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From: tonym@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Tony Martinez)
Newsgroups: net.sport.football
Subject: BYU and Oklahoma: Who's # 1
Message-ID: <1506@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 29-Nov-84 14:05:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1506
Posted: Thu Nov 29 14:05:00 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 2-Dec-84 04:58:35 EST
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Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
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I give my number # 1 vote to BYU.  Allow me to give my reasoning.

It is a given that Oklahoma has a better tradition and that it plays
a couple of good teams on national TV.  Thus, if both OK and BYU were
to win all of their games I would concede the national championship to
the Sooners.  But the question of who has the toughest schedule became
moot one Saturday afternoon in Kansas.  OK lost to an unranked
team 28 - 11, (the fact that they had some injuries doesn't change
anything).  When a team loses badly to an unranked team, it is no longer
in position to claim a national championship, but only to quietly hope
that any other teams in the race will lose.

BYU's # 1 ranking is not just the result of this years record, (They were
11 - 0 in 1979, and had beat a ranked team but were only ranked no. 11),
It is the result of a long series of winning seasons.
    As to BYU's schedule, it isn't as bad as some think.  They have won 
23 straight games.  Teams in that 23 game streak include:

UCLA (last years rose bowl winner)
Air Force twice (Winner of 3 straight over Notre Dame, and in their fourth
                 straight bowl this year)
Missouri (Who shut out Oklahoma last year when BYU played them)
Pitt (was #3 when BYU beat them)
Baylor (a common opponent: BYU 47 Baylor 13,  OK 34 Baylor 15)
Tulsa (winner of 5 straight conference championships)
And some WAC (twice each) teams which are better than most people think:
	Utah
	Hawaii (Still might be in a bowl game this year)
	San Diego State
        etc.

     Now, no one is trying to say that this is a tremendous schedule,
but it is a respectable one.  What BYU has done, is avoid the crucial 
loss to an underdog team, which the other top teams have not; i.e.

Nebraska - Syracuse
Oklahoma - Kansas
South Carolina - Navy
Texas - Houston

     As to teams not playing, (or more importantly not beating),
top 20 teams, that is not unique to just BYU.  Here is a list of other
top 20 teams which HAVE NOT beaten a current top 20 team:
	
	Washington
	Oklahoma State
	Ohio State
	SMU
	Georgia

     Now, Florida has played a tough schedule (Too bad they're on probation).
I think that Washington and Florida have a better argument for number #1
than Oklahoma since their losses came to ranked teams.  Maybe BYU and
Oklahoma will face each other next year in the Kickoff Classic.  As to
Number One this year, If BYU can beat Michigan, (which beat Miami and
Bernie Kosar back when they were # 1), I think they deserve the national
championship. 

Tony Martinez                                               Tonym@sdcrdcf