‘Not to slam the others,’ but Colorado insists it was consensus champ over Tech in ‘90
One week after playing in a loud, lively, cowbell-clanging stadium in Starkville, Miss., Georgia expects to find another charged environment in Boulder, Colo.
In conjunction with the Georgia-Colorado game at Folsom Field on Saturday, the Buffaloes will celebrate the 20th anniversary of, as Colorado puts it, “the 1990 consensus national championship team.”
After the 1990 season, Colorado finished No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and Georgia Tech No. 1 in the United Press International poll. Both schools can rightfully claim national championships for that year.
But Colorado insists it was the “consensus” champion, explaining its position at length in a media release previewing this week’s game against, ironically, Tech’s arch-rival:
Now apparently, our use of the word “consensus” upsets a few folks around the country. It’s not to slam the others, but rather to strengthen CU’s case for that season since many point to the Fifth Down game or the clip on Raghib Ismail’s punt return in the Orange Bowl and say our title is tainted. But fact is fact; at the time nine (*) basic postseason polls were recognized as determining a unanimous or consensus national champion; Colorado topped six of those: *Associated Press, *FWAA (Football Writers Association of America), *National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame (MacArthur Trophy), *USA Today-CNN, *Sporting News and *Football News; Georgia Tech won the *United Press International poll (by 1 point) and Miami, Fla., the *Sagarin and *New York Times computer ratings. In the NCAA Record book listing for 1990, it shows 19 different groups that declared a national champion; 11 voted outright for Colorado and three each for Georgia Tech and Miami; one (National Championship Foundation) split it between CU and Tech, and another (FACT, a computer ranking) voted for four, including Washington.
Got all that?
Anyway, Colorado expects to have at least 73 players from its 1990 team in attendance for two days of 20th-anniversary festivities Friday and Saturday. Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes’ head coach in ‘90, and five of his assistants will be on hand. The ‘90 team will be honored at halftime of Saturday’s game, which is expected to draw a sellout crowd.
“It looks like they’re going to be revved up,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “Plus they had an open date [last week] to get all fired up about it, too.”
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222 comments Add your comment
HAHAHA
September 30th, 2010
8:08 am
Big Al
Same could be said for 1980. And what is the deal with the new AD canceling the Oregon series? I love his so-called reasoning behind it. “I have a different strategy that Damon Evans.” AKA, “I am canceling to gauranteed losses!!” Oregon would work UGA.
lanier
September 30th, 2010
8:09 am
Screw Colorado the ball says it all
1980 Dawg
September 30th, 2010
8:13 am
As for Too Easy’s comment about living in the past, it is fun to remember how special that year was but I agree that it’s time to put another trophy in the Butts-Mehre building. As tough as this year has been so far, I think UGA’s program is closer to winning another championship than GT. Playing in the SEC is tough but if a team gets the job done in-conference they’ll most likely be playing for a championship.
jo
September 30th, 2010
8:15 am
wow, a school gets 5 downs to win, totally illegal and they are the consensus what? cheats…yes? champs I think not.
Too Easy
September 30th, 2010
8:18 am
Agreed 1980 Dawg. That was a great team. I still love seeing the highlights of Hershel running over people and Munson’s call – “a freshman, my god a freshman” or something like that.
I’ve said it before, no doubt the SEC is the best conference in CFB, but it’s top heavy, you have to admit that. And I’d agree, UGA is closer than GT. If you want to get right down to it, I’m surprised whenever GT beats UGA. It really shouldn’t ever happen, but it’s fun every blue moon when it does.
Yeller Skeeters are Peter Eaters!!!!
September 30th, 2010
8:18 am
Great. Another super-charged venue + high altitude problems= another UGA loss.
Stewert Mandel
September 30th, 2010
8:20 am
In all my travels, I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a fan base whose self-perception is so far from reality. Georgia fashions itself a national power in the vein of Ohio State, USC, et. al., based primarily off one glorious three-year run 30 years ago with Herschel Walker (and some kick-butt years in the 1940s)
WE TUCK N RUN THIS STATE
September 30th, 2010
8:21 am
Lance. Get your head out of your a$$ buddy. There was never any opt out clause that you speak of and there was no Nat’l Championship Game back then of which you speak. Just another jealous idiot who can’t accept that his own team is in decline. Go snuggle with mommy and let her rock you to sleep with stories of Herchel and his shiny new car that was bought for him…
layinlow
September 30th, 2010
8:26 am
An honorable school would have forfeited that 5th down game against Missouri. It was known to have happened two other times in history and both schools forfeited the win and gave it to the other school. But not the scumbags from Colorado. I’m a UGA fan and even I have to admit that is BS and I only recognize Tech as national champions. And working in Tech’s favor is the fact that a lot of fans and media feel the way I do. The biggest shame is Tech should have played Notre Dame in the Orange bowl instead of the cheaters. In a way the whole thing is screwed up because one school cheated and the other was forced to play in the citrus bowl. I do have to admit that Tech not playing in a major bowl does take away from their championship somewhat. But I guess there was nothing Tech could do about it.
Sharkman
September 30th, 2010
8:31 am
1990??? This is 2010 right?
CGA
September 30th, 2010
8:33 am
UGA fans need to quit worrying about TECH’s 1990 National Championship (which they DID earn) and start worrying about their own current team. Your team hasn’t won a championship in 30 years. How many championships have your SEC rivals like Florida and Alabama won in that same time period?
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
September 30th, 2010
8:34 am
I hear they got a bull for a mascot out there. Weirdest critter you ever saw. It has a big hump on its back and horns. You can bet your bippy I won’t be out there clowning around with him. At least I probably won’t need an ice-filled cushion to nap on during the game.
Colorado Football?
September 30th, 2010
8:35 am
Why now, twenty years after the fact? Pathetic!
Pete
September 30th, 2010
8:40 am
Note: Georgia Tech beat Nebraska that year 45-21 (by 24 points). Colorado beat Nebraska 27-12 (by 15 points).
Note to Richt, Colorado will be wearing all black.
September 30th, 2010
8:40 am
Just sayin
chris o bomb
September 30th, 2010
8:43 am
pathetic… we won the coaches and the sagirin which were 2ofthe top three polls back then.
colorado… well at least you recycle well.
UGA… next week’s blog will trash Ga State? haha
pathetic…
Jack
September 30th, 2010
8:43 am
Consensus at what? They don’t get that 1/2 of 2 is 1? Several championships have been” split” over the years. But what is obvious is this–
the voting was biased and rigged back then. How a team can have a loss, should have had another loss against missouri but was given 5 downs to score AND gets a non existent clipping call at the end of their game(3 losses) a nat champ is a joke. Oh and GT destroys Nebraska and tom osborne says they were the best team he played all year.
D Gator
September 30th, 2010
8:44 am
Miami would have whipped both of them. CU played a tougher schedule, while GT played a Boise State schedule that year.
gtu lies & cheats
September 30th, 2010
8:46 am
All of gtu’s MNC’s are tainted, they have never, never NEVER won an AP national championship. Everyone knows that the rest of the MNC votes carry less weight than the AP.
THWGT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stewart speaks the truth!!
September 30th, 2010
8:46 am
In all my travels, I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a fan base whose self-perception is so far from reality. Georgia fashions itself a national power in the vein of Ohio State, USC, et. al., based primarily off one glorious three-year run 30 years ago with Herschel Walker (and some kick-butt years in the 1940s
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/09/29/mailbag/index.html#ixzz11157WuTa
gtu lies & cheats
September 30th, 2010
8:48 am
Oh and by the way, gtu did not even play in a major bowl that year, that is how much respect they recieved nationally. Weak, weak, weak that is what gtu is and always has been.
THWGT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cobb jacket
September 30th, 2010
8:51 am
Sick em dawgs!!!!! And just to be clear, if they somehow manage to f**k up the 20th anniversary celebration, will the refs give them another shot at it? Worst call in the history of college football with the worst result of all time. And the worst example of sportsmanship from Colorado. Echo what a previous poster said, McCartney is one of the biggest hypocrites of all time. Wrapped himself up in the bible all the while recruiting gang members and thugs for his team, one of which actually knocked up his daughter. Cheating hypocrite.
Ray Ray Goff
September 30th, 2010
8:54 am
UGA IS 2-7 IN THE LAST 9 SEC GAMES.
UGA IS 10-11 IN THE LAST SEC EAST GAMES.
I WILL COME BACK FOR $3.2 MILLION PER YEAR AND YOU CAN
DEDUCT $200,000 PER PLAYER JAILED EACH YEAR.
WE WILL WORK HARDER TO GET BETTER.
BobDog
September 30th, 2010
8:55 am
SOMEONE GOING OUT TO THE GAME IN COLORADO NEEDS TO STOP BY THE TECH CAMPUS, PICK UP THAT CRYSTAL FOOTBALL, AND TAKE IT TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS IN BOULDER, COLORADO.
dawgfan
September 30th, 2010
8:56 am
They were both a fraud. I find Colorado’s attempt to claim a concensus national title 20 years after the fact classless, desperate, and pathetic. The 5th down was a joke. Tech never played anybody that year. They didn’t even play in a major bowl. Was Nebraska even a top 10 team going in to that game?
The 1990 season was an embarassment to college football.
Ace
September 30th, 2010
9:01 am
5th and goal.
GT65_UGA89
September 30th, 2010
9:01 am
Georgia Tech has four validated national championships: 1917, 1928, 1952 and 1990. Every time I visit the Edge Athletic Center I see the crystal UPI national championship trophy, so yes, Tech was (one of) the national champions of 1990.
GT and Colorado shared one common opponent in 1990, that being Nebraska. Colorado defeated Nebraska 27-12, Tech defeated Nebraska 45-21. Colorado lost a game and needed five downs to win another one and needed a phantom clipping call in the Orange Bowl to defeat Notre Dame.
Tech’s lone blemish was a tie against UNC, a game where tech outgained UNC 425 yards to 153 yards. Ross chose to go for a couple of fourth downs deep in UNC territory instead of kicking a FG, else Tech would have been undefeated and untied.
Truth be told, Tech in 1990 had no weaknesses. i have always felt that if tech and Colorado would have played in a BCS championship game, 1990 Tech defeats 1990 Colorado by two TD’s.
Go Dawgs, whip the Buffs!
truth be told, the Gt team of 1990 had no weaknesses and would have defeated Colorado by two touchdowns.
BEANO COOK
September 30th, 2010
9:03 am
Colorado was actually 10-2-1 in 1990,
because the 5th down win against Missouri was really a loss.
Georgia Tech was the ONLY
. . .UNDEFEATED . . . team in the Nation at 11-0-1.
Case Closed !
____________
The Rifleman
September 30th, 2010
9:05 am
I’m sure Alabama has claimed at least part of the 1990 National Championship.
RxDawg
September 30th, 2010
9:06 am
Eh, I’ve got no dog in that fight.
It’s hard for Georgia fans seeing us going up there and earning a win on the football field. Well, it’s hard for this fan to see it anyways. But Kirk Herbstreit seemed to think we a certain win this week, and this was after he lectured about how bad we have been too. All I can do is hope… Go Dawgs.
The Real SugarHillDawg
September 30th, 2010
9:08 am
Hey Pete, comparing scores is the MOST idiotic thing to do when you are comparing two teams. You just exposed your IDIOCY like you exsposed your GAYNESS!!!
GEORGIA TECH . . . . . .
September 30th, 2010
9:08 am
`
When you have the only undefeated major college football team,
That team is the true National Champion.
46-39
September 30th, 2010
9:10 am
At least GA doesn’t have to ’share’ their NC w/ anyone…….
btgt69
September 30th, 2010
9:11 am
We may have split the national championship , but more importantly, we were GA state champs !
castle pines canine
September 30th, 2010
9:12 am
Lets see how Damons 3 road games in 4 weeks works out this week. However, can’t speak for Colorado, but I sat in the stands when Tech kicked us around Sanford stadium during the Tech championship year. My only problem with any of it,is that they didn’t play each other. However, back then, that didn’t always happen. They both claim a crown and that is ok with me. I think the big 8 was clearly tougher than the ACC, but they both have the rings.
Now for UGA, I hope that we play ball this week. I hope to see the line block, runners hold the ball, and recievers get open. Defense makes tackles, coaches make calls, and fans cheer loudly. We are all glad to have our beloved dogs out here to Colorado. GO DOGS
Techster
September 30th, 2010
9:16 am
Actually we did win because of the unpopularity of the Colorado Coach amoung other Coaches. We might as well admit out “short comings” and our “short d–ks!!! Oh well!!! I’m late for the Tickle Pile!!!
Adam
September 30th, 2010
9:16 am
My friend from Missouri also says the rest of the big 12 laughs at colorado and their 90 champ.
What amazes me is how the pollsters kept voting them that high knowing full well they got the benefit of a bogus mistake call not once but twice plus they had a loss.
Reggie Ball
September 30th, 2010
9:18 am
I thought there was 5 down??? Dammit…
Dorian
September 30th, 2010
9:19 am
Colorado played one of the toughest schedules of all time in 1990. They played 7 ranked teams and 4 conference champions. Who did Tech play? Nobody. Colorado would have been double digit favorites had the two teams played.
CDAWG
September 30th, 2010
9:20 am
Who freakin cares? They KNOW that UGA will win this one so they are pulling out all stops to psyche the DAWGS out. I feel it in my gut that UGA is victorious in this one. All right Tech, we will defend your honor Saturday.
GEORGIA TECH 'undefeated" 1990 National Champions
September 30th, 2010
9:20 am
`
`
Collorado was 1990 consensus champs in cheating
. . . . . . . . with their bogus 5th down win over Missoiri.
Wreckem
September 30th, 2010
9:22 am
@ gtu lies & cheats
What is this “gtu” you speak of? No such university exists in this state. Anyway, Dawgs need a win. Sic ‘em.
GEORGIA TECH 'undefeated" 1990 National Champions
September 30th, 2010
9:23 am
Yea,
Bill McCartney, the big Christian,
should have showed some class and forfeited the Missouri game.
CDAWG
September 30th, 2010
9:25 am
GEORGIA TECH, I agree with you to a certain extent. You have to put some weight on strength of schedule. I think Tech deserved it in 1990
Ed
September 30th, 2010
9:26 am
This gt fan laughs at co and hopes you guys give them the ass kickin they deserve.
GEORGIA TECH "undefeated" 1990 National Champions
September 30th, 2010
9:26 am
They should be embarassed to celebrate
a 20 year Colorado 5th down season
Hope the Dawgs slaughter their ass.
Geez
September 30th, 2010
9:28 am
Just won more reason there needs to be a playoff. USC does the same thing to LSU from 2003. LSU actually won the BCS title that year.
Enough with the splits. Have both teams play if there is a tie for first.
Martin
September 30th, 2010
9:30 am
Here’s the bogus 5 downs for the youngin’s who never saw it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJT8q0MMwQ
And here’s the phamtom clipping call
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqC_Br3cDJg
I agree that the colorado coach and the big 12, 8 at the time, should have forfeited the game for co
dawgfan75
September 30th, 2010
9:37 am
I watched the UGA-Tech game that year. UGA was terrible the entire season and that game was no exception. The only bright spot for the dawgs for the dawgs was the punter(sorry, can’t remember his name) kept dropping the ball inside the 10 yard line. At a few seconds before halftime Ga punted. The punters leg went up. It came down. He planted it in the fake grass. Suddenly, a Tech linebacker came running in and speared the punter’s knee completely destroying it. He had to be carried from the field and never played again. Even the commentators were outraged at such a dasturdly deed. I believe,with such a highly disciplined team as Tech had that year, that that player would never have done that without orders from the sidelines. Tech would have won the game, anyway. Pretty crappy.
arningad
September 30th, 2010
9:38 am
The full final 90 yard drive of CU vs. Missouri including the fifth down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJT8q0MMwQ.
CU spiked the ball on both first and fourth down. They would not have spiked the ball if they had realized that it was fourth down rather than third down. CU also played Tennessee, Stanford, Illinois, Washington and Texas (a member of the SouthWest Conference at that time) OOC. Has a team from anywhere in the SouthEast EVER played an ooc schedule like that?