In 1984 BYU won a controversial national championship by virtue of a 13-0 record and being the only undefeated D1 school in the nation. Of course, I never considered the championship to be controversial, but sports pundits in the national media couldn’t resist taking their shots. Bryant Gumbel announced on The Today Show that BYU hadn’t played anyone but Bo-Diddly Tech. Barry Switzer, head coach of Oklahoma, essentially said the same thing, but did concede if BYU beat Michigan in the Holiday Bowl they deserved to win the national championship. To this day, Washington, who finished 11-1 and placed second in the AP poll, claims a portion of the 1984 championship. So be it, but keep in mind BYU beat essentially the same Washington team 31-3 early in the 1985 season. I am certain BYU would have defeated them just as convincingly had they met in 1984.

Anyway, here’s how 1984 went down…