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This Date in College Football Belt History – September 2 »
Coach Tom Osborne brought his 10th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers to Birmingham to battle the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of coach Paul “Bear” Bryant to open the 1978 season.
This Date in College Football Belt History – September 1 »
The 17th ranked Florida Gators of coach Charley Pell traveled to Tampa to meet the 10th ranked, 1-0 Miami Hurricanes with coach Jimmy Johnson in their annual battle & this time the game included The Belt. Florida again had an array of stars including All-American OT Lomas Brown, All-SEC players C Phil Bromley, NG Tim Newton, & LB Alonzo Johnson. Miami scored 2 touchdowns in the final 0:41 to retain The Belt with a 32-20 win & claim the Seminole War Canoe.
This Date in College Football Belt History – August 31 »
The top-ranked Miami Hurricanes of coach Larry Coker welcomed the Division 1-AA Florida A&M Rattlers with coach Billy Joe to the Orange Bowl in the season opener for both teams. No Division 1-AA team had ever won The Belt & the defending National Champion Hurricanes had no intention of allowing the Rattlers to be the first. Miami scored 28 points in the 1st quarter on their way to a 63-17 win.
This Date in College Football Belt History – August 30 »
The 6th ranked Missouri Tigers with coach Gary Pinkel meet the 20th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini & coach Ron Zook at a neutral site in St. Louis. The teams combined for 94 points, the 4th highest scoring Belt game in history, with the Tigers holding on for a 52-42 win to retain The Belt.
This Date in College Football Belt History – August 27 »
The 5th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of coach Ray Perkins opened the season against the 9th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of coach Earle Bruce. Alabama’s All-SEC PK Van Tiffin hit 3 field goals & QB Mike Shula threw a touchdown pass to WR Albert Bell early in the 4th quarter as the Crimson Tide retained The Belt with a 16-10 win over the Buckeyes.
This Date in College Football Belt History – August 26 »
The 2nd ranked Florida State Seminoles of coach Bobby Bowden defended The Belt in Jacksonville at the Pigskin Classic against the Brigham Young Cougars with coach Lavell Edwards. The Seminoles’ defense was never challenged as they held the Cougars to a 42-yard field goal from All-MWC PK Owen Pochman.
This Date in College Football Belt History – January 4 »
January 4, 2006 – The top-ranked, 12-0 Southern Cal Trojans of coach Pete Carroll were attempting to become the first Belt holder to successfully defend The Belt in 2 consecutive BSC Championship games. While the Trojans dominated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl the previous season, this season’s opposition was a much more balanced offensive unit in the 2nd ranked, 12-0 Texas Longhorns of coach Mack Brown. All season, pundits had pointed to this game as “the” game that everyone wanted to see & amazingly it lived up to those expectations. The teams combined for 1130 offensive yards but Texas’ All-American QB Vince Young led his team from a 12-point deficit with just 6:42 to play for a 41-38 win to claim The Belt & the BCS National Championship ending the reign of the favored Belt holders at 25 games; the 2nd longest reign in Belt history.
This Date in College Football Belt History – January 1 »
January 1, 1985 – For the first time in Belt history, the Fiesta Bowl was the site of The Belt championship battle. Coach Terry Donahue & the 14th ranked UCLA Bruins at 8-3 met the 13th ranked, 8-4 Miami Hurricanes of coach Jimmy Johnson. Miami had held The Belt earlier in the season having defeated Auburn in the opener but lost the title at Michigan two weeks later. This game featured 7 lead changes as both teams apparently left their defenses at home. UCLA’s RB Gaston Green, making his first career start, ran for 144 yards with 2 touchdowns while QB Steve Bono threw for 2 touchdowns & All-Pac 10 PK John Lee kicked 3 field goals including a 22-yarder with 0:51 to play in a 39-37 UCLA win.
This Date in College Football Belt History – December 31 »
December 31, 1973 – Bear Bryant’s top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide came to the Sugar Bowl with an 11-0 record & the UPI National Championship in hand. Before 1974, the UPI Coaches’ poll was voted prior to the bowl games. The Crimson Tide’s defense featured All-SEC LB Woodrow Lowe & All-SEC DB Mike Washington while the offense had All-American OT Buddy Brown, QB Gary Rutledge, & QB Richard Todd. In the first meeting between these two storied programs, the 3rd ranked, 10-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish of coach Ara Parseghian were happy to defend The Belt to decide the true champion. The game featured six lead changes with a missed extra point by Alabama’s PK Bill Davis the difference in a 24-23 Notre Dame win.
This Date in College Football Belt History – December 30 »
December 30, 1981 – The Navy Midshipmen of coach George Welsh came to The Liberty Bowl with a 7-3-1 record having tied rival Army 3-3. The Ohio State Buckeyes of coach Earle Bruce were 8-3 & Big Ten Co-Champs having beaten rival Michigan 14-9. Navy’s RB Eddie Meyers rushed for 117 yards but his effort was not enough to overcome the Buckeyes’ balanced attack in a 31-28 Ohio State win.
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