I absolutely think we deserved to be in the championship game that year. I just wonder if we really played the correct team. I personally think Ohio St and Kansas St were both better that year. They just lost at the worst time of the year and Florida St. lost early which is why they got in. If Ohio St and Kansas St had not lost, would we have even been in it? They were both ranked ahead of us going into the final week of the season if I remember right.
I absolutely think we deserved to be in the championship game that year. I just wonder if we really played the correct team. I personally think Ohio St and Kansas St were both better that year. They just lost at the worst time of the year and Florida St. lost early which is why they got in. If Ohio St and Kansas St had not lost, would we have even been in it? They were both ranked ahead of us going into the final week of the season if I remember right.
It's worth pointing out that Billy Ratliff absolutely blew the Arkansas guard back into Stoerner on that play, causing Stoerner to trip up and fumble. An incredibly lucky play, obviously, but it didn't just fall out of the air -- Ratliff made a hell of a play to help luck along.
I absolutely think we deserved to be in the championship game that year. I just wonder if we really played the correct team. I personally think Ohio St and Kansas St were both better that year. They just lost at the worst time of the year and Florida St. lost early which is why they got in. If Ohio St and Kansas St had not lost, would we have even been in it? They were both ranked ahead of us going into the final week of the season if I remember right.
I absolutely think we deserved to be in the championship game that year. I just wonder if we really played the correct team. I personally think Ohio St and Kansas St were both better that year. They just lost at the worst time of the year and Florida St. lost early which is why they got in. If Ohio St and Kansas St had not lost, would we have even been in it? They were both ranked ahead of us going into the final week of the season if I remember right.
Honestly, I am not sure that the "best" team wins the championship most years. Unlike other sports, football has no series. Any result could be a fluke. It's a game where you have to capitalize on your opportunities, as you usually only get one shot.
Capitalizing on opportunities is part of the game. The Stoerner stumble was luck. The forty or fifty yard drive that ensued was preparation/hard work/determination. If you capitalize better than your opponents then that is a factor that helps determine if you are the better team. You never hear anyone saying, "well we were clearly the better team that year, but we just couldn't capitalize on some of the fortunate positions we were put in. The best teams always capitalize on luck/opponent's mistakes.
I was at the Arkansas game and I remember as soon as I saw Stoerner roll out, I was like, "Why are they passing? I don't get it." That was an unbelievable finish to that game. A bad coaching decision on Arkansas' part does not mean we were lucky. We defensed the play perfectly and came away with a victory! Period.
Everybody talks about the Arkansas game being lucky. I tell you where we got lucky--beating florida that year. They went up and down the field all night--but had five turnovers, including a fumble at our 1 yard line that Wilson recovered. We also scored on a pass that was a Martin wounded duck that one of our wideouts miraculously caught in the end zone. Then florida missed the fg in the end zone and we made ours--great kicker. We easily could have--and perhaps should have--lost that game. But the ball bounced our way...
Maybe not, but in 2001 I think we could have given Miami a better run than Nebraska.
Don't forget that '01 Miami (one of the best teams ever) nearly lost to Boston College.
Miami was up 12-7 with about a minute to go, BC was down around the Miami 10-yard-line, when a tipped ball was intercepted by a DT, who had the ball taken from him by Ed Reed, who returned it for a TD.
That was definitely a down game for them, but I've got to think they'd have been psyched up to destroy UT or whomever in the NC game. I feel the same way about UT facing anyone from 1998, including a Weinke-led Nole team. Weinke wasn't nearly as mobile as Outzen. Our DL would have buried him.
Yes I know we won the championship and I am as happy as anyone about that!
We were very lucky that year! We were lucky with Syracuse, with Arkansas, with Florida, and with Miss St in the SEC championship game. We were never "world beaters" against anyone. We never really dominated anyone except for Georgia and struggled to win many of our games!
Then there's the fact that we played Florida St. in the championship game. A team that "back doored" their way into the championship game and they had to start a freshman at QB.
Honestly, I think in terms of actual talent I think we were about the 3rd or 4th best team in the country. I thought the 97 team was much more talented.