Notre Dame Football: Would Brian Kelly have titles in a different era?

Notre Dame football: 1966 season

They didn’t have to prove it in a showdown. In 1966, this was very controversial, as Parseghian played to a tie against unbeaten Michigan State in a one vs. two matchup. The Irish then beat Alabama and were declared National Champions without going to a bowl game.

It was a calculated move on Parseghian’s part, who knew that because Notre Dame was ranked one ahead of number two Michigan State, there’d be no movement from a tie and they’d be National Champions in the polls. This, of course, angered Michigan State and No. 3 Alabama, who both thought they were the true National Champions, despite not being given the title.

It’s worth noting that Alabama was unbeaten and untied, with a Sugar Bowl win that season, and given their history, it’s surprising they don’t claim a National Championship in 1966, as they did in years like 1941 when they went 9-2 and claimed a National Championship despite finishing third in the SEC.

That ability to claim a National Championship is important, though. College football is too big a sport, and sample sizes are too small, particularly before every game was broadcast and streamed, to truly know who was the best. So, each region of the country tended to claim to be the best.

This led to a history and wide acceptance of multiple claims to National Championships, and a problem. How do we actually determine a National Champion? Take 1990 for example, four teams were chosen by major selectors, and two of them (Colorado and Georgia Tech) made claims to the National Championship. But who was actually the better team?