Bo Schembeckler said they're a middle of the road Big Ten team and then Mike Belotti in 2006 said the same thing about BYU before the Holiday bowl except for he said they are at the bottom of the Pac-10 and BYU kicked the shit out of Oregon 38-8 and made Belotti eat his words. BYU always gets disrespected.
@@christopherfoote4643 Michigan played in the big ten which hardly threw the ball then. BYU had nearly 500 yds, almost 400 passing. Michigan only had 202 total. The ONLY reason this game was close was that BYU was -5 in there turnovers. Most of which were fumbles. This game could've easily been 35-7 for BYU. It is incredibly hard to overcome that turnover differential. Good thing the Cougars defense showed up
@@christopherfoote4643 well look it up because the stats back up everything I'm saying. Bosco had a lot more yards than Everett. I looked it up. Seriously, BYU threw 49 passes that game. The big ten was not doing that in the early eighties. You can think I'm wrong, but just look it up. I'm either stating facts or basing on facts in everything I've said
@@christopherfoote4643 you're the one telling me I'm wrong for stating facts and factually based arguments. He threw like 45 passes on the year. Blaine is fine and I like him, mostly, but the offense was easy more limited with him in. I tried to just give you facts. Only when you told me I was wrong despite all the facts I was giving did I tell you top research it. You're the a hole here. Not me. This isn't hard
If you watch the game, it's very clear that BYU was very dominant in the Holiday Bowl. BYU had 483 yards of offense, while giving up only 202 to Michigan. BYU also gave up 6 turnovers, while only forcing one in the final minute of the game. BYU gave Michigan every single possible chance to win, and Michigan couldn't pull it off.
@@johnmanning4097 and how many teams have won the turnover battle by 5 and still lost? If there had been no turnovers, BYU could've easily won 45-10 or worse.
Hmm ... think of awarding BYU the '84 nat'l title as akin to a Lifetime Achievement Oscar being given at the Academy Awards, especially to actors who've never won before. Charlie Chaplin comes to mind - he won in '72. I see the reasoning as follows : look Cougars, this '84 edition MIGHT be your best team in school history, but it might NOT. There may have been other BYU squads equally deserving who went unrequited due to perceptions about you, the conference you play in, strength of schedule, et al. And they weren't recognized or rewarded as such. So consider this season 's #1 ranking as a composite, make-up, 'thank you' reward for this season and all the others. Our bad. But just don't expect it again, because to the Power 5 conferences and Notre Dame, you're a nuisance. Your welcome. 🏈
This coming from a BYU grad... Was BYU the best team in the country that year? No. Did BYU deserve the national title? Yes. This is a great explanation of what happened that year. It was the perfect storm of just the right number of teams ahead of them losing each week followed by the bowl results. Missing though is that quite a few other teams in the top 10--that could've beaten BYU--werent tied to a bowl and chose the bigger money. Bottom line: don't trash BYU's title if you won't play em yourself.
I enjoyed reading all the comments. Of course if s college other then BYU felt they were number 1 maybe they should have taken the opportunity and played them.
@@kimhorner2276 this is exactly why anyone who says Oklahoma or Washington should've been the champ has an invalid argument. They could've played BYU, but opted for a bigger payout than a chance at dethroning the only undefeated team.
For starters, this channel deserve more subs. I’m loving the college football history lessons. Now, this sounds like 2007 kinda season before 2007 with all the changes with the #1 and #2 ranking
Thank you for watching! Yes this is kinda like 2007 but ill be covering another year on par with 2007 coming up soon and ill alert you to that. Also please share this and get me more subs 🙏 thanks again
A random/interesting fact, my college head coach was on the coaching staff of this BYU team, his name is Dennis Miller, he coached linebackers and wide receivers, he ended up being the first head coach for my college in 1999, and he ended up retiring after the 2019 season (my junior year). He wasn’t the greatest play caller but he was a really good dude
NO. BYU beat a Michigan team that had already lost five games that season.... And in their bowl game to win the national championship... No BYU was not the best team in 1984
@@johnmanning4097 You cannot say BYU wasn't the best team without saying which team WAS the best team. The only other eligible team with less than two losses was Washington and they elected not to go to the Holiday Bowl. Furthermore, BYU and Washington actually DID play each other the next year in the 3rd game of the 1985 season and BYU shellacked them, 31-3. True, different year and different teams, but that game gives the lie to the notion that BYU was somehow not in the same league as the top teams in the nation.
Despite what the naysayers said then and continue to say now, BYU really was the best team in the country in 1984. Who else could it have been? Every eligible team in the country had at least two losses except Washington, and Washington didn't even win their conference. The next year 1985, BYU and Washington actually played each other in the third game of the season, and BYU routed them 31-3. Different year and different teams, but it gives the lie to the notion that BYU wasn't in their league. Any team in the top ten could have gone to the Holiday Bowl to play BYU. They elected to take the money rather than a chance at the national championship. They can live with the consequences. BYU was a quality team with an innovative offense that had shellacked the competition for years. They had won 66 games over the previous 6 seasons and had won 24 games in a row by the end of 1984. Their coaching staffs in that era included Mike Holmgren, Norm Chow, and Andy Reid (yes, that Andy Reid). Several players from the 1984 team went on to play in the NFL. They really were the best team in the country that year.
@@WrongedSports there are are now as many old SWC scbools in the modern Big 12 as Big 8 schools now. When UT and OU go and UH arrives there will be more SWC schools.
Only one minor correction…Steve Young was the BYU QB in 1983, not Jim McMahon’s last year at BYU was 1981, the year he led the greatest comeback in CFB history to beat SMU in the holiday bowl on a Hail Mary pass as time expired after having been down 20 points with four minutes remaining. Steve Young started for the cougars in ‘82-‘83. Bosco replaced Young in ‘84. Very accurate video otherwise. Washing rolled into Provo in the first home game in 1985 and summarily kicked BYU’s butts.
This was compelling all the way through, I really enjoyed this. College football is something I only have about 20 years of experience watching (BCS and CFP era), so to see how games used to have massive repercussions if they didn't have a convincing win, didn't win their conference, a low scoring win; all that seems to be forgotten nowadays (*cough OSU*). Great stuff from start to finish. Thanks for taking all the effort to answer a simple question I had when I was looking at College Football National Champions on Google and was like, "Wait, BYU has a National title? How did that happen?" And you answered my question perfectly.
Thank you so much for watching. Really appreciate the nice words. It takes me a while to do videos like these and I had the same question when I first started watching college football about BYU.
Washington should've tried to play in the holiday bowl. Since they didn't win the Pac 10 and weren't obligated to any bowl. I guess they assumed a win over Oklahoma would look better ? And being a west coast team it would've been a sellout. Can you imagine #1 vs #4 in the holiday bowl! The Bowl committee really dropped the ball that year . Missing out on the holiday bowl hosting the national championship game.
Thank you for this nostalgic look at the last great season in college football. There never will be another as teams from the SEC, or MAYBE another Big 5 team, will win every National Championship. The playoff system ruined the excitement of college football. Fortunately, we lived in Utah from 1983 to 1985 when all this was going on.
Air Force was a loss to BYU away from almost having a chance to do it the following year. But your right how the playoffs ruined everything. Just like the ncaa tried to warn us it would all those years we bitched playoffs!
The playoffs were implemented to ensure that only schools from the SEC and Big 10 (occasionally others) will win. They never wanted a BYU to win again.
@@christopherfoote4643 I am not criticizing you (except for the "caffeine" remark and I apologize for that), nor the information you present. You just present so much of it that I cannot grasp the point you are making. I have read your responses multiple times, what I THINK you are implying is: Brigham Young University should NOT have been crowned National Champions for the 1984 season. Am I correct? Please let me know because I am interested. Thanks.
I remember 1984 very well. It was such a crazy year. The Orange Bowl was hyped up as the Bowl for #1. There were so many upset college football fans when the final poll was published. Quite a few people wanted either Washington or Nebraska at #1, but as you said, you do not win the Pac-10 or Big 8, you cannot be the overall champion. Heck! I still remember some college football exports stating that BYU's season was on par with Cal State Fullerton's 12-0 (Pacific Coast Athletic Association) season.
Yeah if you watch the Orange Bowl the announcers make it seem like this game is for #1 and when the game ends it feels that way. But thank you so much for watching, im having more videos out this month.
@@WrongedSports Just wanted to say Thanks for the Wronged Sports 1 - SW Louisiana (USL) Men's Basketball Death Penalty video. I grew up in that area and I truly appreciate your take on Beryl Shipley.
@@tedharrington5432 wow thank you so much for watching the SW LA video. That was my first video for the channel and one ill have to redo cause I did read Shipley's book
I'm obviously biased, but I think by the end of the year the Gators were the best team in the country. I don't think this BYU team was even as good as the BYU teams from the years before with Jim McMahon and Steve Young. Back then it seemed like being undefeated meant more than strength of schedule.
Thanks for watching as always. Yes the Gators were awesome this year, that first ever undefeated SEC year and they beat Syracuse which beat Nebraska a top team this year. But if it wasn't for probation Florida would be in the Sugar Bowl and probably get some votes from BYU
@@WrongedSports I know that we won the New York Times computer poll that year when that used to be a thing because I have an old fan from 1984 that says "Gators 1984 New York Times National Champions". Kinda grasping at straws if you ask me, but still fun to discuss these seasons years later. I can't wait for your next one.
Florida was without a doubt the best team in the country in 1984. In fact the 1984 Gators won the SEC on the field and were recognized as National Champions by the New York Times, The Sagarin Ratings and The Sporting News.
The playoff at 12 teams might make it a little easier for non Power 5s to make it. But they would still have to win 3 or 4 games to win the national title
Washington doesn't get nearly enough heat for ducking BYU. Since they didn't win the Pac-12, they could have played BYU in the Holiday Bowl. They tried to have their cake and eat it too by playing in the Orange Bowl, and it cost them. The amount of money they would have made from a national title (which I think they would have gotten if they had played and beaten the No. 1 team) over the last 35+ years certainly would have been worth more than the difference in bowl payouts from 1984. Penny wise and pound foolish.
I mentioned in the video how the Holiday Bowl tried to get a better opponent but nobody wanted to play in a bowl game that paid 5 to 10 times less than the Orange or a bigger bowl game. It sucks but shows that college football has been all about money for decades. But thanks for watching I really appreciate it
Amen. UW did get their asses kicked the next year in 1985 by BYU in Provo. Not many people know about just how good byu was in the 1980’s. They were dominant and beat lots of top 10 P5 teams. It didn’t just happen out of nowhere.
E X A C T L Y!! I've always said that. They were the top available team not tied to a bowl, and probably good enough to beat BYU. But they went for the big money and it left them with no right to complain. 'Course it didn't hurt that BYU punked em the next year in a blowout...
This season irks me and most others who enjoy the sport from a historical perspective. Even in the early 90s, skeptics of conference championship games would point to the folly of '84 and BYU's gifted title as a warning of what would happen when conferences added a title game via the split division format. 1. Barry Switzer called Washington the National Champions in his Orange Bowl post game interview and I agree with him. Don James's Huskies should have been awarded the title. 2. The Great Charley Pell and Florida were absolutely screwed by the NCAA this season. The Gators were the absolute best team in the country in 1984 as Pell had assembled a true juggernaut after going 0-11 in his debut season of 1979. He and Florida never got a chance to show what they were truly capable of as the NCAA waited until mere days prior to their opener against Miami to hammer them with sanctions and ultimately forcing UF admin to begin discussing the conditions of Pell's termination. That '84 Florida team was one of the decade's best. Sadly, Pell never got another opportunity in coaching but what he assembled at Florida allowed his successor, Galen Hall, to dominate the conference for several more seasons.
Mostly good analysis. A few mistakes. Most notably Michigan had many players that had been injured get healthy for the bowl game. This makes it sound like only backups. They had a lot of good players and it showed the following year. Also, overcoming five turnovers is a very big deal
@@christopherfoote4643 and being hurt wouldn't contribute to turnovers? Again, even injured, the coaches put him in to finish the game. Blaine was ok, but not as good
@@christopherfoote4643 there were actually six, but the differential was five. At least one of them was a pick when the receiver couldn't pull it in and bosco got strip sacked once. So you think Fowler was better? Haha, take that up with the coaches and team, not me. The people that know and had it on the line went with a hobbled (and according to you, turnover prone) Heisman finalist and not the backup. (I say according to you because yes, he threw picks, but most byu QBs did because it was the original pass heavy attack. Apparently his upside outweighed the picks because he had an amazing record in his two years and racked up enough stats that he was in the national picture individually)
Too bad Washington and Oklahoma turned down an offer to play byu for more money and then UW got their asses kicked the next year by BYU. People are so clueless about how good BYU was in the 1980’s. It didn’t just happen out of nowhere.
If BYU had not lost to Washington in their 3rd game it would have been very interesting to see how the Bowl Alliance, which was the group that scheduled the national title game that year, gotten around not picking them over Florida or Florida State. Even the coaches poll didn't give them any credit as they were ranked 5th and were never gonna be able to jump Arizona State or Ohio State. Thanks for watching tho
You clearly didn't watch it all the way through, I mention them a couple of times towards the end. And the reason why I didn't talk about them much 11:24
@@curtismartin2866 BYU beat Pitt. Your team couldn't do that during the time of this season haha. Really couldn't beat any team from Pittsburgh, lost the impromptu national championship game against Penn State too.