karmew32

My head & heart say Indiana wins in a blowout. My gut says it's one of those games where Indiana comes out swinging, wins everywhere but the scoreboard, controls win probability throughout the game, is on the verge of closing it out a dozen times but just can't, and Miami steals it at the very end.

Either way, no way Indiana gets punched in the mouth.

Nobody thought the 1998 KSU Wildcats or 1998 Vikings would lose either.

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98 Vols

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The team that only won a national title because Kansas State pulled a 2025 Jays?

Do you feel like Snyder & Gundy also knew even in the moment that 1998 & 2011 respectively were "now or never" seasons for them in terms of winning a natty?

Also 1998 KSU the entire season until the UCLA loss announcement at the Big 12 CCG.

A thrilling Miami win would be a much bigger letdown than an Indiana blowout.

Not to mention they had the 1981 title in their back pocket and their bitter rival had one of the most iconic dream-ending losses in CFB history in 1984.

I feel like Stephen Daley is a bigger absence than all of Oregon’s missing players combined.

Wisconsin to my knowledge hasn't had a team that was in national title pole position. The closest was probably 2017, but I doubt they beat either Georgia or Oklahoma. The 2010 team was probably their best but it's hard to say whether they jump Auburn/Oregon or not.

My picks are Oregon, West Virginia, and Kansas State. All 3 have been the favorite to win the national title at a given point in a season but failed to get it done.

Oregon was favored to win the 2012 national title after Bama slipped up against A&M and was favored to win the 2014 national title game. They came very close in 2010 though they were slight underdogs against Auburn. I'd say 2012 was their best chance.

West Virginia was the favorite in 2007 after LSU slipped up against Arkansas. Missouri was projected to lose to Oklahoma and WVU would've been favored against Ohio State

After Ohio State slipped up against Michigan State in 1998, Kansas State was clearly the best of the 3 remaining unbeatens, though their situation was a bit more hazy with how the BCS computers were treating them compared to Tennessee/UCLA. After UCLA lost to Miami, there was a brief few hours where Kansas State was the odds-on favorite to win the national title as they would've been favored against Tennessee.

I think 1998 Kansas State is the best single-season team from any title-less program and would beat many national champions.

That's what really sucks about that loss. It felt like Rams fans were rewarded for the indifference while we were punished for our passion.

Like Indiana’s turnaround under Cignetti, Kansas State was the worst D-I football program before Snyder arrived. 1998 was the apex with a Heisman-level QB in Bishop, 8 All-Americans, and 25 future NFLers. From what I’ve read, they were the favorite to win the national title, particularly after their closest equal that season in Ohio State got upset by a Saban-helmed Michigan State team.

Every neutral seems to have rallied around this Indiana team in a way I’ve never seen. It’s a rare overlap of the best story also being the best team. Did 1998 Kansas State garner similar national support among neutrals?