1935 Southern Methodist

The joys of having to do a story about a possible textbook scandal (emphasis on the word "possible," please), might have triggered something in my brain, which is really a shame because so few people know just how good SMU used to be.

The 1935 SMU-TCU game became known as the Game of the First Half of the Century, when the Mustangs came back from a 14-point deficit to win 20-14. With the victory, SMU was named national champion by more than one service and received an invitation to the Rose Bowl. Courtesy of Southern Methodist University.

1992 Alabama

Geez, it's hard to believe that the Third Saturday in October is already here, and the Tennessee-Alabama game is a morning game.

To me, that may be the strangest thing of the season, so far. That and nobody seems to care that Miami and Florida State play today too.

Speaking of the Hurricanes (nice transition, huh?), here David Palmer eludes Miami defenders during the 1993 Sugar Bowl as Alabama went on to win 34-13. The following year, “The Deuce” finished third in Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish ever by an Alabama player. Courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum.

1924 Notre ... I mean Vanderbilt

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday, something came up and distracted me. But I had planned to post this picture specifically, because on October 18, 1924, Grantland Rice penned the most famous passage in sports journalism: “Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden …

So where did Rice go to school? Vanderbilt.

Anyway, Notre Dame went 10-0 and outscored the opposition 285-57. Photo courtesy of the University of Notre Dame.

Another bonus shot

Ok, this one isn't as good, or nearly as controversial, but I took this at last year's game in Knoxville.

Even though some prominent people are suddenly showing up in Tuscaloosa for the Third Saturday in October, it doesn't feel like Tennessee week.

I mean, the game is on at 11:30 a.m. Very strange.

Anyway, the Vols are coming. Personally, I think it's going to be a heck of a game.

1916 Oregon

I kind of feel like the guy being chased in this photo after yesterday's bonus post, but, to steal the line Simeon Rice used at least three times a day when I covered him with the Arizona Cardinals, "It's all good."

In an effort to get as far away from the SEC as possible today, this is from the 1917 Rose Bowl. Even though Washington State defeated Brown 14-0 the year before, Oregon’s upset of Penn by the same score helped established West Coast football as suitable competition for the East Coast powers. Courtesy Tournament of Roses archives.

Bonus picture!

This really bad photo is taken from the key controversial play in the Alabama at Ole Miss game, which was the subject of my previous post (the overturn by replay officials). My apologies for the quality because it's taken off a TV from the crucial frame.

If you look closely, you can tell that Ole Miss receiver Shay Hodge touches the ball first, just before Alabama cornerback Lionel Mitchell. The reason why this is important is because Hodge had been out-of-bounds, thus ineligible to make a play on the ball until after it was touched by either an opponent or an official.

In short, the replay officials got it right.

If you look even closer, you can see a small horse and rider between a cheerleader's legs. That's actually a reflection of a lamp -- you aren't seeing things, unless the horse is moving. If so, you're on your own.

1965 Michigan State

I have to admit today that I don't get some of the reaction from Ole Miss after Saturday's loss.

Trut me, you should hear some of the phone message left for me at work. It's almost as if they want the rule to be changed or ignored because, well, because it didn't go their way.

In case you missed it, Alabama was up 27-24 when on fourth down, Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams chucked a long pass to receiver Shay Hodge for appeared to be a 41-yard reception at the Alabama 4 with 7 seconds left.

However, the play was reviewed, and overruled. After looking at the play myself and taking to people in the know, here's what I wrote Monday:

Officials were essentially looking for three things:
· Did Hodge catch the ball? Yes.
· Did he step out of bounds before catching the ball? Yes. [Note: I had elsewhere that officials ruled he wasn't forced out of bounds] At this point, the play was essentially overruled. Now for the tricky part.
· Did the receiver touch the ball before the defender, junior Lionel Mitchell? This was important because a receiver who steps out-of-bounds may re-enter the field of play and make a play on a ball only if it’s touched first by a defender or official. In this case, replay officials decided it was all but impossible to determine who touched the ball first. The only way the call could have gone in Ole Miss’ favor was if replay showed Mitchell had clearly touched it before Hodge.

However, slowing down the replay, it appears that Hodge, who had his left shoulder over Mitchell’s right shoulder, did reach up and touch the ball first with his left hand. But is it conclusive? No. Incidentally, aided by Alabama’s time out, it took officials 5 minutes and 50 seconds to go through the entire process.

"I'm sick, but I have to deal with it," Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron said. "There's nothing I can do about it. It's very, very unfair. This is not about me. It's about my team. We should've been allowed to play that last 7 seconds and let the best team win."

But they did they get the call right? Yes.

Ok, enough of that.

Under Daffy Daugherty, pictured here from the 1956 Rose Bowl, the Spartans were able to make strong claims for the national championship in both 1965 and 1966. The 1965 Spartans were 10-0-0 before a 14-12 loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, and the 1966 team went 9-0-1, with the tie against Notre Dame. Courtesy of the Tournament of Roses archives.

1957 Ohio State

It's time to give the Buckeyes some love, because, well, they are No. 1 this week. Yes, really they are, even though just about everyone thinks this is a down year for the Big 10. That and Ohio State's biggest wins so far are against Washington and Purdue, teams that wouldn't exactly be called world beaters.

No. 2 is South Florida. Congrats to the Bulls, and to No. 3 Boston College.

I'm going to do a column about all this later this week, so for now I'm going to bite my tongue. The teams at the top should enjoy their rankings, and for at least one more night we should all let them and not mention things like five of the 11 remaining undefeated teams lost last week. Besides, it's a good photo.

Despite being out-gained, Ohio State pulled out a 10-7 victory against Oregon in the 1958 Rose Bowl. Frank Kremblas of Ohio State and Jim Shanley of Oregon scored the touchdowns. Courtesy the Tournament of Roses archives.

1964 Alabama

Ok, sorry I didn't post yesterday, but I didn't make it back from Ole Miss in time. Still, for the fifth straight week Alabama's game essentially came down to the last play, this time with an instant-replay overturn that had the Rebels steaming mad. FYI, it was the correct call, and if you want to know why check out Monday's edition of the Tuscaloosa News.

Otherwise, I'll probably spend a lot of this week blogging about how crazy this season is, especially with the first Bowl Championship Series rankings.

But more about that later.

Quarterback Joe Namath shakes hands with Ray Perkins during the 1964 season when at 10-0 Alabama was awarded the national championship by the Associated Press prior to its controversial 21-17 loss to Texas in the Orange Bowl. Courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum.

1960 Ole Miss

So it's Friday, and I'm getting ready to head over to Oxford, Mississippi to see Alabama at Ole Miss in the morning. I have to say I really, really hate morning games because it doesn't give you a chance to soak up the atmosphere beforehand, and by the time we get done everyone's cleared out. Trust me, if there's one place in college football you want to enjoy before a game, it's The Grove.

Although John Vaught’s 1959 team may have been better, the No. 2 Rebels were 9-0-1 after they defeated Rice in the 1961 Sugar Bowl, 14-6, while No. 1 Minnesota (8-1) lost to No. 6 Washington in the Rose Bowl. Courtesy of the Southeastern Conference.