Photo Credit: Kenneth Bailey
Being an undefeated team after a full season would usually ensure
security as one of four teams in the College Football Playoff or 1 vs 2 in the
old BCS National Championship Game (1998-2014).
Since 1998, 13 teams have finished the regular season
undefeated and failed to make it into the national title game. NOTE: The 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes finished
12-0, but were ineligible for a bowl game to due NCAA sanctions.
Here are the previous 12 teams’ regular season records and
bowl results:
1998 Tulane Green Wave,
11-0 regular season
W vs BYU at the
Liberty Bowl, 41-27
1999 Marshall
Thundering Herd, 12-0 regular season
W vs BYU at the Motor
City Bowl, 21-3
2004 Utah Utes, 11-0
regular season
W vs Pittsburgh at the
Fiesta Bowl, 35-7
2004 Auburn Tigers,
12-0 regular season
W vs Virginia Tech at
the Sugar Bowl, 16-13
2004 Boise State
Broncos, 11-0 regular season
L vs Louisville at the
Liberty Bowl, 44-40
2006 Boise State
Broncos, 12-0 regular season
W vs Oklahoma at the
Fiesta Bowl, 43-42
2007 Hawaii Rainbow
Warriors, 12-0 regular season
L vs Georgia at the
Sugar Bowl, 41-10
2008 Boise State
Broncos, 12-0 regular season
L vs TCU at the
Poinsettia Bowl, 17-16
2009 Boise State
Broncos, 13-0 regular season
W vs TCU at the Fiesta
Bowl, 17-10
2009 Cincinnati
Bearcats, 12-0 regular season
L vs Florida at the
Sugar Bowl, 51-24
2009 TCU Horned Frogs,
12-0 regular season
L vs TCU at the Fiesta
Bowl, 17-10
2010 TCU Horned Frogs,
12-0 regular season
W vs Wisconsin at the
Rose Bowl, 21-19
Enter the 2016 Western Michigan Broncos and their 13-0 regular season
mark:
In a 29-23 win over the Ohio Bobcats in Friday night’s
Mid-American Conference championship game in front of a record 45, 615 fans in Detroit, the Western Michigan
Broncos became the 13th team since 1998 to not get a shot to play in
the College Football Playoff/BCS National Championship.
Despite being ranked at No. 17, the Broncos proved their value
from the get-go with two turnovers in as many as Bobcats possessions to begin
the game.
The turnovers helped set the tone early for WMU, but Ohio’s
defense answered the challenge as three field goal makes from Butch Hampton
(42, 27, 21) would be the points WMU mustered in the first half.
With Ohio struggling to muster any movement on offense, Greg
Windham would be inserted in place of Quinton Maxwell and the dividends paid
off on the first play with a 67-yard bomb to Papi White, which set up an eight-yard
touchdown reception to Jordan Reid to quiet the pro-WMU crowd.
Similar to most of its wins this season, Western’s speed and
depth showed and the next drive proved to be the case as star receiver Corey
Davis turned the car into drag racing mode with a 70-yard reception down the
sidelines to put WMU back up by nine.
As the Broncos appeared to have the game in a cruise control
with an additional touchdown to end the first half, the start of the second
half saw a slight downshift as Terrell threw an interception to Ohio’s Brad Ellis and
took it to the WMU five-yard line. One play later, Windham found the connection with Reid
once more for a five-yard TD to pull to within 10 after missing the extra point.
Hampton’s 33-yard field goal make kept WMU ahead by 13 until
Windham responded on the next drive with a 31-yard touchdown reception to White
as Ohio continued to rub close enough at 26-20 with 2:14 left in the third
quarter.
A three and out by the Western Michigan defense in the early
stages of the fourth quarter could not be capitalized as Terrell overthrew his
receiver and Kylan Nelson capitalized with the INT to give Ohio a prime shot at
conquering the undefeated streak of Western.
After a red-zone threat from WMU’s defense managed a stop
and forced Ohio to a 37-yard field goal with 7:14 left in regulation.
Western Michigan’s Robert Spillane came up with the
game-winning interception with 51 seconds left to save the undefeated regular season.
Spillane also began the season with an INT in a 21-20 win at Northwestern and
felt like everything came full circle.
“It's
only fitting that Robert Spillane strips the ball at Northwestern to make us 1‑0,” Fleck said. “At the
goal line he rips the ball lose, and Robert Spillane ends the story, ends the
book of the regular season with a pick. Only fitting.”
From 1-11 three seasons ago, to the likely Group of Five
representative in the Cotton Bowl, Fleck will go right back on the recruiting
trail immediately.
“We've
just come such a long way,” Fleck said. “Again, it's for our community. It's
for the '66 team, it's for the '88 team, '16 team, past Broncos,
current Broncos, future Broncos. It's an historic day in Western
Michigan's history and we deserve to be in the gosh‑darn Cotton Bowl,
period. Write it down.”
Fleck knows the work is done in the regular season,
but will the College Football Playoff committee take note? Sunday afternoon
will provide the ultimate answer.
Social Media:
Follow Geno Green on Twitter @TheGenoGreen.
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