This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/nointro-225 on 2024-09-20 16:46:15+00:00.
This weekend, Louisiana Tech will be honoring the 1974 team for the 50th anniversary of their national championship season. Seems normal enough, right? Well, if there are any Central Michigan fans reading this post, then they may be a bit confused. Tech ended up losing in the semifinals to CMU 35-14, and yet here we are honoring the team. So, what’s going on? In researching the season, I decided to look into Tech’s supposed 3-peat of claimed national titles, in what is referred to as the Golden Age of Tech football. Should we claim all three? Should we not claim any? I’ll let you decide.
1972: Before the NCAA had a Division I, 2, and 3; they had a “University” and “College” division. The College Division was the lower division at the time, where Tech found itself in 1972. The division had its own poll through the AP (10 Teams) and UPI (20 Teams), usually referred to as the Small College Poll.
The Bulldogs were coming off a successful 9-2 season that included the Southland Conference title as well as the Midwest championship in the Pioneer Bowl (more on the regions later) and were looking to continue that success. Tech began the season at #3 in the AP poll and #6 in the UPI, and slowly found themselves continuing to win. By Week 3, the Bulldogs were ranked #2 and held that spot to season’s end. Following a 35-14 win over UT-Arlington, they had the #1 ranking in the AP Poll for several weeks before moving back down in Week 7. So, who was #1 then? That would be Delaware. The Blue Hens began the season #1 in both polls and held that ranking the entire season, ending up undefeated at 10-0. The Bulldogs ended their regular season at 11-0 with another Southland Conference title and were invited to play in the Grantland Rice Bowl, which served as the Mideast regional championship.
While Division II today has a postseason playoff to determine a champion, the College Division worked a little differently. From 1964 to 1972, there were only 4 bowl games, each serving as a regional championship. These bowls had no bearing on the final rankings, however, as the final polls were released before bowl season. As such, Delaware was named as the official national champion by both polls. However, while Delaware had played in (and won) the previous 4 East championship games, the team opted to not play in any bowl this year. If any Delaware fan knows about this decision, I would love to know more!
Tech went on to defeat #8 Tennessee Tech 35-0, capturing the Mideast championship. According to the school, the Bulldogs were awarded the National Football Foundation College Division National Championship, but I cannot find any evidence of this online. Personally, I think that Tech has a fair claim to the title with an undefeated season, I would just love to see proof of this National Football Foundation title.
1973: By 1973, the NCAA reorganized its divisions. The University Division became Division 1, while the College Division split into the more recognizable Divisions 2 and 3. With this name change, the division also saw a postseason change. Gone were the days of regional bowls, Division 2 now had a legitimate postseason playoff to determine one true champion.
Tech, a member of this new division, likely had a chip on their shoulder from the previous season. While the Bulldogs were 1-1 by the time of the first polls (starting the season with a 21-19 loss at Eastern Michigan), they climbed all the way up to #3 in both the AP and UPI. They ended the regular season with a 10-1 record, their third straight Southland Conference title, and a bid to the Division 2 playoff.
Tech snuck by in the first round and semifinals, beating Western Illinois and Boise State by 5 and 4 points respectively, and earned a spot in the championship game. The other side of the bracket had Grambling defeating Delaware in the first round (big thanks to our North Louisiana brothers for avenging the previous season!) before losing to Western Kentucky in the semifinals. The Hilltoppers held the #2 ranking going into the playoffs, and surely would prove to be a formidable matchup for the Bulldogs…
Louisiana Tech wins 34-0 in the Camellia Bowl, claiming the first-ever Division 2 national championship. Ruston was the home of champions. Surely this is undisputed, right? Well, Tech finished #2 in the AP postseason poll… right under 10-0 Tennessee State. How? The Tigers had 5 redshirt senior starters, and according to rules at the time, they would not be eligible for postseason play. Because of the ruling, Tennessee State sat out of the playoffs. In the final AP poll, TSU earned 708 total points compared to Tech’s 706, although the Bulldogs recorded more #1 votes (21 to 17). Both teams claim a championship for 1973, which is more of a legit claim?
1974: Surely Tech can have an undisputed title at some point, right? The Bulldogs started off the 1974 season trying to earn that achievement. By week 2 they sat atop both polls and rode that spot all the way to the end of the regular season. By the time of the playoffs, Tech was 10-0, the Southland Conference champion (four-peat!), and looking for their second playoff title. They started out on the right foot, defeating Western Carolina 10-7 in the first round. This set up a semifinal matchup with Central Michigan. The winner goes to the championship, the loser is done for the season. 11-0 Bulldogs vs 10-1 Chippewas.
It wasn’t even close. Central Michigan defeated Tech 35-14 in the Pioneer Bowl, and went on to destroy Delaware in the same fashion, 54-14. The Chippewas finished the season 12-1, ranked #1 in the AP Poll, and were Division 2 national champions. But what about the UPI Poll?
The UPI published its final poll at the conclusion of the regular season, and didn’t take playoff performances into account. Louisiana Tech held that #1 ranking at the end of the season (as well as in the final AP Poll of the regular season). Going through the Wayback Machine, I’ve found articles from the 2000s when the school was honoring the team for their 30th anniversary. The article referred to them as earning the #1 ranking in the final poll, with no mention of a national championship. In recent years, this has changed into claiming the UPI national championship, which in my opinion isn’t a real thing.
Looking into these 3 seasons, I believe that Tech sort of has a claim to 1972, a valid claim in 1973, but should not claim 1974. I say this as a neutral party, but as a fan, I 100% claim the three-peat! I would like to hear the opinions of actual neutral people, as all 3 seasons definitely have an asterisk next to their name.