AFCA Blue Ribbon Commission 1943

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

	Notre Dame	Purdue
Record	9-1	9-0
Opponent Win %	0.655	0.407
+.500 Opponents	7	2
Average PF-PA	34.0-6.9	23.8-6.1
FBS Record	9-1	9-0
FBS Opponent Win %	0.655	0.407
Average FBS PF-PA	34.0-6.9	23.8-6.1
Conference Record	Independent	6-0
Non-Home games	7	5
SOS (S-R/BR)	2/1	14/17

1943 is probably 1 of the easiest to sort through, as there was only 4 teams that received CFBDW selections and 2 of them were service teams (which I’ve chosen not to analyze, due to fact there were professional players intertwined in that talent pool). There was a unanimous choice from the NCAA-designated selections. There were 3 other teams that probably deserved consideration (Duke, Michigan, Navy), but chose not to do a deep dive on. The Wolverines and Midshipmen both lost to the Fighting Irish handily. Duke was harder to pass on, as they had the nation’s best scoring offense and defense on the year and was named #1 by one of the rating systems I use in helping determine Top 25-caliber teams (Hatch). Unfortunately, the Blue Devils were 1-1 against common opponents with the Irish and boasted lesser scoring margins in those games. So ultimately, I felt those 3 would be longshots and decided to just stick with the 2 teams labeled above. Both teams have similarities: Midwest schools who had the benefit of Navy training programs on campus for this year.

First off, let’s look at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played arguably not only the toughest schedule in the nation, but maybe even one of the toughest schedules of all time. All of their opponents averaged out at being top 50-caliber, and 7 of their 10 opponents were Top 25-caliber (Army, Georgia Tech, Great Lakes NTS, Iowa Pre-Flight, Michigan, Navy, Northwestern). 7 of their games took place away from home, adding more to the difficulty of the schedule. Despite the strong schedule, Notre Dame still managed to win pretty convincingly in most games while having the nation’s 2nd-best scoring offense, led by Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli for 6 games and future Heisman winner Johnny Lujack in the final 4 games after Bertelli was called into military service. Consensus All-Americans Pat Filley, Creighton Miller, Jim White, and Jim Yonakor were also crucial to the successes this season. However, likely due to a combination of the grueling schedule and a massive wave of military call-ups with a few weeks left in the season, the Irish wouldn’t finish the year unscathed. After defeating Iowa Pre-Flight in a match-up of AP #1 vs #2 (which had also been their closest game at that point), Notre Dame suffered an upset loss in the final game of the year at Great Lakes NTS. Despite the loss, the Irish were named national champions by the AP for the 1st time (becoming the only team to win the AP crown despite losing their final game before the final rankings) and swept every other contemporary and retroactive NCAA selection.

Next we have Big 10 co-champ Purdue, making their final appearance in the BRC window. The Boilermakers, who had struggled in the post-Noble Kizer era and went 1-8 the year prior, was the biggest beneficiary of the Navy’s V-12 program, as their roster would receive an influx of players from some successful teams the previous year (notably Top 25-caliber Illinois and Big 6 champ Missouri). As a result, Purdue went undefeated, which made them the nation’s most improved team from 1942 to 1943, and tied for the 2nd-most improved team all-time according to the NCAA FBS record book. The Boilermakers, like the Irish, played a schedule where every opponent averaged out as a top 50-caliber team. 2 of their opponents (Great Lakes NTS, Minnesota) were Top 25-caliber, while 4 more (Camp Grant, Indiana, Marquette, Ohio State) would’ve been pushing for consideration. Despite the schedule strength ratings, GLNTS and Minnesota were the only 2 teams the Boilermakers played that finished with winning records. In addition, Purdue played no teams outside of the Midwest region. Led by All-Americans Alex Agase and Tom Butkovich, the Boilermakers would storm out to a 7-0 start (with all wins by double digits) and peaked at #2 in the AP Poll. However, they would barely squeak by Minnesota and Indiana in their final games after key players were called into military service with a few weeks left in the season. Despite the perfect record and having a win over the team that eventually defeated Notre Dame, Purdue would finish 5th in the final AP Poll and received no NCAA-designated selections. However, they would receive selections from CFBDW selectors as national champions. In addition, they were #1 in a couple of the other ratings I looked at and outranked Notre Dame in 3 of those ratings overall.

While it’s only 2 teams to decide against, the Blue Ribbon Commission really has to decide what they value most. Notre Dame was more impressive against a brutal schedule; had they not lost in their final game, the 1943 Irish would probably be considered one of the best teams of all time. Purdue went undefeated against a decent schedule, but not to the extent that the Irish did. The Boilermakers posted a 3-0 record against common opponents and hold a transitive path of superiority over the Irish, but the Irish had a better scoring margin. I think a couple things will come into consideration from the commission:

• Program quality: even though Notre Dame had to replace multiple starters from the 1942, they were still a high performing program in the years prior to 1943. Purdue, meanwhile, had been struggling on the gridiron before the influx of players in 1943 thanks to the V-12 program. The Navy V-12 program was paramount for both teams’ success, but when analyzing everything before and after this season, Purdue was the bigger beneficiary and only benefitted short-term.
• Michigan: The Wolverines shared the Big 10 title with Purdue since they weren’t scheduled to play in 1943. While the Wolverines were beaten soundly by Notre Dame, they dominated the rest of their schedule. This included 6 common opponents Purdue had with Michigan: the Wolverines performed better on the scoreboard than the Boilermakers. So not only could you rationalize Notre Dame being better than Purdue, but maybe even Michigan being better than Purdue as well on the year.
• Great Lakes NTS: Thanks to James Vautravers’ research, he brought up an interesting point. Both teams played the Bluejackets: Purdue in their season opener, Notre Dame in the season finale. When the Boilermakers played the Bluejackets, Great Lakes was playing without Steve Lach, who didn’t join the team until after the game. Lach, a former Duke player who played in the NFL in 1942, was the player who led the game-winning drive for Great Lakes in the win over the Irish.

My heart wants to go with Purdue, given they were undefeated and having the transitive path over Notre Dame thanks to Great Lakes NTS. However, given that Notre Dame was more dominant overall, played such a strong (and nationally relevant) schedule, and had so much contemporary favor, I think the Irish end up as Tier 1 for having the best case for a retroactive Coaches Trophy. The Boilermakers are my Tier 2: I think they would have a case to share the crown given their perfect record and the transitive chain over Notre Dame. However, with Notre Dame having been named national champion by the AP Poll, they are probably not going to be motivated to submit a case to AFCA. Purdue apparently claimed the season as a title year at one time based on the memorabilia images shared above, and I have seen at least 1 article from a Boilermaker fan site advocating for the 1943 team to be named national champions. In addition, the 1943 Boilermakers were similar to 1945 Oklahoma State in a lot of aspects. If Purdue were to try and lay claim to a national championship, I would highly recommend submitting a claim to AFCA for the 1943 squad. Duke, who I didn’t go into a deep dive on, would be Tier 3 material: the Blue Devils led the nation in scoring offense and defense. The record against common opponents compared to the Irish (and resultant transitive path) is Duke’s biggest downfall. Michigan and Navy, while highly rated, suffered head-to-head losses to the Irish, which will keep them in longshot status.

Tier 1 (Best Case to be awarded AFCA Trophy): Notre Dame
Tier 2 (Legitimate case for champion/co-champion): Purdue
Tier 3 (Minor Contender, could make a case): Duke
Tier 4 (Not Serious Contenders): Michigan, Navy