hurricanes? Two words -- bow(e)l momentum!

Well, the Tide are the obvious notion here, but for pity's sake, let's look at Florida State, Notre Dame and Michigan here, too. If the Aggies had only been able to win that Cotton Bowl (in their backyard), maybe we'd have had a debate.

Then again, maybe not.

The Seminoles are a weird case, because they lost to #3 Miami-FL (of course) -- and Alabama pounded Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Does that matter since the Florida State loss to Miami was only by three points on the road? FSU's SOS rating was 57%, which is on the high side of pretty good. They beat AP #17 North Carolina State (9-3-1) by 21 points on the road, they beat AP #25 Wake Forest (8-4) by 28 points at home, they beat AP #19 North Carolina by 23 points at home, they beat unranked 7-4 Virginia on the road by ten points, they beat #10 Florida at home by 21 points, and they beat AP #14 Nebraska (9-3) by 13 points in the Orange Bowl (of course, they did). That's a pretty firm schedule, marred only by 2-9 Duke, 2-9 Tulane and 3-8 Maryland. They beat five ranked teams, easily, and they lost to a sixth in a squeaker.

Michigan has the three ties, which is weird in itself. But their SOS was only 49% in 1992, so it's not looking good. The ties? On the road at #4 Notre Dame, at home against unranked 6-5-1 Illinois, and on the road at AP #18 Ohio State (8-3-1). The only ranked team Michigan beat all year? AP #11 Washington (9-3) in the Rose Bowl. In fact, that was also the only winning team Michigan beat all season. Be gone, Moeller!

Notre Dame has that tie against Michigan, but they also have a home loss, by 17 points, to #9 Stanford. With an SOS rating of 55%, they better have some hellish wins to compensate for that loss. Do they? They beat unranked 8-5 BYU at home by 26 points, they beat AP #21 Boston College (8-3-1) at home by 47 points (!), they beat USA #25 Penn State (7-5) by one point at home, they beat unranked 6-5-1 USC on the road by eight points, and they beat previously unbeaten #7 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. The wins over BC and A&M are nice, but hardly hellish. They can't edge FSU in this debate.

So it comes down to Alabama: with a 53% SOS rating, they pretty much secure the McMNC. They beat unranked 7-4 Southern Mississippi at home by seven points, they beat AP #12 Tennessee (9-3) by seven points on the road, they beat AP #16 Mississippi (9-3) at home by 21 points, they beat AP #23 Mississippi State (7-5) by nine points on the road to take the Mississippi State Championship in a sweep, they beat #10 Florida by seven points at home, and they pounded #3 Miami in the Sugar Bowl by 21 points.

Congratulations to Alabama, the McMNC winner for 1992.

McMNC Revisions
1. Alabama
2. Miami
3. Florida State
4. Notre Dame
5. Michigan

RUNNING SCORECARD:
USC: -1962, =1967, +1969, =1972, +1978, +1979
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937, =1976, +1980
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951
Penn State: +1977, +1981, =1982, =1986
Washington: +1960, +1991
Georgia Tech: +1952, +1990
UCLA: +1965
Arkansas: +1964
Mississippi: +1962
Iowa: +1956
Illinois: +1951
Michigan: +1947, =1948
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Nebraska: =1970, =1971
BYU: =1984
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Auburn: -1957, +1983
Georgia: +1946, -1980
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957, =1975, =1986
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Clemson: -1981
Colorado: -1990
Texas: =1963, -1969
Army: -1944, -1945
Miami-FL: -1983, =1987, =1989, -1991
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941, -1960
Alabama: +1945, =1961, -1964, -1965, -1978, -1979, =1992
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949, =1966, =1973, -1977, =1988