2000 McMNC: Oklahoma Sooners

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Oklahoma: 13-0-0 -- W, Orange, 13-2
2. Miami-FL: 11-1-0 -- W, Sugar, 37-20
3. Washington: 11-1-0 -- W, Rose, 24-14
4. Oregon State: 11-1-0 -- W, Fiesta, 41-9
5. Florida State: 11-2-0 -- L, Orange, 2-13
6. Virginia Tech: 11-1-0 -- W, Gator, 41-20
7. Oregon: 10-2-0 -- W, Holiday, 35-30
8. Nebraska: 10-2-0 -- W, Alamo, 66-17
9. Kansas State: 11-3-0 -- W, Cotton, 35-21
10. Florida: 10-3-0 -- L, Sugar, 20-37

It's easy in retrospect to say FSU didn't belong in the title game: they got shutout on offense, after scoring 42.4 points per game in the regular season. Was Oklahoma's defense THAT good? Or was Florida State that overrated?

There were five one-loss teams to choose from in determining Oklahoma's foe in the Orange Bowl: Miami-FL, Washington, Oregon State, Florida State and Virginia Tech. This is easy to resolve, however.

Virginia Tech is out, because Miami-FL won both the Big East and their head-to-head matchup. Yet, Miami is out, because they lost to Washington head-to-head. And Florida State is out, because they lost to Miami head-to-head. And Oregon State is out, because they lost to Washington head-to-head.

Everyone got that? For all the media bluster generated by Miami's whining in 2000 that they deserved the BCS slot over Florida State because they beat the Seminoles, very few seemed to care that Miami had lost to Washington -- and it was truly the Huskies who deserved that #2 BCS position.

Seriously, this was a major fuck-up of epic proportions, and basically no one noticed.

For the record, Washington's only loss was by seven points on the road to #7 Oregon. It's hardly shameful. The Huskies beat #2 Miami by five points at home, they beat #4 Oregon State by three points at home, and AP #13 Purdue in the Rose Bowl by ten points. It's not an overwhelming resume, but beating two Top 5 teams is very strong nonetheless. They had a 56% SOS rating overall. Plus, they had that H2H edge over every other TUC, as noted above. And that has always counted for something with the McMNC.

Oklahoma had a 55% SOS rating, and they beat #12 Texas by 49 points, #9 Kansas State by ten points on the road, #8 Nebraska by 17 points at home, #9 Kansas State by three points in the Big XII title game, and #5 Florida State by 11 points in the Orange Bowl. It's a strong resume, of course, with five wins over ranked teams. But they don't have a singular win impressive as Washington's two best wins.

The SOS ratings are comparable enough, of course. Common opponents? None, of course. There is the transitive power, however: Oklahoma beat Florida State by 11, while Washington beat Miami by five, and Miami beat Florida State by three points. Oklahoma has a much larger MOV (22.1 to 9.8), too.

But like 1999, there is just no way to tell what might have happened in a head-to-head matchup between the Sooners and the Huskies. The BCS fucked it up AGAIN this year: like last year, on paper, the Huskies don't have enough to overcome the Sooners' perfect record.

What a shame we'll never know who the true college football champion was in 2000.

McMNC Revisions
1. Oklahoma
2. Washington
3. Miami-FL
4. Oregon State
5. Virginia Tech

RUNNING SCORECARD:
Penn State: +1977, +1981, =1982, =1986, +1994
USC: -1962, =1967, +1969, =1972, +1978, +1979
Tennessee: +1938, +1942, +1950, -1951, =1998
Washington: +1960, +1991
Georgia Tech: +1952, +1990
Pittsburgh: +1936, -1937, =1976, +1980
UCLA: +1965
Arkansas: +1964
Mississippi: +1962
Iowa: +1956
Illinois: +1951
Purdue: +1943
Stanford: +1940
California: +1937
Florida: =1996
BYU: =1984
Syracuse: =1959
LSU: =1958
Texas A&M: =1939
Auburn: -1957, +1983
Georgia: +1946, -1980
Michigan State: -1952, +1953
Michigan: +1947, =1948, -1997
Ohio State: -1942, +1944, =1954, =1968
Nebraska: =1970, =1971, -1994, =1995, +1997
Oklahoma: +1949, -1950, =1955, -1956, +1957, =1975, =1986, =2000
TCU: -1938
Maryland: -1953
Clemson: -1981
Colorado: -1990
Florida State: -1993, =1999
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, +1993