Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9501040077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Joe Paterno was happy to see Tom Osborne win his first national title. However, neither coach was pleased with the system that determined the champion.
Osborne's Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-0) were the overwhelming choice as champions Tuesday in The Associated Press and USA Today-CNN coaches' polls. Penn State (12-0) finished second, marking the fourth time one of Paterno's teams has gone undefeated and failed to win a national championship.
Both coaches wished their teams could have met on the field.
``I'd love to play Nebraska, and I think they'd love to play us,'' Paterno said. ``I'm a competitor, and I love to be involved in big football games. It would be great for college football.''
Like Paterno, Osborne favors a playoff.
``I just wish the people in college football would come up with a system where, if we do have two undefeated teams, they could put them together,'' Osborne said.
Under the current system, that wasn't possible.
Nebraska, as the Big Eight Conference champion, was obligated to play in the Orange Bowl, where it beat Miami 24-17, and Big Ten Conference-winner Penn State was committed to the Rose Bowl, where it defeated Oregon 38-20.
So the decision was left to the voters, who saw no reason to remove Nebraska from the No.1 spot it held going into the bowls.
``We're honored to be the No.1 team,'' Osborne said. ``It was a privilege to work with a bunch of players committed to one goal.''
Paterno said Penn State and Nebraska both deserved to win the title.
``I feel very happy for Tom Osborne and a great Nebraska team, and I feel just as happy and pleased about my great football team,'' he said. ``The system is what it is, and we can live with it, but nobody's going to take away the fact that I have a national championship football team.''
His players weren't as diplomatic.
``I think it's a crime that it's decided by a bunch of sportswriters and not on the field,'' said fullback Brian Milne. ``I think in the near future there should be some way that if two undefeated teams end up the way we did, that there should be some way to resolve it.
``We accomplished all the goals we had to accomplish. The only goal we didn't accomplish wasn't in our control.''
A new bowl alliance next season will increase the chances of a 1-2 postseason game, but it wouldn't have produced a Nebraska-Penn State showdown because the Rose Bowl will continue to match the Big Ten and Pacific-10 champions.
Penn State's decision to join the Big Ten a few years ago may have cost the Lions a national title. If Penn State had remained an independent, it could have played Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.
``I think Joe Paterno and I both have been in this business long enough to realize life isn't always fair,'' Osborne said. ``There have been times when we didn't make it. I certainly have sympathy and understanding for where they are today.''
Nebraska received 511/2 first-place votes and 1,5391/2 points in the AP media poll, and Penn State (12-0) got 101/2 firsts and 1,4971/2 points. One voter made them co-No.1.
In the USA Today-CNN coaches' poll, Nebraska had a 54-8 advantage in first-place votes and a 1,542-1,496 margin in points.
``This is something I've dreamed about all my life, and it's been well worth the wait,'' said Terry Connealy, a Cornhuskers defensive tackle.
Nebraska won consecutive titles under Bob Devaney in 1970-71, but Osborne failed to win one in his first 21 seasons, despite having the best winning percentage among active coaches.
While Paterno won championships in 1982 and 1986, this year's team joins his 1968, 1969 and 1973 squads as undefeated and uncrowned.
Osborne knows what it's like to fall short of a national title. He twice brought undefeated teams to the Orange Bowl and lost - to Miami in 1984 and Florida State last year.
``The thing that stood out about this team was its resolve,'' Osborne said. ``There was a lot of commitment in the off-season and during the season to get back down to Miami and win it. I don't think I've ever been around a team so dedicated to that proposition.''
Nebraska overcame the loss of star quarterback Tommie Frazier for much of the season. Backup Brook Berringer was 7-0 as a starter while Frazier was sidelined with blood clots in his right leg. Both played in the Orange Bowl, but it was Frazier who led Nebraska's fourth-quarter comeback from an eight-point deficit.
``We had a lot of adversity this season, but we never stopped working hard and believing we could win,'' Osborne said.
Colorado (11-1) finished third in the AP poll after beating Notre Dame 41-24 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Florida State (10-1-1), which won the national title last year, was fourth after defeating Florida 23-17 in the Sugar Bowl. It is the eighth consecutive season the Seminoles have finished in the top four.
Alabama (12-1) was fifth, followed by Miami (10-2), Florida (10-2-1), Texas A&M (10-0-1), Auburn (9-1-1) and Utah (10-2).
Alabama beat Ohio State 24-17 in the Citrus Bowl, and Utah defeated Arizona 16-13 in the Freedom Bowl. Texas A&M and Auburn were barred from postseason play by NCAA probation.
Oregon was 11th, followed by Michigan, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Virginia, Colorado State, North Carolina State, Brigham Young, Kansas State, Arizona, Washington State, Tennessee, Boston College, Mississippi State and Texas.
by CNB