Congratulations to the Florida Gators, who are recognized as the national football champions after winning the BCS Championship Game on Monday night.
This follows Florida?s NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament championship in April, and the Gators are being proclaimed as the first school to hold both titles at the same time.
However, one can say that the University of Kentucky first achieved that distinction in 1950-51. The 1950 football Wildcats went 11-1, including a Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma (ending the Sooners? 31-game winning streak), and are listed in the NCAA Football Record Book as the national champions by the Sagarin Computer Ratings. That was followed by UK?s triumph in the 1951 NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament, arguably making the Wildcats national champs at the same time in both sports.
The discussion, of course, is complicated by the fact that there is no such thing as an ?official? champion in NCAA Division I-A football (recently renamed as the ?NCAA Bowl Subdivision?) because there is no official championship event hosted by the NCAA.
Therefore, there are a multitude of unofficial champions. For example, the NCAA Record Book lists 19 various selectors for the 2005 football championship, such as the Associated Press poll, the Football Writers Association poll, the Sagarin Computer Ratings, etc.
Another interesting twist is how the national football champions have been selected. Back in the 1950 season, the AP and other polls only recognized the regular season. Thus, the national champion(s) was chosen after the regular season, but before the bowl games. That?s why Oklahoma was ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll and UK was ranked No. 7, despite the Wildcats? defeat of the Sooners in the Sugar Bowl.
Historians and computer analysis have attempted to address that problem. The Sagarin Computer Ratings didn?t exist in 1950, of course. Sagarin has been ranking college football by computer since 1973. In 1982, he began reviewing additional seasons, beginning with 1972 and working in reverse chronological order. It?s a long, tedious process. Sagarin does extensive research in verifying scores and game locations before loading the data into his computer for analysis. He didn?t complete the 1950 season until 1997.
Four teams can make a claim on the 1950 football title ? Oklahoma, Tennessee, Princeton, and Kentucky. It?s interesting to take a look at each of their seasons.
Oklahoma is the national champion by six selectors. Why They Should be National Champions: The Sooners went 10-1 and had a 31-game winning streak Why They Shouldn?t: They lost their bowl game, which would likely be a fatal blow in today?s environment.
Tennessee is recognized by six selectors. Why They Should Be National Champions: The Volunteers won their last 10 games en route to an 11-1 mark, topped by a win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Vols also posted a 7-0 win over Kentucky in the regular-season finale in Knoxville. Why They Shouldn?t: The blemish on UT?s record was an early season loss to an unheralded Mississippi State team.
Princeton was chosen by two selectors. Why They Should be National Champions: The Tigers finished 9-0 and it?s hard to argue against an unbeaten team. Why They Shouldn?t: Strength of schedule hurts the Princeton. The Sagarin analysis, for example, lists the Tigers as No. 101 in strength of schedule that year.
Kentucky is named by one selector. Why They Should be National Champions: The Wildcats were 11-1 and beat No. 1-ranked Oklahoma in the bowl game. Why They Shouldn?t: In today?s climate, the Sugar Bowl win might not be enough to offset the late-season loss at Tennessee.
As noted above, all four schools have a claim as national champion for 1950. And at the end of the day, Wildcat fans can point to the Sagarin Computer Rankings and UK?s win over No. 1-ranked Oklahoma ? again, ending OU?s 31-game win streak ? as their stake in the debate.
Five Wildcats in IntaJuice North-South All-Star Game: Head coach Rich Brooks, offensive coordinator Joker Phillips, offensive lineman Michael Aitcheson, center Matt McCutchan, and defensive end Durrell White are participating in the inaugural IntaJuice North-South All-Star Classic on Sat. Jan. 13 in Houston.
Brooks and Phillips will guide the offense for the North team and all three Wildcats are on that squad. The game will be televised by ESPN at noon EST. This is Brooks? 10th coaching appearance in an all-star contest, having participated twice in the Hula Bowl, East/West Shrine Game, Blue/Gray Game, and Japan Bowl, along with once in the Senior Bowl. This is Phillips? second all-star coaching appearance, as he was the winning head coach in last year?s Magnolia Classic.
The Wildcats are coming off an 8-5 season, capped by a win over Clemson in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Aitcheson was a two-year starter in the offensive line and earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior. McCutchan was a three-year regular at center, twice being named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week during his career. White was a four-year starter, totaling 153 tackles as a Wildcat, including 22.5 tackles for loss.
