Rubber Match--Tied at 8 AP National Titles each

Bama1985

1st Team
Jan 18, 2006
794
126
62
61
Calhoun County
Heard Rodney Orr on TV tonight talking about Notre Dame and Alabama being tied for first with 8 AP National Titles each and this game would be the Rubber Match. Has he been reading material from this site?
 

Bruce014

1st Team
Aug 29, 2012
752
82
52
Alabama
I really don't know why 1941 is recognized. But 1945 is not recognized because of WWII. Army won the NC that year and even though Alabama went 10-0 and dominated USC in the Rose Bowl, we weren't going to dispute a title with the Army right out of WWII.
The 1941 team stayed together following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and then played one of the few other teams who had not disbanded, Texas A&M.

Many of the men from both schools were sworn into active duty during halftime of that Cotton Bowl game.

Alabama completely dominated Texas A&M on the field, and I believe Coach Thomas put in our second and third string after building a pretty hefty lead, 29-7, or something like that.

There were only three or four bowl games, and a lot of the conference champions had disbanded, so the remaining teams moved up in the pecking order.

At that time people here on the home-front had no earthly idea what was going to happen. For all they knew, that might have been the last football team UofA ever fielded.

The national championship was awarded during those very trying circumstances. I think that that is why the university chose to include that team among the other 13.
 

Bama1985

1st Team
Jan 18, 2006
794
126
62
61
Calhoun County
The 1941 team stayed together following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and then played one of the few other teams who had not disbanded, Texas A&M.

Many of the men from both schools were sworn into active duty during halftime of that Cotton Bowl game.

Alabama completely dominated Texas A&M on the field, and I believe Coach Thomas put in our second and third string after building a pretty hefty lead, 29-7, or something like that.

There were only three or four bowl games, and a lot of the conference champions had disbanded, so the remaining teams moved up in the pecking order.

At that time people here on the home-front had no earthly idea what was going to happen. For all they knew, that might have been the last football team UofA ever fielded.

The national championship was awarded during those very trying circumstances. I think that that is why the university chose to include that team among the other 13.
Thanks for sharing this story.
 

domeronaroll

BamaNation Citizen
Dec 17, 2005
46
0
0
63
Most Notre Dame fans have great respect for Alabama football. If you ask Notre Dame fans what, if anything, they dislike about Alabama football, the majority will answer the claim of a championship in 1973.

The 1973 title was decided by a head-to-head game on the gridiron between two undefeated teams. All other title claim arguments over the years are just arguments.
 
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TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,528
39,619
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
Heard Rodney Orr on TV tonight talking about Notre Dame and Alabama being tied for first with 8 AP National Titles each and this game would be the Rubber Match. Has he been reading material from this site?
I don't doubt Rodney reads us from time to time, but he really doesn't have that much time left over. He's a long-time friend of mine and I've been a member - under the same username - since Tiderinsider was a free site...
 

crimsoncamaro

BamaNation Citizen
Nov 9, 2010
79
0
0
was watching espn the other nite and was talking about saban going after his fourth title compared to bear bryants six. bears 6, stallings 1 and sabans 2 at bama make 9, so espn says we have 9 in the modern era compared to notre dames 8.....just sayin...
 
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CRIMSON HAMMAH

Suspended
Dec 17, 2012
46
0
0
9th is in major polls includes UPI Coaches' of 1973...2 facedness is Rose Bowl is the "granddaddy of them all" then ignores the Champions of that era
 

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,213
29,373
287
Vinings, ga., usa
Most Notre Dame fans have great respect for Alabama football. If you ask Notre Dame fans what, if anything, they dislike about Alabama football, the majority will answer the claim of a championship in 1973.

The 1973 title was decided by a head-to-head game on the gridiron between two undefeated teams. All other title claim arguments over the years are just arguments.
tell you what we Bama fans will stop counting 1973 the same day you stop counting 1966.
 

mhiggy45

3rd Team
Sep 2, 2010
228
0
0
daytona bch
and '77. If they're belief is on the 'consensus' champions, and they claim they lead eleven to our ten, why is it that '30, '34, and '41 do not count for us ? what makes those titles non-consensus for us ???????
 

TiderJack

Hall of Fame
Jul 9, 2010
12,231
6,259
187
Inverness, AL
Most Notre Dame fans have great respect for Alabama football. If you ask Notre Dame fans what, if anything, they dislike about Alabama football, the majority will answer the claim of a championship in 1973.

The 1973 title was decided by a head-to-head game on the gridiron between two undefeated teams. All other title claim arguments over the years are just arguments.
It is not a claim. We were awarded the UPI National Championship which was always awarded prior to bowl games. We have a big trophy in our trophy case so please do not use the word "claim".
 

Quicksilver

1st Team
Mar 13, 2010
393
30
52
Ellicott City, MD
The only year I don't get is 1941. Every other year Alabama either won the Rose Bowl or was the #1 team in the Final AP or Coaches Poll. Rivals can crow all they want but it is not like Alabama decided when the polls held their final vote on declaring a champion. They thought Alabama was the best at the end of November and that was that.

I just don't understand 1941 though...seems like 1945 was a better season. Any Tide historian want to illuminate me on this?
The claim regarding 1941 is hard for Alabama to defend. The team was 9-2-0 that year. Minnesota is regarded by the rest of the world as the national champion for the 1941 season; they won the AP vote for #1 at 8-0. Alabama could justifiably swap in 1945, 1966, or 1977 (or all three of them for that matter). But 1941? Just strange (the Houlgate vote notwithstanding).
 

TrueGritnPluck

Suspended
Nov 21, 2011
1,658
0
0
I really don't know why 1941 is recognized. But 1945 is not recognized because of WWII. Army won the NC that year and even though Alabama went 10-0 and dominated USC in the Rose Bowl, we weren't going to dispute a title with the Army right out of WWII.
1945 was a 1941 substitute

Wayne Atcheson made the right call
 

TrueGritnPluck

Suspended
Nov 21, 2011
1,658
0
0
Notre Dame loves to use "Consensus" titles because they benefit from blatant and overt media bias (1966,1977, etc)

The same reason Oklahoma fans want to start in 1936 with the AP - because OU has NO history before that time
 

CRIMSON HAMMAH

Suspended
Dec 17, 2012
46
0
0
Bama beat the hell out of the #2 team in the bowl all others dnp or got beat ...1941 story - hot team at the end of season
 

mhiggy45

3rd Team
Sep 2, 2010
228
0
0
daytona bch
Another fact about '66 that not a lot of people mention, is that we were pre-season #1 and crushed everyone, I don't think we had a nail biter all year. how do you get jumped by two teams when you are winning all of them big ?
 

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,735
287
54
Another fact about '66 that not a lot of people mention, is that we were pre-season #1 and crushed everyone, I don't think we had a nail biter all year. how do you get jumped by two teams when you are winning all of them big ?
1) Yes, we were the pre-season number one.

2) We only beat the Vols, 11-10


Here's the REALLY funny part:

We were pre-season number one and dropped before we played on September 24. Michigan State moved above us. Then Michigan State DROPPED the week they beat Ohio State.

So to recap for everyone:

Alabama unbeaten - dropped first to 2 and then to 3
Michigan State unbeaten - dropped to 2
Notre Dame PLAYS FOR A TIE - and STAYS number one



(Are you kidding me?)


Any Irish fan who wants to talk about 1973 (when we DID get an ACTUAL championship) needs to present a coherent argument for the double standard of 1966. You did beat us on the field in 1973; you did NOT beat us on the field in 1966 when we were TWO-TIME defending champions.
 

Bama1985

1st Team
Jan 18, 2006
794
126
62
61
Calhoun County
Another fact about '66 that not a lot of people mention, is that we were pre-season #1 and crushed everyone, I don't think we had a nail biter all year. how do you get jumped by two teams when you are winning all of them big ?
Not sure how true this is but...
I have heard that many northern sports writers wanted to punish anything Alabama in 1966 due to the civil unrest in Alabama and the south in general. Alabama football was an easy target for the voters.
 

B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
45,499
46,842
187
1966 is among the seasons that many use as justification for calling pre-BCS college football championships "mythical". At least with the BCS system we have a real game for the championship, even if politics is involved in picking the two teams in that game. Before the BCS, we just had politics deciding championships. Play on the field had less to do with it than most care to remember.
 

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