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1991 CU football

I've read several threads in this forum about how Tom Osborne didn't vote for CU in '91 to be NC. Curious if anybody had any links or other information. I don't remember CU football from the time period. I did several hours worth of looking on the web and couldn't find anything (doesn't mean it don't exist) just curious?:smile:
 
I've read several threads in this forum about how Tom Osborne didn't vote for CU in '91 to be NC. Curious if anybody had any links or other information. I don't remember CU football from the time period. I did several hours worth of looking on the web and couldn't find anything (doesn't mean it don't exist) just curious?:smile:

you've crept over here too?

oh boy! :wow::wink2:
 
I have always heard that Osborne voted us #4 and Georgia Tech #1, saying "Georgia Tech was the best team we played this year." The word was that Tom desperately did not want upstart Bil McCartney to win an NC before he did. Thanks for the conference solidaity, jerk.

And remember - NU had just come off a big loss to Ga-Tech in the Tangerine (?) in yet another of what was then their annual Osborne-bowl-choke.
 
I have always heard that Osborne voted us #4 and Georgia Tech #1, saying "Georgia Tech was the best team we played this year." The word was that Tom desperately did not want upstart Bil McCartney to win an NC before he did. Thanks for the conference solidaity, jerk.

And remember - NU had just come off a big loss to Ga-Tech in the Tangerine (?) in yet another of what was then their annual Osborne-bowl-choke.

Citrus Bowl.
 
I have always heard that Osborne voted us #4 and Georgia Tech #1, saying "Georgia Tech was the best team we played this year." The word was that Tom desperately did not want upstart Bil McCartney to win an NC before he did. Thanks for the conference solidaity, jerk.

And remember - NU had just come off a big loss to Ga-Tech in the Tangerine (?) in yet another of what was then their annual Osborne-bowl-choke.

Didn't McCartney win it the year before?
 
The only way that Osborne could have knowingly had an effect on the outcome was if he were the last voter and knew how everyone else had voted. GT won the UPI poll that year by one point over CU, 847 to 846. There were 59 coaches polled that year, and a first place vote received 15 points, second place received 14 points, and so on. From the article I read the teams were tied after 56 of the 59 votes had been tallied so the winner wasn't known until the final three votes came in. Obviously if you do the math it would have taken a lot of 2nd place votes from other coaches to even make it this close. I don't know how Osborne voted but I do know that he alone didn't have the power to create such a close vote.
 
The only way that Osborne could have knowingly had an effect on the outcome was if he were the last voter and knew how everyone else had voted. GT won the UPI poll that year by one point over CU, 847 to 846. There were 59 coaches polled that year, and a first place vote received 15 points, second place received 14 points, and so on. From the article I read the teams were tied after 56 of the 59 votes had been tallied so the winner wasn't known until the final three votes came in. Obviously if you do the math it would have taken a lot of 2nd place votes from other coaches to even make it this close. I don't know how Osborne voted but I do know that he alone didn't have the power to create such a close vote.

That's somewhat true, but Osborne could have done everything in his power to tilt things in favor of Georgia Tech in that poll.

At the end of that season, I can guarantee you that each of the coaches had Georgia Tech at number 1 or 2 and Colorado occupying the other of those spots. If Osborne really felt that Georgia Tech was the better team than Colorado, he was more than welcome to vote Colorado second in perfectly good conscience. But for him to vote CU 4th??? That just reeks of shiesty activity.
 
That's somewhat true, but Osborne could have done everything in his power to tilt things in favor of Georgia Tech in that poll.

At the end of that season, I can guarantee you that each of the coaches had Georgia Tech at number 1 or 2 and Colorado occupying the other of those spots. If Osborne really felt that Georgia Tech was the better team than Colorado, he was more than welcome to vote Colorado second in perfectly good conscience. But for him to vote CU 4th??? That just reeks of shiesty activity.

How do you know he voted him 4th? Whats your source on this?
 
I was going off of this post, that's all.

I have always heard that Osborne voted us #4 and Georgia Tech #1, saying "Georgia Tech was the best team we played this year." The word was that Tom desperately did not want upstart Bil McCartney to win an NC before he did. Thanks for the conference solidaity, jerk.

And remember - NU had just come off a big loss to Ga-Tech in the Tangerine (?) in yet another of what was then their annual Osborne-bowl-choke.
 
Like I said I have no idea what he voted. It would be interesting to see how the UPI and AP had voted in split NC years.
 
The only way that Osborne could have knowingly had an effect on the outcome was if he were the last voter and knew how everyone else had voted.
That doesn't make any sense, son. His vote counts the same - whether he votes first or last. And the 1-point difference proves that, had he voted for co-Big 8 school Colorado - even voted them THIRD - we would've swept the polls.

Didn't McCartney win it the year before?
The '1991' in the thead title refers to JANUARY '91 ... at the end of the 1990 season.
 
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I do know that he alone didn't have the power to create such a close vote.
Well, no, nobody said he did. All that's been said here, and something I've heard for 16 years now, is that Tom voted GaTech #1, and CU #4. I believe the UPI votes were made public back then too (although the rumor always used to be that half or more of the coaches never voted themselves, but instead the SIDs filled out the ballots).

This vote was pre-Internet, but if somebody got really ambitious, we could probably find out the truth. Perhaps a letter to the Nebraska SID - written from a state other than Colorado - claiming research for a college paper - asking for all the final coach's ballots for a stretch of years, maybe 82-96 - and promising anonymity - might do the trick :wink2:
 
Osbourne openly stating his opinions on TV and possibly conversing with countless others who may have had pending votes wouldn't have any effect?
 
That doesn't make any sense, son. His vote counts the same - whether he votes first or last. And the 1-point difference proves that, had he voted for co-Big 8 school Colorado - even voted them THIRD - we would've swept the polls.


The '1991' in the thead title refers to JANUARY '91 ... at the end of the 1990 season.

Obviously his vote counts but everything I've heard is placing the blame solely on TO for CU not sweeping both polls. What about all the other coaches who did not vote CU No.1 is the point I was making. Even if TO did not vote CU first apparently a lot of other coaches did not either. Why single out TO as the lone reason? Also assuming he voted you fourth, if he had voted you third as you stated the UPI poll would have been tied.
 
Obviously his vote counts but everything I've heard is placing the blame solely on TO for CU not sweeping both polls. What about all the other coaches who did not vote CU No.1 is the point I was making. Even if TO did not vote CU first apparently a lot of other coaches did not either. Why single out TO as the lone reason? Also assuming he voted you fourth, if he had voted you third as you stated the UPI poll would have been tied.

Yes, and if he had voted us first or second (as every other coach did that year) the championship would have been unanimous. There would have been no greater reason in voting us third than there was in voting us fourth.
 
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