Utah is in good company. I read an item in Sporting News Today, and online free publication, that lists the 24 teams that were undefeated and not #1 since 1965 in years when the AP did not release its final poll until after the bowl games (unlike 1966 when AL won its bowl game to go 11-0 yet finished 3rd). Because the daily publication is in .pdf format, I can't copy or link it without directing you to the entire publication, so I will summarize the item: There are a bunch of Ivy League and MAC-type teams, but the list includes Penn State (4 times, 68,69,73,94), Nebraska (97), Auburn twice (93,04), Utah twice (04,this season), and Washington (91?). I cannot support the argument that just because a team goes undefeated and plays a reasonably strong schedule - even has a couple of very noteworthy wins - that it automatically deserves to be #1. What I can support is the contention that Utah might (repeat, might) have been a better opponent for Florida than Oklahoma. I don't know what the outcome of the game would have been, but based on their common opponent, it is reasonable to assume that they would have provided a very competitive matchup. I realize that this is a re-hash, but I wanted to highlight the history of undefeated teams that did not finish at the top of the heap.
Interesting post Sid. Let me add a couple of comments. First Auburn, the 93 Auburn team was on probation and not eligible for either the SEC Championship game or the Coaches poll. They could have won the AP but did not. Florida beat Alabama in the SEC Championship game that year. Also in 93, I think it was 93, West Virginia was unbeaten but were edged out by a one loss FSU team for the Championship game with Nebraska, I think that's the year that is a sore point with Notre Dame fans. West Virginia went to the Sugar Bowl pretty upset they were not in Miami at the Orange Bowl against Nebraska. Good thing for them they weren't as Florida bet them pretty bad. Boise State in 2006 was unbeaten also and I believe there was a minority contingent on Skybox that thought they should be NC. Why not, the Gators won it that year. Interesting information, thanks for posting.
Sid In those seasons when teams went undefeated were the champions undefeated also or did they have losses? Those Penn. St. teams were noted for their "eastern" schedules beating on such powers as Temple and Deleware. As you may recall they used to get their version of the MNC the Lambert Trophy signifying them as the top team in the East (whoopie :!: }
Bill, West Virginia is not listed. There are teams I did not mention but which were included in the list, e.g., Boise State (06), Arizona State twice (70,75.....I don't think they were in the Pac10 then, were they?), Rutgers (76), Tulane (ninety-eight). Gip, yes I'm familiar with those PSU teams and their schedules in those years.
The Arizona schools joined the Pac starting in the '78 season. The Fiesta Bowl was originally created as a bowl game for the WAC champion because a berth wasn't always guaranteed.
Sid, West Virginia didn't finish the bowl season unbeaten because the Gators beat them, but they were unbeaten when the season ended and were bypassed by a once beaten FSU. I just threw it out as some trivia.
Nebraska in 97 and Washington in 91 both won National Titles. I believe they shared the titles in those years. In 1997, Nebraska won one-half the title and Michigan won the other. Michigan played in the Rose and Nebraska beat Tennessee in the Orange. In 1991, Miami won the AP poll unbeaten and Washington won the Coaches Poll unbeaten. These were the years that were seen as the 'last straw' that led to the Bowl Alliance and eventually the BCS. The idea would be to bring all the conferences together in pursuit of a 'true' National Champ. Once the super conferences and major conferences began to get together, the first thing they did was separate themselves from the 'non-major' conferences and the Independents. The Pac10/Big10 didn't initially sign on because they had the Rose Bowl and there were certainly suspicions that if they signed on, they'd just wind up getting left behind regardless of onfield results...and thus reducing the legitimacy of the Rose Bowl. One could make a case that they weren't far off...
BTW- I know I have posted this before but this is a tremendous resource. College Football Data Warehouse is an awesome database and best of all, free...
Corey, I can see that I wasn't clear in my original post that the list was based only on the AP poll.