Overall McMNC Analysis: Part One

The big winners in my analysis? Penn State, USC, Washington, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. The Nittany Lions netted three MNCs, while the Trojans, the Huskies, the Yellowjackets and the Vols each netted two MNCs.

Ten schools netted one MNC, while ten schools maintained their MNC totals (albeit some losing one while gaining another). Eight schools lost an MNC from their previous total.

The big losers were Notre Dame, Alabama, Minnesota, Miami-FL, LSU and Army. The Irish lost four MNCs overall, while the Tide and the Gophers each lost three MNCs from their tally. The 'Canes, Tigers and the Cadets each lost two MNCs.

Conference-wise, the breakdown was as follows: current Pac-10 members gained seven MNCs, while current Big Ten members gained three MNCs. Current Big XII members lost two MNCs, while current Big East members gained one MNC. Finally, current ACC members lost three MNCs, while current SEC members also lost two MNCs. Non-BCS schools gained an MNC. Of course, I am sure someone will scream, "Pac-10 Bias!", failing to realize the inherent East Coast media bias that already existed in the AP poll since its creation.

Overall, the teams with the most McMNCS, period, were USC (7), Oklahoma (6), Penn State (5), Tennessee (4), Nebraska (4), Ohio State (4), Notre Dame (4), Alabama (3), Pittsburgh (3) and Miami-FL (3). You know, the usual suspects. Other teams with multiple McMNCs (two, in this case) were Washington, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Texas. Nineteen schools won a single McMNC apiece.

Overall, there wasn't a lot of dramatic shifting of titles here. Notre Dame and Alabama got the worst of it, and I suspect it's probably because a lot of voters merely saw the grandeur in certain years and ignored some straight-forward facts. Of course, I know this is a matter of opinion, but without "markee valyoo", you just have some numbers on a piece of paper -- and the Irish and Tide suffered for that legendary status in my analysis, while another legend (Joe Paterno) demonstrated he's quite underrated in his time.

Schools that were stripped of MNCs they probably never should have won in the first place? TCU, Maryland, Clemson and Colorado. Yes, I'm leaving Army off this "stripped" list, for reasons explained previously: it's not disrespect, but it is more realistic. Did you know, for example, that a keystone of the 1944-46 Army teams -- Doc Blanchard -- was drafted after his first year at North Carolina and sent to West Point to play football? Also, players who had used up their eligibility at other schools could still play for the military academies/bases. That just isn't right or fair when determining an MNC for the war years.

More to come ...