1986 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Penn State winning the national championship. Coached by Joe Paterno, they defeated Miami (Fl) 14–10 in the Fiesta Bowl. This Fiesta Bowl was the first in the game's history to decide the national championship, launching it into the top tier of bowls.

1986 NCAA Division I-A season
Number of teams105[1]
Preseason AP No. 1Oklahoma[2]
Post-season
Bowl games18
Heisman TrophyVinny Testaverde (quarterback, Miami (FL))
Champion(s)Penn State
Division I-A football seasons
 1985
1987 

Miami came into the game No. 1 and Penn State No. 2. In a move that would come to symbolize the game for years to come, Miami arrived wearing combat fatigues while Penn State arrived wearing suits and ties.

Despite all the hype surrounding Miami, Penn State's defense harassed and harried Heisman trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throughout the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes committed seven turnovers, including five interceptions thrown by Testaverde – the last of which, in the end zone with 18 seconds left, won the game for the Nittany Lions.

Conference and program changes

School1985 Conference1986 Conference
Northern Illinois HuskiesMACI-A Independent
Tulsa Golden HurricaneMissouri ValleyI-A Independent
Wichita State ShockersMissouri ValleyI-A Independent

Rule changes

  • Kickoffs are moved from the 40-yard line to the 35-yard line, mirroring a change made in 1974 by the NFL, and receivers may not line up closer than 10 yards from the spot of the kickoff.
  • The definition of "Roughing the passer" is expanded to prohibit throwing passers to the ground after the ball is released.
  • The definition of a "catch" is clarified to require players maintain control of a ball when returning to the ground, and an incomplete pass will be called if there is doubt in the official's mind that the catch was made.
  • The penalty for batting loose balls forward in the field of play or anywhere in the end zone now includes loss of down.
  • Clipping that occurs behind the scrimmage line will be enforced from the previous spot.
  • The loss of down penalty for ineligible man downfield penalties is removed.

Conference standings

1986 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 17 Clemson $ 5 1 1  8 2 2
NC State 5 2 0  8 3 1
North Carolina 5 2 0  7 4 1
Georgia Tech 3 3 0  5 5 1
Maryland 2 3 1  5 5 1
Wake Forest 2 5 0  5 6 0
Duke 2 5 0  4 7 0
Virginia 2 5 0  3 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Big Eight Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 3 Oklahoma $ 7 0 0  11 1 0
Colorado 6 1 0  6 6 0
No. 5 Nebraska 5 2 0  10 2 0
Oklahoma State 4 3 0  6 5 0
Iowa State 3 4 0  6 5 0
Missouri 2 5 0  3 8 0
Kansas State 1 6 0  2 9 0
Kansas 0 7 0  3 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 8 Michigan + 7 1 0  11 2 0
No. 7 Ohio State + 7 1 0  10 3 0
No. 16 Iowa 5 3 0  9 3 0
Minnesota 5 3 0  6 6 0
Michigan State 4 4 0  6 5 0
Indiana 3 5 0  6 6 0
Illinois 3 5 0  4 7 0
Northwestern 2 6 0  4 7 0
Purdue 2 6 0  3 8 0
Wisconsin 2 6 0  3 9 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
Miami $ 6 2 0  8 4 0
Toledo 5 3 0  7 4 0
Bowling Green 5 3 0  5 6 0
Kent State 5 3 0  5 6 0
Ball State 4 4 0  6 5 0
Eastern Michigan 4 4 0  6 5 0
Central Michigan 4 4 0  5 5 0
Western Michigan 3 5 0  3 8 0
Ohio 0 8 0  1 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
1986 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
San Jose State $ 7 0 0  10 2 0
Fresno State 6 1 0  9 2 0
Long Beach State 4 3 0  6 5 0
UNLV 3 4 0  6 5 0
Utah State 3 4 0  3 8 0
Pacific (CA) 2 5 0  4 7 0
Cal State Fullerton 2 5 0  3 9 0
New Mexico State 1 6 0  1 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
1986 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 Arizona State $ 5 1 1  10 1 1
No. 14 UCLA 5 2 1  8 3 1
No. 18 Washington 5 2 1  8 3 1
No. 11 Arizona 5 3 0  9 3 0
Stanford 5 3 0  8 4 0
USC 5 3 0  7 5 0
Oregon 3 5 0  5 6 0
Washington State 2 6 1  3 7 1
California 2 7 0  2 9 0
Oregon State 1 6 0  3 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 10 LSU $ 5 1 0  9 3 0
No. 6 Auburn 4 2 0  10 2 0
No. 9 Alabama 4 2 0  10 3 0
Georgia 4 2 0  8 4 0
Ole Miss 4 2 0  8 3 1
Tennessee 3 3 0  7 5 0
Mississippi State 2 4 0  6 5 0
Kentucky 2 4 0  5 5 1
Florida 2 4 0  6 5 0
Vanderbilt 0 6 0  1 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 13 Texas A&M $ 7 1 0  9 3 0
No. 15 Arkansas 6 2 0  9 3 0
No. 12 Baylor 6 2 0  9 3 0
Texas Tech 5 3 0  7 5 0
SMU 5 3 0  6 5 0
Texas 4 4 0  5 6 0
Rice 2 6 0  4 7 0
TCU 1 7 0  3 8 0
Houston 0 8 0  1 10 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1986 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
San Diego State $ 7 1 0  8 4 0
BYU 6 2 0  8 5 0
Air Force 5 2 0  6 5 0
Hawaii 4 4 0  7 5 0
Colorado State 4 4 0  6 5 0
Wyoming 4 4 0  6 6 0
New Mexico 2 5 0  4 8 0
UTEP 2 6 0  4 8 0
Utah 1 7 0  2 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
1986 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 1 Penn State        12 0 0
No. 2 Miami (FL)        11 1 0
No. 20 Virginia Tech        9 2 1
No. 19 Boston College        9 3 0
Tulsa        7 4 0
Florida State        7 4 1
Army        6 5 0
Southwestern Louisiana        6 5 0
Southern Miss        6 5 0
Temple        6 5 0
Pittsburgh        5 5 1
Rutgers        5 5 1
Cincinnati        5 6 0
Notre Dame        5 6 0
Syracuse        5 6 0
South Carolina        3 6 2
Tulane        4 7 0
West Virginia        4 7 0
Louisville        3 8 0
Navy        3 8 0
Wichita State        3 8 0
East Carolina        2 9 0
Northern Illinois        2 9 0
Memphis State        1 10 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Key matchups and upsets

Oklahoma and Michigan began the season at No. 1 and No. 2. A 28–16 defeat of Oklahoma by Miami on September 27 pushed the Hurricanes into the No. 1 ranking and ultimately proved the spoiler for the Sooners, who finished the 1986 season ranked first in all four major defensive statistical categories – a feat not to be duplicated until 2012, by Alabama. The Crimson Tide moved into the number 2 spot following the Sooners' loss. Probably the strongest case for Penn State was a defeat of the well-regarded, then-No. 2 ranked Alabama squad by a score of 23–3, at Tuscaloosa on October 26.[3] This pushed Penn State into the number two spot. Otherwise, both Miami and Penn State had a number of teams on their schedule that were not strong opponents.[4] Michigan defeated Iowa in a rematch of the previous season's No. 1 vs No. 2 game. Three games later, Michigan was number 2 and undefeated after Penn State fell in the rankings following a 17–15 close win to Maryland.

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst threw five interceptions in a 21–21 tie with Washington State[5] ASU's 16–9 win over the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl stadium on October 4 would later prove to be the deciding game in the conference. The Sun Devils beat both USC and UCLA in Los Angeles, the first Pacific-10 conference team to do so. The Sun Devils defeated outgoing coach Joe Kapp's California Golden Bears team 49–0. Kapp had unzipped his pants in front of the Seattle media following an embarrassing 50–18 loss against Washington on October 4.[5] The win over Cal, combined with the UCLA loss to Stanford, enabled the Sun Devils to clinch the Rose Bowl Berth on November 8.[5] The early clinching of the Rose Bowl bid for Arizona State began a scramble for all the Bowl games to confirm teams before the bids were to be extended on November 22.

The Michigan Wolverines football team began the season ranked number 2 in the nation. A No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup the previous season between Iowa and Michigan had decided the race for the 1986 Rose Bowl; in the 1986 rematch, the Wolverines defeated Iowa 20–17. Minnesota, a 25–point underdog to number two ranked Michigan, was regarded as being likely to provide an easy victory for the Wolverines in the November 15 game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor;[6] the Gophers had not defeated the Wolverines since 1977. With two minutes to go, Michigan scored a touchdown to tie the game at 17. On the ensuing Minnesota possession, quarterback Rickey Foggie scrambled to put Chip Lohmiller in field goal position; Lohmiller connected for a 20–17 Gophers victory.[6] The Gophers took home the Little Brown Jug from Michigan for the first time since 1962. The Wolverines fell to No. 6 and then faced arch rival Ohio State for the right to play in the Rose Bowl. Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan Victory over Ohio State. "We don't care where we play the game", said the senior quarterback early in the week. "I hate to say it, but we could play it in the parking lot. We could play the game at 12 noon or midnight. We're going to be jacked up."[7] The Wolverines won 26–24.

No. 1 and No. 2 Progress

WEEKS No. 1 No. 2 Event
PRE Oklahoma Michigan Miami 23, Florida 15 Sep 6
1-3 Oklahoma Miami Miami 28, Oklahoma 16 Sep 27
4-7 Miami Alabama Penn State 23, Alabama 3 Oct 25
8-9 Miami Penn State Penn State 17, Maryland 15 Nov 8
10 Miami Michigan Minnesota 20, Michigan 17 Nov 15
11-13 Miami Penn State Penn State 14, Miami 10 Jan 2

Notable rivalry games

Arkansas' victory over Texas was the Razorbacks' first win in Austin since 1966.

Bowl games

With Arizona State having clinched the Rose Bowl berth on November 8, and the Fiesta Bowl and Citrus Bowl scrambling to bid for the No. 1 Miami (Florida) vs. No. 2 Penn State Game, the Cotton Bowl struck an agreement to take the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game.[7] All the bowl games attempted to line up participants before the official bids were extended on November 22. The Sugar Bowl agreed to take the loser of the Oklahoma-Nebraska game to match the SEC winner, and the Orange Bowl agreed to take the second place SWC team to match the Big 8 winner. The Citrus Bowl, which moved to January 1, got a second place SEC team in Auburn, and, what they hoped would be a good matchup, in 7–2 USC. The Trojans would lose to UCLA and Notre Dame after they were invited.

Other bowls

Polls

Final AP Poll

  1. Penn State
  2. Miami (FL)
  3. Oklahoma
  4. Arizona State
  5. Nebraska
  6. Auburn
  7. Ohio State
  8. Michigan
  9. Alabama
  10. LSU
  11. Arizona
  12. Baylor
  13. Texas A&M
  14. UCLA
  15. Arkansas
  16. Iowa
  17. Clemson
  18. Washington
  19. Boston College
  20. Virginia Tech

Final Coaches Poll

  1. Penn State
  2. Miami (FL)
  3. Oklahoma
  4. Nebraska
  5. Arizona St.
  6. Ohio St.
  7. Michigan
  8. Auburn
  9. Alabama
  10. Arizona
  11. LSU
  12. Texas A&M
  13. Baylor
  14. UCLA
  15. Iowa
  16. Arkansas
  17. Washington
  18. Boston College
  19. Clemson
  20. Florida St.

Awards

Heisman Trophy

  1. Winner: Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl), Sr. QB
  2. Paul Palmer, Temple, Sr. TB
  3. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan, Sr. QB
  4. Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma, Sr. LB
  5. Gordie Lockbaum, Holy Cross, Jr. TB

Other major awards

  • Maxwell (Player):Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • Camp (Back): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • O'Brein Award (QB): Vinny Testaverde, Miami (Fl)
  • Rockne (Lineman): N/A
  • Lombardi (Defensive Front Seven): Cornelius Bennett, Alabama
  • Butkus (Linebacker): Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
  • Outland (Interior): Jason Buck, BYU
  • Coach of the Year: Joe Paterno, Penn State

References

  1. "1986 NCAA Division IA Football Power Ratings". Jhowell.net. 1999-05-11. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  2. "1986 Preseason Football Polls - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings". College Poll Archive. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  3. Looney, Douglas S. – A Midseason Run For Respect. Penn State made believers out of 'Bama and gave two minor bowls major hopes for New Year's Day. Sports Illustrated, November 3, 1986.
  4. Reilly, Rick – It Only Hurts For A Little While. Just ask Cincinnati or any number of other college football have-nots who, week after week, are willing to serve as fodder for powerhouses like Miami and Penn State, most of whom have discovered that a prerequisite for a trip to the top of the polls—and into a major bowl game—is a cream-puff schedule. Sports Illustrated, November 24, 1986
  5. Reilly, Rick – Coming Out Of The Desert Darkness With The Sun Devils. Sports Illustrated, November 17, 1986
  6. Neff, Craig – Bo Tries On A Tie, Gets A Boot. Sports Illustrated, November 24, 1986
  7. Hersch, Hank – Short On Style, But Plenty Long On Substance. Sports Illustrated, December 1, 1986
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