AFCA Blue Ribbon Commission Champion 1931

Teams named national champions by NCAA-designated selectors
(Underline: claimed title season; +: co-champion/split selection)

Other Possible Contender

	Harvard	Pittsburgh	Purdue	Southern Cal	Tennessee
Record	7-1	8-1	9-1	10-1	9-0-1
Opponent Win %	0.642	0.488	0.388	0.699	0.584
+.500 Opponents	7	3	2	10	8
Average PF-PA	18.6-3.6	31.1-4.1	19.2-3.9	33.0-4.7	24.3-1.5
FBS Record	4-1	6-1	7-1	10-1	7-0-1
FBS Opponent Win %	0.583	0.508	0.423	0.699	0.559
Average FBS PF-PA	15.0-5.8	21.0-5.3	18.1-4.9	33.0-4.7	26.1-1.9
Conference Record	Ind	Ind	5-1	7-0	6-0-1
Non-Home Games	1	3	4	3	3
SOS (S-R/BR)	47/64	41/61	52/37	1/1	40/21

There were a couple more teams that I had thought about looking into but ultimately decided not to pull the trigger on. Big 10 co-champion Northwestern had a fairly strong schedule & probably would’ve been in very good position to be national champions had they finished undefeated: however, a loss to Purdue in the season finale coupled with a tie against Notre Dame dampened the Wildcats’ hopes. Tulane went through the regular season unscathed and easily would’ve been champion had they not stumbled in the Rose Bowl. The Green Wave might could use the argument of being the best pre-bowl team (as most selectors even then did their final ratings before the bowl game), but with the BRC taking bowl games into account, that argument fails to hold.

Pittsburgh and Big 10 co-champ Purdue, who were named co-champions by Parke Davis, get my first look. The Panthers are considered to have the weaker schedule of the 2, but counteracted that with having strong scoring numbers (having the 2nd best average MOV of the contenders) and facing 3 Top 25-caliber teams (Army, Nebraska, Notre Dame). Pitt had 2 dominant wins, but a 2 touchdown loss to Notre Dame prevented an unbeaten season. The Boilermakers, meanwhile, weren’t as impressive on the scoreboard and only faced 2 teams with winning records. Purdue scored a win over Top 25-caliber Northwestern in the season finale, but lost against the only other team they faced above .500 (top 50-caliber Wisconsin). Purdue did play the most road games of the contenders this year, which is an item that works in their favor.

Harvard, with a CFBDW selection, find themselves next under examination. The Crimson, who was one of the best teams in the first half-century of the sport (especially in the 1910s), was making their last grasp at contender status. After a slight decline but still posting solid years in the 1920s, Harvard would never find themselves close to contention during their remaining tenure as an FBS team. However, their schedule is pretty much in line with Pitt and Purdue. The Crimson defeated Top 25-caliber Army (although by a lesser margin than Pitt did), a Dartmouth team on the cusp of Top 25 consideration, and top 50 Texas. They also played the most non-FBS teams with 3 games and the most home-heavy schedule (only 1 road game). The non-FBS teams were a combined 19-6-1, with New Hampshire winning a share of their conference title and Holy Cross being rated as a top 50 caliber opponent by the systems that rated them alongside FBS teams. The Crimson would have the worst scoring numbers of the contenders and lost the only other game played against Top 25-caliber opposition: a home loss to rival Yale at season’s end.

Tennessee, after being out of contention the previous year, finds themselves back in contention again with their 4th unbeaten season under legendary coach Robert Neyland. The Volunteers had the 3rd-best scoring numbers among contenders and a schedule probably considered just above the other 3 teams I’ve broken down so far. The biggest thing working in their favor: Tennessee was the only team besides Purdue to post a clean sweep against Top 25-caliber opponents. While Purdue only faced 1, the Volunteers faced 3 (Alabama, NYU, Vanderbilt), beating them by double digit margins. Their wins over the 2 non-FBS teams faced (Carson-Newman, Maryville) were better opponents that the non-FBS teams Pitt and Purdue faced. However, a thorn that reared its head during Neyland’s previous unbeaten seasons struck again, as rival Kentucky tied the Vols in the only other game faced against top 50 competition. This blemish prevented Tennessee from sharing in the SoCon title and a possible shot at the Rose Bowl.

Finally we have Southern California, who was the overwhelming favorite of NCAA-designated selectors for this season (including the 4 contemporary selectors that existed at this time). The Trojans faced a brutal schedule: all-FBS competition, only 1 team below .500, and a whopping 9 games against Top 25-caliber teams (plus 1 more flirting with consideration). To make it even more impressive, they had the best scoring numbers on the year for the contenders. After a season opening loss to St. Mary’s, USC rebounded with 9 straight wins in the regular season. Road games against Top 10-caliber California and Notre Dame would be the only regular season wins not decided by double digit margins. As PCC champions, the Trojans faced SoCon champion Tulane in the Rose Bowl. USC was named #1 in the final Dickinson System ranking, while the then-undefeated Green Wave were #2, making this season’s edition of the game the 1st de-facto national championship game. The Trojans would score the game’s first 3 touchdowns and cruised to a 21-12 win to seal their 2nd claimed title season.

Looking at the data and facts, Southern California is far and away the team for Tier 1 status. The Trojans have the contemporary favor, the strongest schedule, and the best scoring numbers. Tennessee slides in as my Tier 2: while the Vols weren’t as impressive with SOS or scoring, they were the only major unbeaten and went undefeated against Top 25-caliber opposition (something even USC failed to do). Pittsburgh falls to Tier 3 and could perhaps make a case solely on having closest performance on the scoreboard to the Trojans. Harvard and Purdue are my longshots when you compare their resumes to the other 3 teams.

Tier 1 (Best Case to be awarded AFCA Trophy): Southern California
Tier 2 (Legitimate case for champion/co-champion): Tennessee
Tier 3 (Minor Contender, could make a case): Pittsburgh
Tier 4 (Not Serious Contenders): Harvard, Purdue