Dave Feit's Historical 12-Team College Football Playoffs: The Devaney Era

In his 11 seasons as Nebraska's head coach, his teams would have made the hypothetical playoffs seven times.

Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney on the sidelines during the 1972 Orange Bowl game against Alabama. The Huskers defeated the Crimson Tide 38-6 to win the national championship. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Welcome back to the Historical College Football Playoff, where we look at what previous seasons would have looked like if the 12-team CFP had been in existence since the creation of the AP poll in 1936. 

For more information on the series, and a look at Nebraska's first hypothetical playoff teams, click here. 

In 1962, Nebraska hired Bob Devaney from Wyoming to take over the downtrodden program.  In his first season, Devaney went 9-2, including Nebraska's first bowl game win in the Gotham Bowl.

One additional caveat for the 1960s:  Between 1962 and 1967, the AP poll ranked only ten teams.  For those years, the UPI coaches poll was used to round out the field.

1963 

Nebraska:  9-1-0 (records are regular season only), First place in the Big Eight 

Conference champion automatic qualifiers (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season) 

• #1 Texas (Southwest Conference) 
• #3 Illinois (Big Ten) 
• #6 Nebraska (Big Eight) 
• #7 Mississippi (Southeastern Conference) 
• #13 Arizona State (Western Athletic Conference) 

At-large teams (and their AP ranking at the end of the regular season) 

• #2 Navy
• #4 Pittsburgh
• #5 Auburn 
• #8 Alabama 
• #9 Michigan State
• #10 Oklahoma 
• #11 Mississippi State 

First two out 

• #12 Syracuse 
• #14 Memphis State 

The 1963 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

As the third-highest ranked conference champion, AP #6 Nebraska jumps up to the 3 seed, where the Huskers would face the winner of Mississippi State at Pittsburgh.  Assuming NU won, the Huskers would move on to face Big Ten champion Illinois, Oklahoma (who NU beat 29-20), or Auburn (who NU beat in the 1964 Orange Bowl 13-7). 

Team that won the National Championship:  Texas

1964 

Nebraska:  9-1-0, First place in the Big Eight 

Conference champion automatic qualifiers 

• #1 Alabama (SEC) 
• #2 Arkansas (Southwest)
• #4 Michigan (Big Ten)
• #6 Nebraska (Big Eight)
• #8 Oregon State (Pacific 8) 

  At-large teams 

• #3 Notre Dame
• #5 Texas
• #7 LSU
• #9 Ohio State
• #10 USC
• #11 Florida State
• #12 Syracuse 

  First three out 

• #13 Princeton
• #14(tied) Penn State
• #14(tied) Utah 

The 1964 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

Syracuse was on the wrong side of the bubble in 1963 but makes the field in 1964.  Their reward?  A trip to South Bend to play Notre Dame, with the winner to face Nebraska.  The Huskers lost 10-7 to Arkansas in the 1965 Cotton Bowl.

Team that won the National Championship:  For most of the 1960s, the AP crowned its champion before the bowl games, meaning that Alabama is recognized as the AP (and UPI coaches) champion despite losing to Texas in the Orange Bowl.  Arkansas claims the 1964 national championship as well.

1965 

Nebraska:  10-0-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers  

• #1 Michigan State (Big Ten)
• #2 Arkansas (Southwest)
• #3 Nebraska (Big Eight) 
• #4 Alabama (SEC)
• #5 UCLA (Pacific 8) 

At-large teams 

• #6 Missouri 
• #7 Tennessee 
• #8 USC 
• #9 Notre Dame 
• #10 Texas Tech 
• #11 Ohio State 
• #12 Florida 

  First two out 

• #13 Purdue 
• #14 LSU 

The 1965 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

This is the first historical bracket where the seedings matched the final regular season poll.  The Huskers earned a first-round bye as the 3 seed and await the winner of Ohio State at Missouri.  The Huskers beat Mizzou 16-14 in Columbia earlier that season. 

Team that won the National Championship:  Michigan State entered the bowls ranked #1 in the AP and coaches polls but lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl.  The AP - testing an innovative strategy of waiting until after the polls to crown a champion - picked Alabama, who beat Nebraska (and their all-white uniforms) 39-28.  The UPI coaches title was decided before the bowl games and went to Michigan State. 

1966 

Nebraska:  9-1-0, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers  

• #2 Michigan State (Big Ten) 
• #3 Alabama (SEC) 
• #6 Nebraska (Big Eight) 
• #10 SMU (Southwest) 
• #15 Wyoming (Western Athletic Conference) 

At-large teams 

• #1 Notre Dame 
• #4 Georgia 
• #5 UCLA 
• #7 Purdue 
• #8 Georgia Tech 
• #9 Miami 
• #11 Florida 

  First two out 

• #12 Mississippi 
• #13 Arkansas 

The 1966 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

1966 was a crazy year in college football.  Unranked, three-loss USC was sent to the Rose Bowl as the de facto champion of the Pacific 8, by a vote of the league's athletic directors over a UCLA team that beat USC head-to-head.  That left the door open for #15 Wyoming to sneak in as the fifth conference champion, leaving Ole Miss on the outside looking in. 

Florida and Georgia reprise their rivalry in Athens, with the winner to face Nebraska.  The Bulldogs won the first meeting, but Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier might lead the Gators to victory.  Alabama, (who beat the Huskers 34-7 in the Sugar Bowl) would likely await the winner. 

Team that won the National Championship:  Notre Dame was #1 in the final AP and UPI polls, conducted prior to the bowls.  The Irish and #2 Michigan State played to a 10-10 tie in November, and neither team played in a bowl game.    Since no polls were done after the bowls, Notre Dame was the champion. 

1969 

Nebraska:  8-2-0, Tied with Missouri for first place in the Big Eight but lost the head-to-head game with the Tigers. 

After two down years in 1967 and '68, the 1969 Huskers were back in championship contention, thanks in part to new offensive coordinator Tom Osborne.  NU had just two losses, both against teams that ended up in the final regular season top 10:  a 31-21 loss to #5 USC in the opener and a 17-7 at #7 Missouri.  

Despite their 2-2 start, the Huskers bounced back to finish the regular season 8-2 and tied with MIizzou for the Big Eight title.  Nebraska had a résumé that stacked up well against at-large teams like Michigan and UCLA, but at #14 in the last poll, the Huskers would have missed the playoffs. 

Nebraska would miss the playoffs just three more times in the next 30 years.

Team that won the National Championship:  Texas 

1970 

Nebraska:  10-0-1, First place in the Big Eight

Conference champion automatic qualifiers  

• #1 Texas (Southwest) 
• #2 Ohio State (Big Ten) 
• #3 Nebraska (Big Eight) 
• #4 Tennessee (SEC) 
• #8 Arizona State (WAC) 

At-large teams 

• #5 LSU 
• #6 Notre Dame 
• #7 Michigan 
• #9 Arkansas 
• #10 Auburn 
• #11 Air Force 
• #12 Stanford 

First two out 

• #13 Georgia Tech 
• #14 Dartmouth 

The 1970 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

Three seed Nebraska would face the winner of Air Force at Notre Dame, along with a possible Ohio State-Michigan rematch in the quarterfinals.  I'm interested in the 5-vs.-12 game between Stanford (who beat #2 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl) and LSU, who lost 17-12 to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. 

Team that won the National Championship:  The UPI coaches poll still named its champion before the bowls, and Texas was #1 in that poll.  But the Longhorns lost to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, opening the door for #2 Ohio State…who lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl.  No. 3 Nebraska seized the opportunity and won the program's first national championship. 

1971 

Nebraska:  12-0-0, First place in the Big Eight 

Conference champion automatic qualifiers  

• #1 Nebraska (Big Eight)
• #2 Alabama (SEC)
• #4 Michigan (Big Ten)
• #8 Arizona State (WAC)
• #12 Texas (Southwest) 

  At-large teams 

• #3 Oklahoma 
• #5 Auburn 
• #6 Georgia 
• #7 Colorado 
• #9 Tennessee 
• #10 Penn State 
• #11 LSU 

First two out 

• #13 Notre Dame 
• #14 Toledo 

The 1971 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

Did #14 Toledo (a perfect 11-0) deserve to get in over 9-2 Tennessee or 8-3 LSU?  Did SEC bias exist 50+ years ago?  Maybe, but we’re getting off topic.

This is the first time Nebraska earned the #1 seed.  The Huskers would face the winner of Tennessee at Colorado.  Nebraska beat (then) #9 Colorado 31-7 in late October.  In the 1972 Orange Bowl, the Huskers blew out Alabama 38-6. 

Team that won the National Championship:  The 1971 Cornhuskers are still considered one of the greatest teams in college football history.  They easily won the national championship for the second straight year. 

1972 

Nebraska:  8-2-1, First place in the Big Eight (due to an Oklahoma forfeit) 

Conference champion automatic qualifiers  

• #1 USC (Pacific 8)
• #3 Ohio State (Big Ten)
• #4 Alabama (SEC)
• #7 Texas (Southwest)
• #9 Nebraska (Big Eight) 

  At-large teams 

• #2 Oklahoma 
• #5 Penn State 
• #6 Auburn 
• #8 Michigan 
• #10 LSU 
• #11 Tennessee 
• #12 Notre Dame 

  First two out 

• #13 Colorado 
• #14 UCLA 

The 1972 bracket / Dave Feit, HuskerMax

Nebraska's quest for three-peat hit some close-game bumps, including a three-point loss to Oklahoma.  But the Big Eight ruled that OU had used ineligible players which forced them to forfeit three games.  This gave Nebraska the automatic entry for winning the conference. 

Nebraska - led by Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers and Rich Glover (winner of the Outland and Lombardi Trophies) - would have to go on the road to face 8 seed Michigan, with the winner playing the USC Trojans.  The 1972 Huskers destroyed Notre Dame 40-6 in the 1973 Orange Bowl. 

Team that won the National Championship:  USC. 

* * * 

The Orange Bowl blowout of Notre Dame was Bob Devaney's final game as Nebraska's head coach.  In his 11 seasons, he would have made the hypothetical playoffs seven times, an extremely high standard that would be hard to top.  Especially for somebody who had no head coaching experience. 

Next time, we'll see what Tom Osborne was able to do during the rest of the 1970s.

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