AFCA Blue Ribbon Commission Champion 1937

Teams named national champions by NCAA-designated selectors
(Underline: Claimed title for the season; +: co-champion selection)

Other Possible Contenders

	California	Dartmouth	Fordham	Pittsburgh	Santa Clara	Villanova
Record	10-0-1	7-0-2	7-0-1	9-0-1	9-0	8-0-1
Opponent Win %	0.505	0.541	0.637	0.640	0.544	0.517
+.500 Opponents	4	5	6	8	5	5
Average PF-PA	19.5-3.0	27.6-3.7	22.8-2.0	20.3-3.4	18.1-1.0	20.6-0.8
FBS Record	8-0-1	4-0-2	5-0-1	8-0-1	7-0	6-0-1
FBS Opponent Win %	0.516	0.606	0.664	0.696	0.486	0.544
Average FBS PF-PA	20.0-3.7	22.7-3.7	11.3-2.7	16.0-3.8	15.9-1.0	18.7-1.0
Conference Record	6-0-1	Independent	Independent	Independent	Independent	Independent
Non-Home Games	4	5	2 $	4	6 ^	5
SOS (S-R/BR)	53/5	62/79	40/39	10/11	88/83	74/96

There were 2 other teams that I didn’t pull the trigger on for analyzing. Holy Cross was unbeaten and performed great defensively but didn’t perform well offensively against a weak schedule that didn’t feature any Top 25-caliber teams. SEC champ Alabama had a CFBDW selection and an undefeated regular season but lost in the Rose Bowl.

Villanova had an unbeaten record and the nation’s best scoring defense. Another feather in their cap was playing more than half their games on the road. While they had some decent wins, their schedule is looked at very poorly. The Wildcats only faced 1 Top 25-caliber team (Auburn), which ended in a scoreless tie at home. I feel like their case won’t be very strong as a result of the schedule. Dartmouth had the nation’s best scoring offense, best average scoring margin, and played over half their games on the road as well. They also had the most blemishes (2 ties) and the most games against non-FBS teams out of the contenders. They faced only 1 surefire Top 25-caliber foe (Yale) in tie game, and went 1-0-1 against 2 teams that would be pushing Top 25 consideration (Harvard, Cornell). Dartmouth also lacked any intersectional games this season, which hurts their case as well. The Big Green had been offered to play California in the Rose Bowl, but just like they did in 1925, declined the offer. I think these 2 would end up with the weakest cases to go before the BRC.

Up next is Santa Clara, the only FBS-level team to post a perfect record on the year. The Broncos had the 2nd-best scoring defense this season and the most games away from their home stadium. However, their schedule is in contention as being one of the worst among contenders, as they faced 1 Top 10-caliber team (LSU) and faced nobody stronger than top 50 Stanford and St. Mary’s in the regular season as far as FBS opponents go. The Broncos also had the worst opponent win percentage for FBS-level games, as 11-win San Jose State (non-FBS) really helped puff up the overall OWP numbers. They also had the poorest scoring offense of the contenders and didn’t perform as strong as California against common opponent St. Mary’s. They narrowly edged out Villanova in overall results against common opponents Loyola Marymount and Marquette. However, they did secure their 2nd-straight postseason win in a rematch against LSU in the Sugar Bowl. While they might not have the best resume, being the lone perfect team on the season gives them something to work with.

PCC champion California is next, who had 1 contemporary pick from a NCAA-designated selector (Dunkel) and finished 2nd in the AP Poll. The Golden Bears had the most wins of all the contenders and a very solid performance over their schedule, as all of their wins were by double digit margins. However, their schedule is hard to get a read on as noticed in the table above, as 8 of their opponents were hovering around the .500 mark. Also not helping is that Cal played the 2nd-most home-heavy schedule of the contenders by percentage (most by number of home games). Top 50 teams USC and Stanford were the best regular season wins. Their win over St. Mary’s gives them an edge over fellow contender Santa Clara when looking at comparative result. Their blemish came in a scoreless tie at home against a Washington team that would’ve been pushing Top 25 consideration. The Bears got a boost in their lone intersectional contest, handing SEC champ Alabama (easily a Top 5 or 10 caliber team) their only loss of the season and first loss ever in the Rose Bowl Game. Is that big win on the sport’s biggest stage at the time enough to push them over the hump with the BRC?

Lambert Trophy winner Pittsburgh is the overwhelming favorite of NCAA-designated selectors for this season, including being named AP Poll champion and the vast majority of contemporary selectors. The Panthers secured their 1st unbeaten season in 17 years against arguably the best schedule of the contenders, playing 4 Top 25-caliber teams (Duke, Fordham, Nebraska, Notre Dame), 1 non-FBS team (fewest of the contenders), and 8 teams with winning records. They handed the Big 6 champ Cornhuskers and Sun Bowl champ West Virginia (who was pushing for Top 25 consideration) their only losses on the year. However, a scoreless tie at Fordham prevented a perfect season. In addition, their scoring margins – despite 8 of the games being double-digit victories – were toward the lower end of the contenders, which could be justified as a possible byproduct of the stronger schedule. Those numbers were still very comparable across the board with the other contenders

This leads me to Fordham, who had no NCAA or CFBDW selections, but finished unbeaten and #3 in the final AP Poll. The Rams, on the surface, had the 2nd-best average scoring margin of the contenders. They also played a decent schedule, with 2 definite Top 25-caliber foes (North Carolina, Pittsburgh), a possible 3rd in TCU (despite their .500 record), and the 2nd-best opponent win percentages behind the Panthers. However, when you remove their non-FBS results, their scoring number take a big dip against FBS-level foes. They also were edged out by Cal and Santa Clara in results against common opponent (St. Mary’s), and percentage-wise had the most home-heavy schedule (UNC and NYU were their only away games, with the Tar Heels contest being the only game played outside of New York City). However, they did hand the Tar Heels their only loss of the year and was able to hold the more respected Pitt squad to a scoreless draw for the 3rd straight year.

For the Blue Ribbon Commission, I think it ultimately boils down to California, Fordham, and Pittsburgh. The Panthers had the best schedule and majority of ranking services. The Bears won all their games by double digits and had a big postseason win. Fordham may not have been as impressive, but did draw even with Pitt and was rated higher than Cal on average across the ratings I’ve come across. Ultimately, I believe Pitt is the top choice for Tier 1 as the best case to receive the retroactive Coaches Trophy due to such a solid performance against a strong schedule. California (overall performance) and Fordham (2nd most Top 25-caliber foes, tie with Pitt) are my Tier 2 teams for having the next best cases behind the Panthers. The Bears and Rams would have the most to gain for submitting a case, as the Panthers might not be so inclined to pursue a claim they since have the AP title and such overwhelming selector favor. Santa Clara, despite the perfect record, is my Tier 3 thanks to their SOS. This is the final appearance for any of the teams in the BRC window.

Tier 1 (Best case to be awarded AFCA Trophy): Pittsburgh
Tier 2 (Legitimate case for champion/co-champion): California, Fordham
Tier 3 (Minor Contender, could make a case): Santa Clara
Tier 4 (Not Serious Contenders): Dartmouth, Villanova