I know it’s after midnight in most of the country, so I don’t want to write too much. I just wanted to remind anyone who might come across this where to find my ratings of all the teams.
LSU finished a very impressive 16th in strength of schedule. I don’t subtract out the losses inflicted on other teams, so they may very well have had the best schedule if I did make those subtractions. Ohio St. was 42nd, Clemson 54th, and Oklahoma 61st in strength of schedule to give you an idea of how hard it is to have a top-20 strength of schedule while having one of the best records, not to mention going undefeated.
I’ve had some minor health issues and have been very tired since I last wrote. I always have a lot of work right before and right after the holidays.
In January 1959, the LSU Fighting Tigers completed their last undefeated season, beating Clemson 7-0 in New Orleans (all four championships since the start of the Poll Era were won in New Orleans). Clemson was only #12 and it was only LSU’s second win over a ranked opponent that season though, so it wasn’t quite the same thing. You also have to win four more games now to go undefeated.
It’s also nice that we don’t have to wait until next December for one of the players from this team to win the Heisman like the 1958 team did. Getting the Heisman when you already know you won’t win the national championship has to feel more like a consolation prize even if you won a national championship previously.
I grew up hearing about that 1958 team, but that seemed more like some kind of ancient legend than anything the likes of which I would see myself. I classified it in my mind somewhere next to Greek mythology and Jonah being swallowed by the whale. This is LSU’s third national title in 17 years. If you had told 10-year-old me (I turned 11 during the season we went 2-9) I would see three in 70 years I would have taken it.
I’m still processing everything, but I do plan to write more about what happened this season.
One thing of note: the SEC beat the Big Ten in a tiebreaker for the better collection of teams in the top 40. The SEC had passed up the Big Ten a while back in best average team, but it took an 8-2 postseason record to pass it up in the top-40 list that I include. The American Conference was a surprise #3 in both measures. I might have to start including them in the divisional standings next season. You can see “Conferences & Divisions” and “SoS” in the top left corner of my site for more.
I wish more of my relatives could have seen this LSU season, but I’m glad my parents and most of my aunts and uncles are still here for it. By the way, early happy birthday to my grandmother, who turns 90 next week.
The Bayou Blogger
American Conference, Big Ten, Clemson, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ed Orgeron, Joe Burrow, LSU, SEC
Unbeaten, Untied, Unrivaled
In Bowls, College Football, College Football Playoff, General LSU, History, Me, Post-game, Rankings Commentary on January 13, 2020 at 10:29 PMI know it’s after midnight in most of the country, so I don’t want to write too much. I just wanted to remind anyone who might come across this where to find my ratings of all the teams.
LSU finished a very impressive 16th in strength of schedule. I don’t subtract out the losses inflicted on other teams, so they may very well have had the best schedule if I did make those subtractions. Ohio St. was 42nd, Clemson 54th, and Oklahoma 61st in strength of schedule to give you an idea of how hard it is to have a top-20 strength of schedule while having one of the best records, not to mention going undefeated.
I’ve had some minor health issues and have been very tired since I last wrote. I always have a lot of work right before and right after the holidays.
In January 1959, the LSU Fighting Tigers completed their last undefeated season, beating Clemson 7-0 in New Orleans (all four championships since the start of the Poll Era were won in New Orleans). Clemson was only #12 and it was only LSU’s second win over a ranked opponent that season though, so it wasn’t quite the same thing. You also have to win four more games now to go undefeated.
It’s also nice that we don’t have to wait until next December for one of the players from this team to win the Heisman like the 1958 team did. Getting the Heisman when you already know you won’t win the national championship has to feel more like a consolation prize even if you won a national championship previously.
I grew up hearing about that 1958 team, but that seemed more like some kind of ancient legend than anything the likes of which I would see myself. I classified it in my mind somewhere next to Greek mythology and Jonah being swallowed by the whale. This is LSU’s third national title in 17 years. If you had told 10-year-old me (I turned 11 during the season we went 2-9) I would see three in 70 years I would have taken it.
I’m still processing everything, but I do plan to write more about what happened this season.
One thing of note: the SEC beat the Big Ten in a tiebreaker for the better collection of teams in the top 40. The SEC had passed up the Big Ten a while back in best average team, but it took an 8-2 postseason record to pass it up in the top-40 list that I include. The American Conference was a surprise #3 in both measures. I might have to start including them in the divisional standings next season. You can see “Conferences & Divisions” and “SoS” in the top left corner of my site for more.
I wish more of my relatives could have seen this LSU season, but I’m glad my parents and most of my aunts and uncles are still here for it. By the way, early happy birthday to my grandmother, who turns 90 next week.