1973 Buckeyes

Zurp · #1 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 09:23 AM

I tried the search function, but it only came up with "Ray Charles dies at 73."

I've heard a few things about the 1973 team. They gave up only 43 points in 9 games before the Rose Bowl. They were 8-0 going to Ann Arbor to play 9-0 Michigan, who also had an awesome defense. They played to a 10-10 tie. Since both teams were undefeated, and neither team beat the other, it came down to a vote amongst conference Athletic Directors to decide which team should go to the Rose Bowl. From what I've heard, everyone expected Michigan to win the vote. Even Woody congratulated Bo for going to the Rose Bowl. But the vote was 6-4 in favor of Ohio State, and Bo's still bitter about it.

So here's the question: why was everyone expecting Michigan to win the vote? Why was it such a surprise that Ohio State won? I've heard that many people think the reason Ohio State won was because Michigan's QB got hurt in that game, and people felt Ohio State had a better chance to beat Stanford.

osugrad21 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 09:28 AM

Priceless.

NorthShoreBuck · #3 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 09:53 AM

ZURP

A very long time ago I was on an all star team and Bo spoke at our banquet.
The hurt QB, Dennis Franklin, was the reason he gave for them not being chosen, although he did not buy it.

He told a somewhat funny story of a walk on that fought to get a scholarship and got one that year, his last. The walk on was also hurt during the game and as they being taken to the locker room Bo said the walk on told him the back up QB would do fine in replacing Franklin but he did not know who was good enough to replace him.

SanAntonioBuck · #4 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 09:57 AM

I hope they rip down the GO BLOW banner this year! Great pic!

Jaxbuck · #5 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 10:21 AM

The only 2 things I have read/remember about that vote was

1) The hurt scUM QB was a major factor and

2) MSU was an important vote and sided with OSU out of sheer hate for scUM. This isn't lost on the rivalry for for those who remember iirc.

Her'es an unnamed source story I found online that touches on it better:

Quote:

POLL FAILURE IN 1973

Although I first created a computer-rating system for football in
1997, I actually had designed a very primitive mathematical
ranking system in 1974, at the age of 14. I had a little book
with all of the 1973 college football scores, no computer, no
calculator, and a lot of pro-Michigan bias. All of my math was
done by hand and my calculations were based on comparing scores
against common opponents. Back in 1973, there were few bowls and
the Rose Bowl contract required that the Big Ten and the Pac-8
could not allow any of their teams to be in any bowl, other than
to have their champions in the Rose Bowl. The regular season
climaxed with Ohio State meeting Michigan in Ann Arbor. Both
teams were undefeated and untied. The game finished as a 10-10
tie. The Big Ten’s tie breaking rules called for a vote by the
teams to decide who would go to the Rose Bowl. A 5-5 vote would
send Michigan to Pasadena, since OSU had been there more recently.
In a stunning move, Michigan State University voted in favor of
OSU. As both U-M and MSU are, in reality, owned by the taxpayers
of the State of Michigan, it was the equivalent of the government
asking the automotive divisions whether Ford or Chevy should get a
billion dollar contract and having Pontiac vote in favor of Ford,
over its GM brother. Before the game, OSU was ranked #1 in the
polls and U-M was #4. Afterwards, OSU became #4 and U-M dropped
to #6. I was outraged. How could this be? If Michigan was
expected to lose, but yet tied the best team, shouldn’t their
ranking improve?

Oh8ch · #6 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 10:29 AM

Here is how I remember it -

The Big Ten used to have a rule that you could not go to the Rose Bowl two years in a row - even if you were the outright champ. They had just changed that rule prior to 1973.

OSU had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before even though OSU and Michigan were tied for the championship that year as well. In 1973 the rule no longer prevented OSU from going twice in a row, but since the two teams were once again tied it certainly seemed fair that Michigan would get the nod. After all, the rule change was to prevent a legitimate champ from getting snubbed, not decide cases like this. But for the first time a vote was required to make the determinatin.

The Big Ten had been struggling in the Rose Bowl (4 straight losses) and the Big Ten wanted to send its best team. With the Michigan QB out for the game there was a legitimate case to be made that OSU would be the stronger representative - fair or not.

And of course we kicked USCs ass, proving the Big Ten had made a wise decision.

Zurp · #7 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 10:52 AM

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I'd heard theories for WHY teams chose Ohio State over Michigan. I was asking about why Michigan was expected to be chosen over Ohio State.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oh8ch

OSU had gone to the Rose Bowl the year before even though OSU and Michigan were tied for the championship that year as well. In 1973 the rule no longer prevented OSU from going twice in a row, but since the two teams were once again tied it certainly seemed fair that Michigan would get the nod. After all, the rule change was to prevent a legitimate champ from getting snubbed, not decide cases like this. But for the first time a vote was required to make the determinatin.

There's an answer. Thank you, Oh8ch.

BB73 · #8 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 10:57 AM

There were 2 other factors in that game and post-game decision worth mentioning.

1 - Corny Greene had a broken thumb, and tOSU completed zero passes that day. That's right, zero. For those that don't remember him, he was an option QB that also threw effectively. He won the 1975 Big-10 MVP in the same year Archie won his 2nd Heisman.

2 - tOSU was up 10-0, but scUM came back to tie the game. Their kicker, Lantry, missed 2 FG attempts in the last 2 minutes. scUM lovers stated that they had outplayed tOSU because they had chances to win the game at the end. tOSU supoprters said that we had the better team, got a tie on the road, and had a better chance of giving the Big-10 a Rose Bowl win (which was even more likely with Franklin's injury).

ScarletArrow · #9 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 11:06 AM

Didn't Robert Vare insinuate in his book that Woody basically sabotaged his team in this game by calling the same plays over and over again? I've heard this guy didn't care for Woody, so maybe it's just another hack's attempt to crack someone more successful than he is.

Oh8ch · #10 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Woody basically sabotaged his team in this game by calling the same plays over and over again?

He did that for 20-odd years. Don't know if I would call it sabotage.

NightmaresDad · #11 (**permalink**) 09-29-2005, 11:37 AM

Well, scUM totally sold out to stop the run and Woody didn't try to pass at all until their last possession, which almost ended in disaster as Greg Hare came in and threw an INT. So maybe Woody was right.
Corny Greene has always thought that if Woody had opened things up a bit in the 2nd half, that tOSU would have comfortably won the game.
I've never understood how scUM fans/coaches thought they should have gone instead of tOSU - they couldn't beat us on their home field, when our QB was injured. They seem to have the Gordon Gee mentality - maybe they think that game was one of their greatest victories?
Anyway, another tOSU team which should have been National Champs.