College Football’s Worst Preseason No. 1's Ever
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Oh, but, hey, it looks good on you, Georgia!
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5. University of Pittsburgh, 1982
Finished: 9–3 (AP No. 10)
Pitt enjoyed its greatest success ever under coach Jackie Sherrill, finishing 11–1 in each of the previous three seasons. Still, there evidently wasn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that, after he fled for Texas A&M to become the highest paid coach ever, Pitt and its senior QB Dan Marino wouldn’t miss a five-step drop. Out went Sherrill, in stepped the legendary Serafino “Foge” Fazio…right into the steaming pile of Pitt’s first three-loss season in four years. AP voters are worse than values voters.
4. Penn State, 1997
Finished: 9–3 (AP No. 16)
For a team boasting football’s second all-time winningest coach, the Nits sure have had trouble commanding respect under Joe Paterno. They have two national titles, but also finished undefeated four other times without as much as a cake fart of title consideration. So being tabbed No. 1 heading into 1997—a first in the school’s history—was special…for the three teams that beat them by a combined 76–28. Penn State is the only preseason No. 1 in the last quarter century to lose more than two games. The previous one? Right this way…
3. Auburn, 1984
Finished: 9–4 (AP No. 14)
Under coach Doug Barfield, the Tigers shambled to a 29–25–1 mark, their worst span in 30 years. Enter: the legendary Pat Dye, who, in just his third season, led AU to an 11–1 mark and an SEC championship. So, with Bo Jackson a Heisman candidate and Auburn the national favorite the following preseason, what did the fickle fingers of fate do? It poked Dye right in the eye, with back-to-back losses to open the season, the most L's by a preseason No. 1 since 1964, and a finish in the Liberty Bowl, the Khloe Kardashian of the college postseason.
2. University of Mississippi, 1964
Finished: 5–5–1 (unranked)
When you think of the words “football power” (or the words “employable workforce,” for that matter), Ole Miss isn’t the first school that comes to mind. But the Rebels do have to their credit six SEC Championships, the last of which convinced pollsters that this was their year. And if Mississippi had only fought its schedule as hard as it fought segregation, it would have been. The Rebs won back-to-back games just once, beat just two conference opponents, and lost to arch rival Mississippi State, which finished 4–6.
1. Notre Dame, 1950
Finished: 4–4–1 (unranked)
No preseason No. 1 has ever finished with a losing record, but damned if the Fighting Irish didn’t try. ND won the national championship just a year earlier, so its ranking in college football’s first-ever preseason poll was hardly unjustifiable. Nope, there would be no blaming pollsters this time—the Irish played just two teams that finished with winning records, and they still couldn’t break .500. To be fair, a contract dispute kept Jesus out of the first half of the season.
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