Phil C
10-02-2010, 07:41 PM
Most recently Nebraska is credited with a great 5 year run of 1993 to 1997 when they went through a 60-3-0 record and two National Champions in College Football (NCs). But Michigan went through an incredible record of 55-1-1 from 1901 to 1905 which included three NCs, one co NC and one NC narrowly lost by 2 points to the NC winner. The 55 games won during this period is a big reason why Michigan still has the most all time wins in college football.
Remember though this is the early 1900s. The auto industry had not got going and airplanes were just invented. The main mode of travel for football teams were trains. It wasn't unusual for teams to schedule Non. 1A schools due to time and distance and some of them were good such as Ohio State and Michigan State who became great Division 1A powers. Scoring was done by tds and field goals (by drop kicks) which each counted 5 points and conversions were one point (Defense couldn't score on conversions) and safeties two points. Also the passing game was not used yet to there were no endzones and when a player crossed the goal line that ended. Some teams even schduled high school teams. No OT on ties. At that tiem powerful teams besides Michigan were the University of Chicago, Minnesota, , Wisconsin, Princeton, Harvard and Yale to name a few. The NCs were determined by the College Football Foundation from 1869 to 1935 (and I think some were determined retroactively). The Associated Press took over in 1936.
From 1901 to 1905 Michigan won an increible 55 games and had only one tie.
1901: Michigan has a great 11-0 season and outscores there opponents 550- 0 with their closes game being a 21-0 win over Ohio State. This team plays in the first bowl game ever on 1/1/02 as they beat Stanford 49-0 in the Rose Bowl. They are voted NCs.
1902: Michigan wins the NC again with a great reocrd of 11-0. They out score the opponents by 644-12 but there are a couple of close games with a 6-0 win over Wisconsin and a 23-6 win over powerful MInnesota. Also they beat a 14-1 Chicago team by 21-0.
1903: Michigan has an 11-0-1 record. They out score the opponents 565-6 with the only blemish being a 6-6 tie with Minnesota who would finish the season at 14-0-1. The tie is the first blemish after 29 straight wins. The are awarded a co NC with Princeton who has a great 11-0 season who also beat a great 11-1 Yale team 11-6. I think they gave the edge to Michigan over Minnesota because MInnesota had played a softer schedule that included 3 high school teams. It is too bad Michigan and Minnesota couldn't have had OT them to settle that game with the winner playing Princeton in a bowl game. Wouldn't that have been great?
1904; MIchigan again has a great 10-0 season and outscores their opponent 567-22. They are awarded the NC outright. Their closest game is the last game of the season as they beat powerful Chicago (10-1-10) by 22-12.
1905: Another great season as they have a 12-1-0 season but they don't get the NC as they lost the last game of the season. They beat Nebraska (9-2) 31-0, Ohio State 40- 0 and Wisconsin (8-2) 12-0. But the last game they lost to the NC winner 0 - 2 in Chicago to Chicago who had an 11-0 record. Evidently Chicago had a safety for the margin of victory which were the only points given up by Michigan that year and thier only loss after 56 straight games with only a tie blemishing their 1903 season.
INCREDIBLE INDEED!
Remember though this is the early 1900s. The auto industry had not got going and airplanes were just invented. The main mode of travel for football teams were trains. It wasn't unusual for teams to schedule Non. 1A schools due to time and distance and some of them were good such as Ohio State and Michigan State who became great Division 1A powers. Scoring was done by tds and field goals (by drop kicks) which each counted 5 points and conversions were one point (Defense couldn't score on conversions) and safeties two points. Also the passing game was not used yet to there were no endzones and when a player crossed the goal line that ended. Some teams even schduled high school teams. No OT on ties. At that tiem powerful teams besides Michigan were the University of Chicago, Minnesota, , Wisconsin, Princeton, Harvard and Yale to name a few. The NCs were determined by the College Football Foundation from 1869 to 1935 (and I think some were determined retroactively). The Associated Press took over in 1936.
From 1901 to 1905 Michigan won an increible 55 games and had only one tie.
1901: Michigan has a great 11-0 season and outscores there opponents 550- 0 with their closes game being a 21-0 win over Ohio State. This team plays in the first bowl game ever on 1/1/02 as they beat Stanford 49-0 in the Rose Bowl. They are voted NCs.
1902: Michigan wins the NC again with a great reocrd of 11-0. They out score the opponents by 644-12 but there are a couple of close games with a 6-0 win over Wisconsin and a 23-6 win over powerful MInnesota. Also they beat a 14-1 Chicago team by 21-0.
1903: Michigan has an 11-0-1 record. They out score the opponents 565-6 with the only blemish being a 6-6 tie with Minnesota who would finish the season at 14-0-1. The tie is the first blemish after 29 straight wins. The are awarded a co NC with Princeton who has a great 11-0 season who also beat a great 11-1 Yale team 11-6. I think they gave the edge to Michigan over Minnesota because MInnesota had played a softer schedule that included 3 high school teams. It is too bad Michigan and Minnesota couldn't have had OT them to settle that game with the winner playing Princeton in a bowl game. Wouldn't that have been great?
1904; MIchigan again has a great 10-0 season and outscores their opponent 567-22. They are awarded the NC outright. Their closest game is the last game of the season as they beat powerful Chicago (10-1-10) by 22-12.
1905: Another great season as they have a 12-1-0 season but they don't get the NC as they lost the last game of the season. They beat Nebraska (9-2) 31-0, Ohio State 40- 0 and Wisconsin (8-2) 12-0. But the last game they lost to the NC winner 0 - 2 in Chicago to Chicago who had an 11-0 record. Evidently Chicago had a safety for the margin of victory which were the only points given up by Michigan that year and thier only loss after 56 straight games with only a tie blemishing their 1903 season.
INCREDIBLE INDEED!