We told you the other day that from 1969 through 1972, USC and Nebraska replicated each other’s seasons in a four-year block. USC and Nebraska went unbeaten with one tie in 1969 and 1970 — the Trojans in ’69, the Huskers in ’70. Then both schools produced perfect seasons in the next two years. Nebraska was perfect (no losses or ties) in 1971, and USC achieved perfection in 1972.
As we contemplate the histories of these two proud football schools which will become Big Ten neighbors in 2024, it is worth noting that the 1971 Nebraska team and the 1972 USC team deserve to be in the conversation for the 10 best college football teams of all time. We’re not talking about number one, but the top 10.
Why do these teams deserve such consideration? Look at their final statements, their closing arguments, in their respective seasons of glory.
The 1972 Orange Bowl was a battle of No. 1 versus No. 2. Nebraska and Bob Devaney versus Alabama and Bear Bryant. It was a heavyweight collision in Miami, or at least, it was supposed to be.
Nebraska tore Bama to shreds, 38-6, in an epic beatdown. Rarely has a Bear Bryant team been humbled on that scale and on a stage that big.
One year later, No. 1 USC faced No. 3 Ohio State in a 1973 Rose Bowl with similarly massive pregame publicity and advance billing. It was supposed to be a clash of elites, a game in which two great teams traded haymakers for 60 minutes and created a memorable spectacle in Pasadena.
Only one team threw the punches.
USC destroyed Ohio State, 42-17, breezing through the Buckeyes as though they weren’t even there.
The way 1971 Nebraska and 1972 USC finished their perfect seasons is a central reason these teams were — and are — great on a larger scale. Both teams hold up well when measured against the other great squads from college football’s 154-year history.
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