We should claim the 1939 national title

#54
#54
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal

Lack of press coverage. As always with everything follow the money. The press coverage in the La area and the Chitown - Detroit area was supported by an advertising base that required the presents of great sports teams. We in the south were in the backwater of sports coverage.
 
#55
#55
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal

Great idea…it would accomplish so much to “claim” a title from 80 years ago….

I’ve been to some TCU games. Until recently, their scoreboard proudly claimed titles for 36 and 38. I made a lot of fun of them for that.
 
#57
#57
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal
I agree we should drop our claim to 67 for this one
 
#58
#58
YEESSSS! Alabama claimed FIVE of them just by putting them in their stupid “Game-Day Program”. Any team that goes 10-0 and finishes Undefeated / Un-tied / And (unbelievably) Un-Scored upon is the Best team in the Nation — A National Champion!

Back then, Bowl Games we’re nothing but a vacation, anyway!!!!!!
 
#59
#59
It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

We have to give special credit to Fla. St. and Bobby Bowden. They were still independent at that time and came up with the "turf game" idea. They would play one of the media darlings (ND, Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc.) on national television, beat them, then cut a square of turf out to take back home to transplant in a "victory garden". Most of the blue blood teams refused to play southern teams as they were deemed unworthy. These turf games made a crack in the old football world and lead to more and more intersectional games being played and the leveling of the playing field for college football.

On a side note, Joe Paterno said he would never play a home game with Tennessee again after we ruined their undefeated season 2 years in a row. Shout out to Bobby Majors.
 
#60
#60
Alabama has claimed so many titles that their total is now expressed best as a sum function using a sigma.
 
#61
#61
It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

We have to give special credit to Fla. St. and Bobby Bowden. They were still independent at that time and came up with the "turf game" idea. They would play one of the media darlings (ND, Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc.) on national television, beat them, then cut a square of turf out to take back home to transplant in a "victory garden". Most of the blue blood teams refused to play southern teams as they were deemed unworthy. These turf games made a crack in the old football world and lead to more and more intersectional games being played and the leveling of the playing field for college football.

On a side note, Joe Paterno said he would never play a home game with Tennessee again after we ruined their undefeated season 2 years in a row. Shout out to Bobby Majors.
There’s a piece of turf in West Tennessee from The Miracle at South Bend.
 
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#62
#62
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal
Thanks for the post. Ive always felt 39 team was cheated outta title.
 
#63
#63
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal

Bama would be claiming 12 titles for those two years if they had accomplished those feats
 
#71
#71
Cafego lied about his birth certificate and really was born in 1896. He was the number one pick in the NFL draft but prior injuries slowed him down. When George retired as a UT coach, he was presented with a pickup truck and was miffed when he discovered it was used.
 
#72
#72
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal

This has nothing to do with the validity of any of your points, however it just dawned on me that this was 90 years ago..... 90! Holy crap, I am getting old.
 
#74
#74
The fabled last college football team to finish the regular season undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

Wasn't named the national champion by any major poll

How?

Radical bias?

Stupidity?

Now we did lose the 39 rose bowl to USC (because all time great George Cafego was injured)

However, they awarded the national champion after the regular season

It's perplexing that they could first rob the 38 team of the unanimous national title over TCU, but then for us to continue to go undefeated the next season without giving up a point...and STILL they don't give us a title.

It went to Texas A&M and then one vote went to Cornell...who finished 4th in the AP poll and played two less games than us.

It's amazing how disregarded southern football was back then. I doubt you can find slight as egregious in the history of national championship voting.

The Vols won their last two games of 37

Turned that into an 11-0 38 season and a blowout win over Oklahoma

Went undefeated and unscored upon in 39

23 straight wins dating back to 37 no ties

Only gave up points in three games. 16 points given up all together.

Outscored opponents 538-16

20 of those games were shut outs

15 straight shut outs leading into that rose bowl.

Nope no national title

Unreal
Why not. The Gumps claim NCs in the 22nd century
roll Tide (2).jpeg
 

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