1969 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. (the first season being the one in 1869
) During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press
(AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International
) (UPI). In 1969, the UPI issued its final poll before the bowls, but the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed.
The AP poll in 1969 consisted of the votes of as many as 45 sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. In 1969, there were four regular season games that matched "Top Five" teams.
was second, followed by Penn State, Texas
and USC.
September 20 #1 Ohio State had not yet started its season. #2 Arkansas
beat Oklahoma State 39-0 at Little Rock.
#3 Penn State beat Navy at Annapolis, 45-22.
#4 Texas
won at California 17-0.
#5 USC won at Nebraska 31-21
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Texas 5.USC
September 27 #1 Ohio State opened its season with a 62-0 dismantling of Texas Christian (TCU). #2 Penn State beat Colorado 27-3 at home. #3 Arkansas
hosted Tulsa and won 55-0.
#4 Texas
won at home, 49-7, over Texas Tech. #5 USC beat Northwestern at home 48-6. The first seven spots in the poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Texas 5.USC On September 27, 1969, Rutgers hosted Princeton, just as it had on November 6, 1869 in the first college football game. In 1869
, Rutgers had 6 goals to Princeton's four. A century later, Rutgers won 29-0.
Penn State narrowly won at Kansas State 17-14, and fell to fifth in the poll
Arkansas
beat TCU at Little Rock, 24-6.
#4 Texas
, which beat Navy 56-17 at home, rose to second, and USC, which won at Oregon State 31-7, was fourth.
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Arkansas 4.USC 5.Penn State
October 11, the top teams played ranked opponents. #1 Ohio State beat #19 Michigan State 54-21 at home.
In Dallas #2 Texas
defeated #8 Oklahoma 27-17.
#3 Arkansas
was idle
#4 USC got past #16 Stanford 26-24
#5 Penn State beat #17 West Virginia 20-0 at home.
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.USC 4.Arkansas 5.Penn State
October 18 #1 Ohio State won at Minnesota 34-7. #2 Texas
was idle. #3 USC tied with #11 Notre Dame 14-14 at South Bend, and dropped to 7th, while Notre Dame fell to 12th. #4 Arkansas
won 21-7 at Baylor. #5 Penn State narrowly stayed unbeaten at Syracuse, winning 15-14, and fell to 8th. #7 Tennessee
, which had beaten #20 Alabama 41-14 in Birmingham for its fifth win, rose to third, while unbeaten #6 Missouri Tigers
reached fifth after its 31-21 win over Oklahoma State
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee
4.Arkansas 5.Missouri
October 25 #1 Ohio State beat Illinois 41-0. #2 Texas
defeated Rice 31-0 in Austin.
#3 Tennessee
was idle. #4 Arkansas
beat Wichita State 52-14 in Little Rock. #8 Penn State defeated Ohio University 42-3 and returned to the Top 5.
#6 Missouri Tigers
lost to unranked Colorado at Boulder, 31-24.
#6 USC beat Georgia Tech 29-18
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee
4.Arkansas 5.Penn State
won at Northwestern 35-6. #2 Texas
beat SMU at Dallas 45-14. #3 Tennessee
won at #11 Georgia 17-3
#4 Arkansas
beat Texas A & M at home, 35-13.
#5 Penn State beat Boston College 38-16. The poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee and 4.Arkansas were all at 6-0-0, 5.Penn State was 7-0, and 6.USC and 7.UCLA stayed unbeaten at 6-0-1 and 7-0-1, respectively.
November 8 #1 Ohio State
beat Wisconsin 62-7 at home. #2 Texas
beat Baylor at home 56-14. #3 Tennessee
beat South Carolina 29-14, #4 Arkansas
defeated Rice in Houston, 30-6, and #5 Penn State was idle. The poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee and 4.Arkansas and 5.Penn State were all 7-0, and 6.USC and 7.UCLA were both at 7-0-1, respectively.
November 15 #1 Ohio State
hosted #10 Purdue and won 42-14. By this time, Woody Hayes
's Buckeyes had outscored their opposition 371 to 69 and had an 8-0-0 record with one game left. #2 Texas
beat TCU 69-7 at home to stay unbeaten. But in Jackson, #3 Tennessee
lost to #18 Mississippi 38-0. #4 Arkansas
beat SMU 28-15 in Dallas, and #5 Penn State beat Maryland 48-0 at home. #6 USC, which had beaten Washington at Seattle 16-7, rose to five. In the next poll, OSU and Texas stayed at #1 and #2, while 4,5,6,7,8,and 9 (Arkansas, Penn State, USC, UCLA, Missouri and Notre Dame) each moved up a notch.
November 22 After averaging 46 points a game in its first eight,
#1 Ohio State
could only manage 12 points against #12 Michigan
in Ann Arbor, and lost 24-12
. The Wolverines won the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl. #5 USC, aided by a pass interference penalty and controversial late touchdown, closed with a 14-12 win over #6 UCLA in a matchup of unbeatens (both 8-0-1) that decided the Pac 8 championship and the other spot in the Rose Bowl.
#4 Penn State won at Pittsburgh 27-7. In the next poll, Texas took the top spot: 1.Texas 2.Arkansas 3.Penn State 4.Ohio State 5.USC.
On Thanksgiving Day, in Southwest Conference play, #1 Texas
won at Texas A & M, 49-12 while #2 Arkansas
beat Texas Tech 33-0 in Little Rock. November 29 #3 Penn State which won at North Carolina State 33-8, had been considered for the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Southwestern Conference champ (Texas or Arkansas) would go. Before Ohio State's loss, however, the players had voted to accept a bid to the Orange Bowl, because they preferred going to Miami instead of Dallas, even though the Nittany Lions went to the Orange Bowl the previous season and defeated Kansas 15-14. Certain to move up to #2 regardless of how the Texas-Arkansas game came out, Penn State unexpectedly had passed up a chance to go up against the #1 team in the nation.
met the #2 Arkansas Razorbacks
for a game that would determine the unofficial title. Among the 44,000 spectators that day was President
Richard Nixon
, who had with him a plaque to award to the "national champion", while an estimated 50 million viewers watched the game on ABC
. After three quarters, Arkansas had a 14-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Longhorns' quarterback James Street couldn't find a receiver and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, then carried over the ball for two to make the score 14-8. Then, with 4:47 to play, the Longhorns were on their own 43 on fourth down. Street threw long to Randy Peschel open downfield. Peschel caught the ball and fell out of bounds on the 13. After Ted Koy's 11 yard run, Jim Bertelsen went over to tie the score. The extra point by Happy Feller gave Texas the 15-14 win. Because both teams had been unbeaten in Southwest Conference play, the game also determined the SWC championship, with Texas getting the bid for the Cotton Bowl Classic. President Nixon presented the plaque to Texas coach Darrell Royal after the game . In the final regular season poll, it was 1.Texas 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Ohio State and 5.USC.
East Tennessee State went undefeated and beat Louisiana Tech, led by Terry Bradshaw, in the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, LA. At the Cotton Bowl
in Dallas, the #1 Texas Longhorns were facing the end of their unbeaten streak before a crowd of 73,000. Trailing 17-14 with 2:26 left in the game, Texas was 10 yards from goal, but it was 4th down, and going for a tie was out of the question. Failing to convert would give Notre Dame the ball and the chance to run out the clock. Texas QB James Street managed to fire a pass over the head of the equally determined Notre Dame linebacker, Bob Olson
. Cotton Speyrer came down with the ball on the 2 yard line, just before the ball hit the ground. The officials paused before ruling that the pass was indeed complete, giving Texas the first down, and two plays later, Billy Dale took the ball in for the winning points and, ultimately, the title
. In the final poll, the Texas Longhorns were the top choice for 36 of the 45 writers voting, and won the AP Trophy as the final #1. The Final Top 20 was: 1.Texas 2.Penn State 3.USC 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame 6.Missouri 7.Arkansas 8.Mississippi 9.Michigan 10.UCLA 11.Nebraska 12.Houston 13.LSU 14.Florida 15.Tennessee 16.Colorado 17.West Virginia 18.Purdue 19.Stanford and 20.Auburn.
Other bowls:
#1 and the 8-0-0 Montana Grizzlies
#2. The teams met in the Camellia Bowl
in Sacramento (one of four postseason games for college division teams). North Dakota State won, 30-3.
In the NAIA championship game, the
Texas A&I Javelinas
hosted the Concordia College Cobbers, winning 48-7
and Princeton
, often cited as the first college football game
. Decals varied greatly from one team to another. Some teams placed the decals unobtrusively on the front or back of the helmet. Other teams placed them prominently on the side, either in addition to or in place of their regular team logo. Colors and design of the decals also varied greatly between teams; with different numeral styles and color schemes in use. One notable exception was Harvard
, which abstained from the 1969 commemoration, and had its own special helmet decal made for the 1974 season
, which commemorates an 1874 game that Harvard played against McGill
that Harvard claims was the "real" first football game.
. Second in the voting was Mike Phipps
, quarterback for Purdue.
1869 college football season
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football. It is considered the inaugural college football season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was...
) During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A". The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
) (UPI). In 1969, the UPI issued its final poll before the bowls, but the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed.
The AP poll in 1969 consisted of the votes of as many as 45 sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined. In 1969, there were four regular season games that matched "Top Five" teams.
September
In the preseason poll released on September 15, 1969, the defending champion #1 Ohio State Buckeyes were picked #1 with 26 of the 33 first place votes. ArkansasArkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
was second, followed by Penn State, Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
and USC.
September 20 #1 Ohio State had not yet started its season. #2 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
beat Oklahoma State 39-0 at Little Rock.
#3 Penn State beat Navy at Annapolis, 45-22.
#4 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
won at California 17-0.
#5 USC won at Nebraska 31-21
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Texas 5.USC
September 27 #1 Ohio State opened its season with a 62-0 dismantling of Texas Christian (TCU). #2 Penn State beat Colorado 27-3 at home. #3 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
hosted Tulsa and won 55-0.
#4 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
won at home, 49-7, over Texas Tech. #5 USC beat Northwestern at home 48-6. The first seven spots in the poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Texas 5.USC On September 27, 1969, Rutgers hosted Princeton, just as it had on November 6, 1869 in the first college football game. In 1869
1869 college football season
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football. It is considered the inaugural college football season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was...
, Rutgers had 6 goals to Princeton's four. A century later, Rutgers won 29-0.
October
October 4 #1 Ohio State beat Washington at Seattle, 41-14.Penn State narrowly won at Kansas State 17-14, and fell to fifth in the poll
Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
beat TCU at Little Rock, 24-6.
#4 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
, which beat Navy 56-17 at home, rose to second, and USC, which won at Oregon State 31-7, was fourth.
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Arkansas 4.USC 5.Penn State
October 11, the top teams played ranked opponents. #1 Ohio State beat #19 Michigan State 54-21 at home.
In Dallas #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
defeated #8 Oklahoma 27-17.
#3 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
was idle
#4 USC got past #16 Stanford 26-24
#5 Penn State beat #17 West Virginia 20-0 at home.
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.USC 4.Arkansas 5.Penn State
October 18 #1 Ohio State won at Minnesota 34-7. #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
was idle. #3 USC tied with #11 Notre Dame 14-14 at South Bend, and dropped to 7th, while Notre Dame fell to 12th. #4 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
won 21-7 at Baylor. #5 Penn State narrowly stayed unbeaten at Syracuse, winning 15-14, and fell to 8th. #7 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, which had beaten #20 Alabama 41-14 in Birmingham for its fifth win, rose to third, while unbeaten #6 Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
reached fifth after its 31-21 win over Oklahoma State
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee
4.Arkansas 5.Missouri
October 25 #1 Ohio State beat Illinois 41-0. #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
defeated Rice 31-0 in Austin.
#3 Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
was idle. #4 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
beat Wichita State 52-14 in Little Rock. #8 Penn State defeated Ohio University 42-3 and returned to the Top 5.
#6 Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
lost to unranked Colorado at Boulder, 31-24.
#6 USC beat Georgia Tech 29-18
Poll: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee
4.Arkansas 5.Penn State
November
November 1 #1 Ohio State1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1969-1970. The Buckeyes compiled a 8–1 record.-Schedule:-1970 NFL draftees:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
won at Northwestern 35-6. #2 Texas
1969 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history...
beat SMU at Dallas 45-14. #3 Tennessee
1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1969 college football season. The Volunteers offense scored 328 points while the defense allowed 179 points. Led by head coach Doug Dickey, the Volunteers competed in the...
won at #11 Georgia 17-3
#4 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat Texas A & M at home, 35-13.
#5 Penn State beat Boston College 38-16. The poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee and 4.Arkansas were all at 6-0-0, 5.Penn State was 7-0, and 6.USC and 7.UCLA stayed unbeaten at 6-0-1 and 7-0-1, respectively.
November 8 #1 Ohio State
1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1969-1970. The Buckeyes compiled a 8–1 record.-Schedule:-1970 NFL draftees:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
beat Wisconsin 62-7 at home. #2 Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
beat Baylor at home 56-14. #3 Tennessee
1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1969 college football season. The Volunteers offense scored 328 points while the defense allowed 179 points. Led by head coach Doug Dickey, the Volunteers competed in the...
beat South Carolina 29-14, #4 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
defeated Rice in Houston, 30-6, and #5 Penn State was idle. The poll remained unchanged: 1.Ohio State 2.Texas 3.Tennessee and 4.Arkansas and 5.Penn State were all 7-0, and 6.USC and 7.UCLA were both at 7-0-1, respectively.
November 15 #1 Ohio State
1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1969-1970. The Buckeyes compiled a 8–1 record.-Schedule:-1970 NFL draftees:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
hosted #10 Purdue and won 42-14. By this time, Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Denison University , Miami University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career college football record of 238–72–10.During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio...
's Buckeyes had outscored their opposition 371 to 69 and had an 8-0-0 record with one game left. #2 Texas
1969 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history...
beat TCU 69-7 at home to stay unbeaten. But in Jackson, #3 Tennessee
1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1969 college football season. The Volunteers offense scored 328 points while the defense allowed 179 points. Led by head coach Doug Dickey, the Volunteers competed in the...
lost to #18 Mississippi 38-0. #4 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat SMU 28-15 in Dallas, and #5 Penn State beat Maryland 48-0 at home. #6 USC, which had beaten Washington at Seattle 16-7, rose to five. In the next poll, OSU and Texas stayed at #1 and #2, while 4,5,6,7,8,and 9 (Arkansas, Penn State, USC, UCLA, Missouri and Notre Dame) each moved up a notch.
November 22 After averaging 46 points a game in its first eight,
#1 Ohio State
1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1969 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1969-1970. The Buckeyes compiled a 8–1 record.-Schedule:-1970 NFL draftees:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
could only manage 12 points against #12 Michigan
1969 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 college football season. The team was head coached by Bo Schembechler in his first year at Michigan. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium....
in Ann Arbor, and lost 24-12
1969 Michigan vs. Ohio State football game
The 1969 edition of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is considered one of the best-known games of the series, as well as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The Buckeyes of Ohio State University went into the game as the top-ranked team in the country, with a 22-game winning...
. The Wolverines won the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl. #5 USC, aided by a pass interference penalty and controversial late touchdown, closed with a 14-12 win over #6 UCLA in a matchup of unbeatens (both 8-0-1) that decided the Pac 8 championship and the other spot in the Rose Bowl.
#4 Penn State won at Pittsburgh 27-7. In the next poll, Texas took the top spot: 1.Texas 2.Arkansas 3.Penn State 4.Ohio State 5.USC.
On Thanksgiving Day, in Southwest Conference play, #1 Texas
1969 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history...
won at Texas A & M, 49-12 while #2 Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
beat Texas Tech 33-0 in Little Rock. November 29 #3 Penn State which won at North Carolina State 33-8, had been considered for the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Southwestern Conference champ (Texas or Arkansas) would go. Before Ohio State's loss, however, the players had voted to accept a bid to the Orange Bowl, because they preferred going to Miami instead of Dallas, even though the Nittany Lions went to the Orange Bowl the previous season and defeated Kansas 15-14. Certain to move up to #2 regardless of how the Texas-Arkansas game came out, Penn State unexpectedly had passed up a chance to go up against the #1 team in the nation.
December
December 6 #1 and #2 would not meet in a bowl, but faced off at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the final regular season game for both teams. Both unbeaten at 9-0-0, the #1 Texas Longhorns1969 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history...
met the #2 Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
for a game that would determine the unofficial title. Among the 44,000 spectators that day was President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, who had with him a plaque to award to the "national champion", while an estimated 50 million viewers watched the game on ABC
College Football on ABC
ESPN College Football on ABC presented by Kay Jewelers is a presentation of the American Broadcasting Company's regular season American college football television package...
. After three quarters, Arkansas had a 14-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Longhorns' quarterback James Street couldn't find a receiver and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, then carried over the ball for two to make the score 14-8. Then, with 4:47 to play, the Longhorns were on their own 43 on fourth down. Street threw long to Randy Peschel open downfield. Peschel caught the ball and fell out of bounds on the 13. After Ted Koy's 11 yard run, Jim Bertelsen went over to tie the score. The extra point by Happy Feller gave Texas the 15-14 win. Because both teams had been unbeaten in Southwest Conference play, the game also determined the SWC championship, with Texas getting the bid for the Cotton Bowl Classic. President Nixon presented the plaque to Texas coach Darrell Royal after the game . In the final regular season poll, it was 1.Texas 2.Penn State 3.Arkansas 4.Ohio State and 5.USC.
Conference standings
The following is an incomplete list of conference standings:Bowl Games
| BOWL | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COTTON | #1 Texas Longhorns Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
21 | #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 17 |
| ORANGE | #2 Penn State Nittany Lions | 10 | #6 Missouri Tigers Missouri Tigers football The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996... |
3 |
| SUGAR | #13 Mississippi Rebels Ole Miss Rebels football The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs... |
27 | #3 Arkansas Razorbacks Arkansas Razorbacks football The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
22 |
| ROSE | #5 USC Trojans | 10 | #7 Michigan Wolverines | 3 |
East Tennessee State went undefeated and beat Louisiana Tech, led by Terry Bradshaw, in the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, LA. At the Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
in Dallas, the #1 Texas Longhorns were facing the end of their unbeaten streak before a crowd of 73,000. Trailing 17-14 with 2:26 left in the game, Texas was 10 yards from goal, but it was 4th down, and going for a tie was out of the question. Failing to convert would give Notre Dame the ball and the chance to run out the clock. Texas QB James Street managed to fire a pass over the head of the equally determined Notre Dame linebacker, Bob Olson
Bob Olson
Bob Olson is a former American football player.His home town was Superior, Wisconsin. He attended Notre Dame where he played linebacker between 1968 and 1969 and became team captain...
. Cotton Speyrer came down with the ball on the 2 yard line, just before the ball hit the ground. The officials paused before ruling that the pass was indeed complete, giving Texas the first down, and two plays later, Billy Dale took the ball in for the winning points and, ultimately, the title
. In the final poll, the Texas Longhorns were the top choice for 36 of the 45 writers voting, and won the AP Trophy as the final #1. The Final Top 20 was: 1.Texas 2.Penn State 3.USC 4.Ohio State 5.Notre Dame 6.Missouri 7.Arkansas 8.Mississippi 9.Michigan 10.UCLA 11.Nebraska 12.Houston 13.LSU 14.Florida 15.Tennessee 16.Colorado 17.West Virginia 18.Purdue 19.Stanford and 20.Auburn.
Other bowls:
| BOWL | Location | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUN | El Paso | Nebraska 45 | Georgia 6 |
| GATOR | Jacksonville | Florida 14 | Tennessee 13 |
| TANGERINE | Orlando | Toledo 56 | Davidson 33 |
| ASTRO-BLUEBONNET | Houston | Houston 36 | Auburn 7 |
| LIBERTY 1969 Liberty Bowl The 1969 Liberty Bowl, part of the 1969 bowl game season, took place on December 13, 1969, at Memphis Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference , and the Colorado Buffaloes, representing the Big Eight Conference... |
Memphis | Colorado 47 | Alabama 33 |
| PEACH | Atlanta | West Virginia 14 | South Carolina 3 |
| PASADENA | Pasadena | San Diego State 28 | Boston U. 7 |
| Rice Bowl | Baton Rouge | East Tennessee State 34 | Louisiana Tech 14 |
Other champions
The schools that are now in the NCAA's "Division I-AA" were ranked in the "small college poll", taken by both the UPI (coaches) and AP (a panel of writers). In 1969, both services ranked the 9-0-0 North Dakota State BisonNorth Dakota State Bison
The North Dakota State Bison is the name of the athletic teams of North Dakota State University which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd"...
#1 and the 8-0-0 Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies football
The Montana Grizzlies football program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conference, where it is a founding member, since 1963...
#2. The teams met in the Camellia Bowl
Camellia Bowl
- 1948, Lafayette, Louisiana :The Camellia Bowl was a post-season major college football bowl game played at McNaspy Stadium in Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 30, 1948 between Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Wichita ....
in Sacramento (one of four postseason games for college division teams). North Dakota State won, 30-3.
In the NAIA championship game, the
Texas A&I Javelinas
Texas A&M University–Kingsville
Texas A&M University–Kingsville is a U.S. national university with a multicultural student body that is 62 percent Hispanic and includes students from 35 states and 43 foreign countries...
hosted the Concordia College Cobbers, winning 48-7
Special helmet design
Many schools, at the behest of the NCAA, commemorated the 1969 season by wearing a special decal on their football helmets. The decal consisted of the numeral "100" inside a football shaped outline. The decal was designed to commemorate the 1869 game between RutgersRutgers Scarlet Knights football
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...
and Princeton
Princeton Tigers football
The Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
, often cited as the first college football game
1869 college football season
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football. It is considered the inaugural college football season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was...
. Decals varied greatly from one team to another. Some teams placed the decals unobtrusively on the front or back of the helmet. Other teams placed them prominently on the side, either in addition to or in place of their regular team logo. Colors and design of the decals also varied greatly between teams; with different numeral styles and color schemes in use. One notable exception was Harvard
Harvard Crimson football
The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . Harvard's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing in the sport in 1873...
, which abstained from the 1969 commemoration, and had its own special helmet decal made for the 1974 season
1974 college football season
The 1974 college football season finished with two national champions. The Associated Press writers' poll ranked the University of Oklahoma, which was on probation and barred by the NCAA from postseason play, #1 at season's end...
, which commemorates an 1874 game that Harvard played against McGill
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
that Harvard claims was the "real" first football game.
Heisman Trophy
Steve Owens of Oklahoma had rushed for 3,867 yards and scored 56 touchdowns in three seasons with the Sooners. In 1969, he had 29 touchdowns and scored 138 points, and rushed for 248 yards against Iowa State. He later played for the Detroit LionsDetroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. Second in the voting was Mike Phipps
Mike Phipps
Michael Elston Phipps is a former professional American football quarterback who played collegiately for the Purdue University Boilermakers , and professionally for both the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears .-College career:After playing high school for Columbus High School in Columbus,...
, quarterback for Purdue.