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History question re: 80s/90s UM results

BoludoCane21

BoludoCane21

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mainly for Gen Xers (or those who were old enough to understand the context around the program in the 80s):

How is it that the program doesn't have more National Titles? I've gone back and seen most of the marquee games (and bowl games) of the 80s in full, but am missing context as to how more Nattys weren't racked up...

You could argue - not even counting the BCS debacle in 2000 and the bull**** with Taint in 02- that the program "should" have 3-4 more Titles.

Really would appreciate some color and a history lesson as my Canes memories start from '99 and onward...


1985: lose first game to Gaytors, run the table (including beating OU and curb-stomping ND), lose Sugar Bowl to Tenneessee. OU - who we beat - beats #1 Pedo State in Orange Bowl
- was Tennessee really a better team than us?
- how come Okie got the nod for the OB instead of us?

1986: run the table, lose the Fiesta Bowl to Pedo State

1987: Champs (unbeaten)

1988: only loss 30-31 in South Bend to the little irish people (they go on to win the natty)
- how did Fiesta Bowl draw #1 ND and #3 West Virginia instead of putting Miami there?

1989: Champs

1990: 2 losses at BYU (to open season), at ND
- were those 2 teams actually better than the Canes or did Miami shoot itself in the foot?
- we finished the season #3 FWIW

1991: Champs (unbeaten)

1992: run the table, lose Sugar Bowl to Alabama (Bama claims the natty)
- was that Bama team really better or did we **** the bed?

1994: one loss to UDub, lose OB to unbeaten Nebraska (champs)
- I know '95 Nebraska is often mentioned , but was their '94 team
- had the Canes won, would we have claimed natty? Pedo St was also unbeaten this season
 
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You’ve just discovered in large part why winning a natty is difficult. A lot of things have to go right to win it. More to your question though, there were no conference title games then, no playoffs, no BCS and only some structure as to who played in which bowl games (Rose Bowl was always the Big Ten winner vs Pac 10 winner, Orange Bowl was Big 8 champ vs at large, Sugar was SEC champ vs at large and so on). The system back then almost worked against crowning a champ on the field because if a #1 ranked team was in the Big 10 and #2 was in the SEC, they would not play each other. This sort of leant itself to popularity polls and co-national champs.
 
And yes alot of times we felt like we were the better team but shot ourselves in the chest ourselves. But I'd say most 1 or 2 loss teams probably say the same ****.

I think we say it truthfully with regard to both Fiesta bowls. Talked about ad nauseum. 1990 is real tricky bc at the end of the year, talent, the way we're playing, eye test, you could say we're the best team in the country but its not the NFL. We lost twice. ****ed around against BYU and against Notre Dame. We didnt deserve it bc of BYU.

But we did get ****ed and cheated against ND in 88

1992 and 2002 hurts the worst bc we we weren't prepared. Horrible match up for our weaknesses, their strengths. More so in 1992 with our own line and injuries and lack of recruiting depth on ol

But Alabama could say the same thing every year they didnt win it from whenever Saban got there till he retired
 
BoludoCane21 said:
mainly for Gen Xers (or those who were old enough to understand the context around the program in the 80s):

How is it that the program doesn't have more National Titles? I've gone back and seen most of the marquee games (and bowl games) of the 80s in full, but am missing context as to how more Nattys weren't racked up...

You could argue - not even counting the BCS debacle in 2000 and the bull**** with Taint in 02- that the program "should" have 3-4 more Titles.

Really would appreciate some color and a history lesson as my Canes memories start from '99 and onward...


1985: lose first game to Gaytors, run the table (including beating OU and curb-stomping ND), lose Sugar Bowl to Tenneessee. OU - who we beat - beats #1 Pedo State in Orange Bowl
- was Tennessee really a better team than us?
- how come Okie got the nod for the OB instead of us?

1986: run the table, lose the Fiesta Bowl to Pedo State

1987: Champs (unbeaten)

1988: only loss 30-31 in South Bend to the little irish people (they go on to win the natty)
- how did Fiesta Bowl draw #1 ND and #3 West Virginia instead of putting Miami there?

1989: Champs

1990: 2 losses at BYU (to open season), at ND
- were those 2 teams actually better than the Canes or did Miami shoot itself in the foot?
- we finished the season #3 FWIW

1991: Champs (unbeaten)

1992: run the table, lose Sugar Bowl to Alabama (Bama claims the natty)
- was that Bama team really better or did we **** the bed?

1994: one loss to UDub, lose OB to unbeaten Nebraska (champs)
- I know '95 Nebraska is often mentioned , but was their '94 team
- had the Canes won, would we have claimed natty? Pedo St was also unbeaten this season
Click to expand...
A lot of your questions are answered by it was pre-BCS. Most major bowls were locked into accepting the champion of certain conferences:

Orange - Big 8 (why OU hosted PSU at the OB in 1985)
Sugar - SEC
Rose Bowl - B1G vs PAC 10
Cotton Bowl - SWC

ACC and Big East did not have automatic tie-ins for their champions during that time.

Also, rematches were pretty much verboten during that time, so WVU got selected over Miami in 1988 by the Fiesta Bowl (plus they were undefeated).

1985 Tenn took Miami behind the woodshed so no problem with Miami missing out there.
1986, Miami, or should I say Testaverde, choked in a big way. That team was so dominant, but just laid an egg at the worst time
1988 - Highway robbery in South Bend. If calls could have been reviewed then, Miami wins the NC that year for sure.
1990 - 2 losses automatically knocked you out back then.
1992 - IMO Miami, in particular Torretta, were overrated that year. Kudos to the guy for winning the Heisman, but most of that was due to throwing the ball as high and deep as he could and Copeland, Thomas, or Williams winning those 50/50 balls for the most part.
1994 - PSU was undefeated so Miami would not have won the NC. However, since the B1G & PAC 10 had refused to join the Bowl Coalition at the time and had to play in the Rose Bowl, Miami got the game against Nebraska in the OB. Miami's best days were pretty much behind them at that point.
 
1985-Vinny gets into a motorcycle accident before the Bowl game. I tink he still played the entire game but he wasn’t his usual self. Also, the narrative at this point was still that Jimmy couldn’t win the big game, which leads us to 1986

1986-I believe Jimmy Johnson is one of the best football coaches at any level of the past 50 years. But he was not good on this day. UM was running all over Pedo State but Vinny kept throwing INT’s. Many of us wanted to literally abandon the passions game mid-way thru the 3rd quarter

1988-We were screwed over so many ways, but the great ***** job was the ND game. Cleveland Gary was either down by contact at the 1 yard line, or he scored because he reached out and the ground can’t cause the fumble. I don’t recall why we didn’t get another shot at the title, but I believe ND and WVU were undefeated and back then, if there were 2 undefeated teams, they were playing in the national championship/bowl game.
 
1986 Sugar Bowl. If Miami actually showed up and won by even a point, they are champs.
1987 Fiesta. I said it then I say now until they put me in the ground. Geoff Torretta should have started that game. If he does, Miami wins convincingly and gives the '01 team a run for greatest Miami(and overall) team ever?
1987 Orange Bowl. Champs
1988 season. Corrupt officiating ruins another championship opportunity. West Virginia, Major Harris or no Major Harris, loses by 10 or more.
1989. Champs.(Still no fan of Dennis Erickson)
1990 losses to average BYU and ND teams
1991 Champs(Yes still not fan of DE still)
1992 Good Miami team. As someone above mentioned, average QB who won the Heisman and Alabama exposed a putrid OL.
1994 Even if Miami wins vs Nebraska that scum program with a pedo coach wins the title.

So there were opportunities, some Miami lost on their own, and 1 lost via corrupt officiating. Would love to have a run like that again though but not likely to happen the way the game is now.
 
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AtlAtty said:
1985-Vinny gets into a motorcycle accident before the Bowl game. I tink he still played the entire game but he wasn’t his usual self. Also, the narrative at this point was still that Jimmy couldn’t win the big game, which leads us to 1986
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I'm almost positive the scooter accident was the next year, 1986 right before the last game of the season. He hadn't played since before Thanksgiving but Jimmy had him out there throwing 50 times. 6 INTs and we still lost on the last play of the game. Obviously the better team.

I think Jimmy said of that game that it was one of the most valuable lessons he ever learned in coaching. It was just said, but if we even put Christie Brinkley under center for that game to hand off 50+ times, we win going away.
 
AtlAtty said:
1985-Vinny gets into a motorcycle accident before the Bowl game. I tink he still played the entire game but he wasn’t his usual self. Also, the narrative at this point was still that Jimmy couldn’t win the big game, which leads us to 1986

1986-I believe Jimmy Johnson is one of the best football coaches at any level of the past 50 years. But he was not good on this day. UM was running all over Pedo State but Vinny kept throwing INT’s. Many of us wanted to literally abandon the passions game mid-way thru the 3rd quarter

1988-We were screwed over so many ways, but the great ***** job was the ND game. Cleveland Gary was either down by contact at the 1 yard line, or he scored because he reached out and the ground can’t cause the fumble. I don’t recall why we didn’t get another shot at the title, but I believe ND and WVU were undefeated and back then, if there were 2 undefeated teams, they were playing in the national championship/bowl game.
Click to expand...
The third option on the Gary non fumble was that the refs forgot down and distance. The refs never called fumble, they called turnover on downs, but forgot it wasn’t 4th and goal, it was something like 4th and 4 from the 6. So it should have been 1st and goal, as they even spotted the ball where his forward progress was, not where the ball was allegedly recovered.

I seem to recall the Fiesta Bowl offering ND big $$ for a rematch, but Lou, being the puzzy he was, declined, so they would play an overrated WVU team.
 
1992- We **** the bed. Torretta and Olson (OC) were completely unable to adjust to Bamas coverage scheme. Didn’t help when LT hot
dogged it down the sideline for a sure TD and was stripped of the ball by a slower player.

1994 - We were out of it for the NC by early in the game. We needed PSU to lose in the Rose Bowl.
Played for pride and had we had even a semblance of an OLine would have won.
 
Applecane said:
How many fans of college football teams have seen five national titles plus playing for 2-3 others? Us older folks, at least, have been blessed.
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By my count, Miami would have won the national title in its bowl game in the following years:

1983
1985
1986
1987
1989
1991
1992
2001
2002

Playing for the national title in 7 out of 10 years from 1983 - 1992 is just unbelievable. What a run!
 
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CaneinBroward said:
By my count, Miami would have won the national title in its bowl game in the following years:

1983
1985
1986
1987
1989
1991
1992
2001
2002

Playing for the national title in 7 out of 10 years from 1983 - 1992 is just unbelievable. What a run!
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See this is what modern day CFB fans don't (want or care to) understand. All you hear is how historic Alabama's run was but if people take the time to research, Miami's run was just as impressive, really more impressive given the NCAA playing dumb to Alabama's cheating.
 
caneULM said:
See this is what modern day CFB fans don't (want or care to) understand. All you hear is how historic Alabama's run was but if people take the time to research, Miami's run was just as impressive, really more impressive given the NCAA playing dumb to Alabama's cheating.
Click to expand...
Not just cheating, but luck, help from refs and a bullshiite rematch after LSU had already beat them.

Luck - Colt McCoy doesn’t get hurt in 1st qtr, Texas wins that game.

Refs- UGA got royally screwed by the refs in the Bama-UGA NC.

Bama has never once’s faced a bad ref call that cost them an NC. We’ve had two.
 
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