2002 McMNC: Ohio State Buckeyes

AP Top 10: Final Record -- Key Bowl Results

1. Ohio State: 14-0-0 -- W, Fiesta, 31-24
2. Miami-FL: 12-1-0 -- L, Fiesta, 24-31
3. Georgia: 13-1-0 -- W, Sugar, 26-13
4. USC: 11-2-0 -- W, Orange, 38-17
5. Oklahoma: 12-2-0 -- W, Rose, 34-14
6. Texas: 11-2-0 -- W, Cotton, 35-20
7. Kansas State: 11-2-0 -- W, Holiday, 34-27
8. Iowa: 11-2-0 -- L, Orange, 17-38
9. Michigan: 10-3-0 -- W, Outback, 38-30
10. Washington State: 10-3-0 -- L, Rose, 14-34

Side note: Boise State finished 12-1 in 2002 (with a 40% SOS rating), beginning their climb to the 2006 season. They beat 7-7 Iowa State by 18 points in the Humanitarian Bowl. Also, USC finished with a 64% SOS rating, losing two road games to Top 10 teams: by seven to Kansas State and by three to Washington State. They played only one team with a losing record all year (2-9 Stanford), while beating four ranked teams. Two trends budding here, eh?

So it's hard to question the placement of both Miami-FL and Ohio State in the BCS title game. The Hurricanes had a 34-game winning streak and were the defending BCS champions. The Buckeyes were 13-0 and the only other unblemished team in college football.

Is there anything else to consider? Georgia's home loss to AP-unranked 8-5 Florida by seven points (Zook'd!) took the Bulldogs out of contention, and their SOS (58%) wasn't enough to overcome either Miami (59%) or Ohio State (55%).

The BCS basically did work this year, after three years of questionable results.

McMNC Revisions
1. Ohio State
2. Miami-FL
3. Georgia
4. USC
5. Oklahoma

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, =2002
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, =2001
Minnesota: -1936, -1940, =1941, -1960
Alabama: +1945, =1961, -1964, -1965, -1978, -1979, =1992
Notre Dame: -1943, -1946, -1947, -1949, =1966, =1973, -1977, =1988, +1993